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Display - Women in Sport

 

 

WOMEN IN SPORT

 

THE HISTORY OF

GENTRY LADIES, MIDDLE CLASS WIVES & WORKING CLASS

WOMEN AT PLAY A CENTURY AGO

 

Women have traditionally been discriminated against in sport

 

Identified as the weaker sex, it was presumed that a man would always beat a woman. Equally, with the man holding the purse-strings, he alone had the freedom to play when he liked

 

The upper class ‘lady’ had wealth, land and responsibility and Queen Elizabeth 1 established the right to participate in sport

 

The middle class woman was not expected to work, except in the home. In the 19th century the middle class man aspired to be a gentleman and his wife hoped to participate socially with the gentry

 

The lower class female worked and played before the industrial revolution, but the factories absorbed them as cheap labour and their free-time disappeared

 

Look at the story of cricket. Women played in the 18th century. Men stopped them playing in the 19th century and then it was only through progressive girls’ school that they won the right in the 20th century

 

Worcester Rowing Club enjoyed the company of ladies at the annual regatta, but it was the late1890’s before girls could row competitively

 

Water-sports were popular with girls and families. Skating went on using flooded meadows along the Avon; the centre picture was taken of the one and only swimming regatta at Pershore; and the third picture shows sledging on Marriott’s Bank

 

Yes, women were allowed to cycle at all three levels. The top picture is of Kidderminster Cycle Club; below it a women’s cycle race in 1910; and a decorated-bike competition at a village fete in 1909

 

The local upper class knew how to hold a garden party and a week-end shooting. Here are the Coventry’s and the Dudley’s, but the younger females rode to hounds and shot but also excellent archers

 

 

Local towns and villages had annual shows, fetes and fairs. It was usually a case of dressing up for the ladies at that time.

 

Women’s Gymnastics was very popular locally, with clubs in all the towns, Evesham had a ladies gym club, but Pershore limited it to men!

 

Local middle class women’s lawn tennis clubs were very popular by 1900. The middle photo could be Pershore as there were two courts at the Sports Club by this time.

 

Very ‘posh’ members of the Ladies’ Archery Championships held around Worcs. and

 locally at Wick House, the home of

A.H. Hudson

 

Well, Pershore Flower Show, the biggest and best in the County! Unfortunately, at this and the town races, women were just spectators.