December 3: Tudor board games

Wealthier classes in Tudor times would enjoy board games such as chess, backgammon and Nine Men's Morris (also called Merrils). A board for Nine Men's Morris was found scratched into the end of a barrel in the wreck of the Mary Rose, Henry VIII's flagship which sank in 1545 and was raised in 1982. This game was played with small stones, coins or other small objects. The object of the game was to get three “men” in a row while also preventing the other player from doing the same. Here is a link for playing instructions and a template for a board:

http://www.historyisfun.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/AnnasAdventures_NineMensMorris.pdf