Ancient history
Bowling is one of the oldest and most popular games in the world. Bowling is a sport that can be dated back to circa 3200 BC. In the 1930’s, a British anthropologist named Sir Flinders Petrie discovered a collection of objects in a child’s grave in Egypt that appeared to be used for a primitive form of bowling. There was a crude version of the bowling ball and pins that were all sized for a child and were very primitive. This find was discovered along with a couple of artifacts that could actually be dated back to 3200BC. This makes the orgin of bowling more than 5000 years old!
The next historical bowling related find was in Germany by a historian named William Pehle whom said that there was evidence of bowling in Germany around 300AD. England took the reins about 1366 as bowling was forbidden by King Edward III. The game was taking archery practice away from his troops. It is also known that Henry VIII brought bowling back. Several types of “pin games” started to exist where balls were hurled towards objects for points. These objects were somewhat pin shaped but crude renditions of modern day bowling pin design and shape. As you can see, the history of bowling is rich and deep.
There are several different games that resemble modern bowling, there are ninepin variations in Europe and Petanque is popular in France. Bocce ball originates in Italy and is similar to British lawn bowling. Dutch and English immigrants each brought their version of bowling with them from their country’s to the United States also. In America, the very first mention of the word “bowling” is found in the book Rip Van Winkle, a famous story by Washington Irving, who gets woken up by the sound of “crashing ninepins” that was published during 1812.
Bowling history continues on in the United States. A lawn bowling site was made in the heart of New York’s battery area that was the very first permanent location to bowl and is now still called Bowling Green and is in what is now the financial district. Bowling became very popular over the years in America and had become one of the biggest betting games. Connecticut banned any ninepin games at all in 1841. Because of mass popularity bowling was brought back.
Modern history
English King Henry VIII was an avid bowler. In 1511, he banned bowling for the lower classes and imposed a levy for private lanes to limit them to the wealthy. Another English law, passed in 1541 (repealed in 1845), prohibited workers from bowling except at Christmas, and then only in their master’s home and in his presence. In 1530, he acquired Whitehall Palace in central London as his new residence, having it extensively rebuilt complete with outdoor bowling lanes, indoor tennis court, jousting tiltyard, and cockfighting pit.
Protestant Reformation founder Martin Luther set the number of pins (which varied from 3 to 17) at nine. He had a bowling lane built next to his home for his children, sometimes rolling a ball himself.
To project a higher image, this 1838 New York newspaper ad for the Knickerbocker Hotel’s three bowling alleys boasted “excellent accommodations” and appealed to “gentlemen to perform their ablutions”.
On 19 July 1588, English Vice-Admiral Sir Francis Drake allegedly was playing bowls at Plymouth Hoe when the arrival of the Spanish Armada was announced; he replied, “We have time enough to finish the game and beat the Spaniards too.”
In 1609, Dutch East India Company explorer Henry Hudson discovered Hudson Bay, bringing Dutch colonization to New Amsterdam (later New York); Hudson’s men brought some form of lawn bowling with them.
In 1617, English King James I published Declaration of Sports, banning bowling on Sundays but permitting dancing and archery for those first attending an Anglican service, outraging Puritans; it was reissued in 1633 by his successor Charles I, then ordered publicly burned in 1643 by the Puritan Parliament.
In 1670, Dutchmen liked to bowl at the Old King’s Arms Tavern near modern-day 2nd and Broadway in New York City.
In 1733, Bowling Green in New York City was built on the site of a Dutch cattle market and parade ground, becoming the city’s oldest public park to survive to modern times.