Hi All, This passage gives a good indication as to the sport of SINGLE STICK. I was given a few other descriptions, but this one written about the time I was looking for give a good insight. Thanks again to the people who replied Best wishes Andy 5. - SINGLE STICK. I have often intended raking together what I could about the old single stick players of Wedmore, but somehow I have never done it; and as I have already said, if you don't do a thing when you can, it is not likely that. you will do it when you can't. Every year it gets more difficult to find out anything about them, because the generation that played has died out. Besides single stick there was playing with the cudgels, which was much rougher work. In single stick playing the left arm was guarded and held up to guard the head; in cudgel playing the left arm was not guarded. I am told that players used "to drink gunpowder" before playing, because that made the blood less ready to come. Any blood above the neck counted. Sometimes blood was drawn on a player's mouth, and he would keep licking it away to hide it; but if the spectators saw it they would cry out, "Blood, blood, blood." On Aug. 15, 1820, a strong hardy fellow, named George Crease, was married in! Wedmore Church to Rebecca Willis. It was Priddy Fair day. When the wedding was over George having nothing to do thought he would go across the moor to Priddy Fair. He did not want to buy or sell cattle, but of course that was no reason why he should not go to Priddy Fair. When he got there he found an old single stick player standing outside the inn and challenging anybody to play him. George was not much of a player himself and did not much want to play this old experienced player; but he had plenty of pluck and got persuaded into it. Before they began the old player shook hands with him and said, "We will play a pretty game, and not a hitting one." But having said that he immediately began to hit away as hard as he could, and before long both were covered with blood, but no heads broke.

Hi All, Could sks check the 1891 Census, Reading, Berks for my GG Uncle George A HILLIER b 1890, Reading, Berks. His father may have been William HILLIER. The only info I have is from George A HILLIER's 'Attestation Papers' for the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force in 1914. I can't find any details for his birth 23 Apr 1890, nor his marriage to Violet GODDARD b 21 Mar 1894, Cricklade, Wilts. I presume George A went to Canada (don't know if he immigrated with his parents or alone), then joined the Canadian Army and volunteered for Overseas Expeditionary Force in 1914 and came to Britain and met or remet Violet and married. George A and Violet moved to Canada in 1919, settled in Lindsay, Hamilton, Ontario in 1951. There is no trace of their marriage in Canada. I have a copy of George A attestation papers, which shows his next of kin as William HILLIER, Blewbury, Nr Didcot, Berkshire. Unfortunately the GODDARDs moved around a great deal, I think Violet & her family were in Ireland c1901 & in Herefordshire 1903, so I'm not sure where Violet was living when she and George A would have married. Any information regarding the above will be greatly appreciated no matter how small. Regards Sue, Shropshire.