Regency Gentlemen Amusements Essay - 715 Words

Regency Gentlemen Amusements The Regency Era, generally referring to the time period of 1800-1820, was undeniably a time of pleasure seeking and over-indulgence. The Regency era represented a time when the current ruler, mad King George III, was incapable of performing his royal duties. Due to his madness, the King’s son the Prince of Wales, a Regent and heir to the throne, was appointed to govern. The Prince of Wales was designated Regent in 1811 (Channel4). During this era people of the upper class had a great deal of leisure time, and their major task seemed to be to entertain themselves. Some of the more popular amusements of rich and fashionable Regency gentlemen were boxing, cockfighting, and†¦show more content†¦The competition was not finished until one man lay unconscious, and this often took hours (channel 4). Despite the popularity of boxing, cockfighting was still considered to be the period’s most widespread sport. Cockfighting ranged across all social classes. Tournaments were held between gentlemen, often geographically based with one area playing another. The cockpits were a common place where all social classes gathered to place bets and watch the match. Although even the smallest town had a cockpit, Regency gentlemen were known to hold contests at their own estate. This pastime was a common practice and even influenced furniture makers to offer cockfighting chairs (GI). Unlike bare-knuckle bouts between people, cocks were precisely paired by weight in all the more heavily staked cockfights. Human training was elementary when compared to the training of gamecock. The cocks often had bone or metal spurs strapped over the birds beak to insure a fight to the death. Cockfighting began to diminish in England only after The Royal Society for Cruelty to Animals began to bring actions in the late 1830s, based on an 1835 Act against animal cruelty (GI). With boxing and cockfighting’s growing interest, both created an obsession with gambling. Gambling amongst theShow MoreRelatedHow Does Jane Austen Create Negative Feelings Towards Mr. Darcy in the First Few Chapters of Pride and Prejudice?2674 Words   |  11 PagesHow does Jane Austen create negative feelings towards Mr. Darcy in the first few chapters of Pride and Prejudice? Jane Austen wrote her book about life for women in the nineteenth century; the Regency period. For women in this period, life was very unbalanced, women were not perceived as equals and men were superior and had full authority in every aspect of life. There was a clear segregation among men and women and the values they were expected to maintain. It is a truth universally acknowledged