Roman board game discovered in Dales village (From The Northern Echo)

Roman board game discovered in Dales village

4:01pm Tuesday 18th November 2008 in Search

THE remains of a board game dating back to the Roman Empire have been discovered in the Dales village of Gayle, North Yorkshire.

Known locally as “merrills” and elsewhere in the UK as “nine men’s morris” or “mills,” the game is thought to have been etched into the top of the stone wall that runs alongside the beck at Gayle Mill by workers during the 18th Century.

The board consists of three concentric and connected squares, and the object is to create a run of three pieces in a row so boxing the opponent in so that he can no longer move.

Gayle Mill Manager Paul Bisson said: “The merrills board may well have been carved by the first workers at the mill into the stone wall, which was built to channel the beck through the middle of the village.

“It was probably a welcome pastime, much enjoyed as a break in their long hours at the spinning machines or carding the cotton or wool. But the game is not as easy as you might think.”

The game or strategy is thought to date back to the Roman Empire, and was very popular in medieval times.

Boards have been found carved into the cloister seats at a number of English cathedrals, and there is a mention of nine men’s morris in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Gayle Mill has been restored to working order and opened to visitors last Easter. A wooden version of the game, among other traditionally crafted wood products, is available to buy at the mill’s Christmas Fayre which takes place on Saturday, November 29.

For more details call 01969 667320 or visit gaylemill.org.uk