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Stirling Local History Society

Stirling’s Sports and Recreation

Stirling has a long history of sport and recreation with sport on the hunting ground of King’s Park being the earliest recorded. Here the royal pursuits of deer hunting, hawking, riding, and archery took place.

Exercise and Sport in 17th century Stirling

Medieval elites had recognised the importance of exercise as a counter to rich diet and idleness. But most pre-modern people worked long and hard and had neither the time nor the need to ‘keep fit’.

Still, exercise and sport were important. ... and people were prepared to risk public censure by taking a country walk on Sunday. Golf was also condemned as a breach of the Sabbath- the first firm Stirling record in 1603 (not 1506, as sometimes claimed).  Bullets and the related skittles were also condemned on Sundays – the former perhaps played in the street, the latter in a commercial ‘skittle alley’ (15 June 1630 5 Aug 1634). Former Provost John McCulloch had a set of skittles in a cabinet when he died in 1689. Bowls would come into its own some twenty years later with the opening of the Cowane’s Hospital green. The main point of cock throwing was probably betting – but when two butcher boys took the one James Dinn had put up, he assaulted them (Burgh Court, 23 Feb 1678).

A ‘real’ or royal tennis court was built in Stirling (somewhere off modern Baker Street) in the 1530s when it was very fashionable; this court was patronised by James V but the fashion faded and the court closed by about 1650.

Football was particularly associated with shoemakers and in Scotland generally was particularly played on Fastrens Eve (Shrove Tuesday) though there are few Stirling records. Trip ball was punished as a Sabbath breach (Burgh Court, 17 March 1663). These games called for little special equipment and –as today – could be spontaneous and informal with few rules. 
Most games were male only; an unusual record from Airth Session in May 1661 has seven women playing the game known as Barley Breaks – a chasing game usually played by three couples and with sexual connotations (Wikipedia, Barley-Break).

From 1598 the town sponsored horse races in the spring at Bridgehaugh.  These fell victim to increasing Puritanism about 1630 but were revived after the Restoration only to fail again in 1673 and be replaced, for a while, by archery. The horse 
races were revived again about 1706 as a ‘spoiler’ to the Broxbrae Fair, based at the Borestone. Like all the officially-organised events this race had a commercial aim. The Broxbrae race ran a loop, from the town to Broxbrae and back to a finish at the burgh gate – a ruse to draw the crowd from the rival!  The horse riders and archers were ‘gentlemen’ but there were other events on race days – tug o’ war, foot races, even goose races or boat races on the river, for the less-well-off men and all meant to draw a crowd and put the stir into Stirling.

By the 19th Century, Stirling could offer a wide variety of sporting activities for those able to take part.

A race course was laid out on the King’s Park in 1805 and proved popular till closed in 1854 after a campaign against the thieves, pickpockets, gamblers and associated troublemakers that were drawn to the events.

Sports Clubs flourished at this time. Curling clubs existed at Riverside, Kings Park, Borestone, Bannockburn, Bridge of Allan, Dunblane, Doune and many other surrounding locations, complete with pond and curling house for the stones. By the 1870s King’s Park Football Club, Stirling County and Stirling Town Rugby Clubs, Stirling County Cricket Club, Stirling Bowling Club and Stirling Golf Club were all in existence with their associated parks and other facilities. These clubs played against many other local clubs in leagues and knockout competitions. Angling on the Forth and other rivers and ponds was regularly reported in the local newspapers along with quoiting at Bannockburn and miniature rifle shooting among others.

There were many other opportunities for recreation eg ice skaters took advantage of Airthrey Loch when it was opened up 
and several ice carnivals took place here at the end of the century, raising money for charity. The Burgh of Stirling opened its own skating and curling pond at Back o’ Hill, Raploch and ice carnivals were held here as well.

In 1909 the roller skating craze arrived with the opening of the Olympia Roller Skating Rink at the foot of King Street. Tennis opened at King’s Park in 1924 complete with a pavilion. Horse Harness Racing came to Stirling in 1966 with the opening of the Corbiewood Stadium. Stirling’s first ice rink opened at Williamfield in 1980 introducing ice hockey in addition to curling and ice skating.

Other more recent additions include another golf course and driving range at Brucefields, King’s Park skatepark, various dedicated cycle routes and the opening of the Peak Sports Centre at Forthbank.

References:

Stirling: The Royal Burgh, Craig Mair, 1990.

Stirling Observer articles, 1909, 1924.

The main sources for sports in the 17th century are spasmodic entries in; Stirling Kirk Session Minutes; Stirling Burgh Court Records; Stirling Burgh Treasurer’s Accounts; Extracts from the Records of the Royal Burgh of Stirling.

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