Knurr & Spell
Name/Title
Knurr & SpellEntry/Object ID
2025.1.966Description
A Knurr and SpellContext
Knurr and spell (also called Northern spell, nipsy or trap ball) is an old Northern English game, once popular as a pub game. In Yorkshire it is played with a levered wooden trap known as a spell, by means of which the knurr, about the size of a walnut, is thrown into the air. In Lancashire the knurr is suspended stationary from string. The knurr is struck by the player with the stick. The object of the game is to hit the knurr the greatest possible distance, either in one or several hits. Each player competes as an individual, without interference, and any number can enter a competition. The stick is a bat consisting of two parts: a 4 feet (1.2 m) long stick made of ash or lancewood; and a pommel, a piece of very hard wood about 6 inches (150 mm) long, 4 inches (100 mm) wide and 1 inch (25 mm) thick. This was swung in both hands, although shorter bats for one hand were sometimes used. A successful hit drives the ball about 200 yards (180 m). The stroke is made by a full swing round the head, not unlike a drive in golf. Originally the ball was thrown into the air by striking a lever upon which it rested in the spell or trap, but in the later development of the game a spell or trap furnished with a spring was introduced, thus ensuring regularity in the height to which the knurr is tossed, somewhat after the manner of the shooter's clay pigeon. By means of a thumb screw, the player can adjust the spring of the spell or trap according to the velocity of release desired for the ball. On a large moor, where the game is generally played, the ground is marked out with wooden pins driven in every 20 yards (18 m). In matches each player supplies their own knurrs and spells and has five rises of the ball to a game. When set up to play the Spring was held down and the ‘KNURR’, a hardwood ball of 1.5 inch diameter, weighing 3/4 to 1 oz, was placed in the cup. The player would touch the handle and strike the Knur when released. The Bat was 4 feet long. Popular in Northern counties for centuries, the record hit was 320 yards in 1913. There was a record crowd of 10,000 in 1859 at Wibley, Bradford. Heavy betting was often associated with the game.Cataloged By
Colin WhittleCategory
Country & Rural activities