Battledore and Shuttlecock
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Battledore and Shuttlecock or Jeu de Volantis is an early game similar to that of modern Badminton.
The Battledore refers to a Racquet similar to a tennis racquet or a badminton racquet. Over the end, a large piece of parchment, hide, or other elastic material is stretched. The shuttlecock refers to a small cork projectile that often has feathers attached to increase drag. The purpose of the game is to keep the shuttlecock in the air for as long as possible with hits from the Battledores.
The game consists of two or more people hitting a shuttlecock backwards and forwards with the bats as many times as they can without allowing it to hit the ground. In 1830, the record for the number of hits was made by the aristocratic English Somerset family at 2117 hits.
The game is known in Ancient Greece. Peasants played it in medieval England. In the eighteenth century it became a popular upper class game across Europe.
Other similar games are noted in Japan, India, and China, see Hanetsuki.
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