I stumbled upon an interesting phrase the other day while reading Sovereign, by C.J. Sansom . The hero’s side-kick commented about a pretty young wench he had just saved from being robbed that he’d “not mind a game of hot-cockles with her“. Obviously I had to put the book down straight away and Google what on Earth this was referring to. This then lead me down a rabbit-hole of the weird and wonderful ways the Victorians entertained themselves.
I read this article which describes a compendium of games that was published in 1801, by the British engraver and writer Joseph Strutt. It describes that a game of “hot-cockles”
involved people taking turns hitting an individual who, blindfolded, had to guess the identity of their striker to emerge victorious.
With some images even showing the person resting their head in the lap of another, all whilst being hit by the people surrounding them. An odd passtime to say the least to someone who hasn’t partaken in the game before, but by no means, the most peculiar.
Some games were even unfathomable to the writer himself – which he grouped under a banner of ‘Unknown Games’. This included what looked like an illustration of a person sitting on a plank of wood, over a barrel of water, holding two candles. I really would like to know what this game was meant to achieve – perhaps it was a test of balance and the candles were a timer? We may never know…
It does make you wonder, though — what will people a few hundred years from now think of our leisure pursuits? Will they puzzle over TikTok dances, competitive cheese rolling, or escape rooms the same way we puzzle over blindfolded slaps and flaming candles? One thing still remains though – we all enjoy coming together and connecting over games, whatever they may be.
Hot-cockles anyone?
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