Sport and the British upper classes c.1500–2000: a historiographic overview

This article explores the main continuities and changes in upper-class sport, some foci of current research and gaps in current knowledge. It provides an overview of work carried out on individual sports such as hunting and shooting, and examines the upper-class contribution to sports patronage and rule codification in Britain, as well as the class's involvement in sport on a global scale. Upper-class sport has had a substantial impact on the rural landscape and natural environment, as well as on country-house architecture. A number of deficiencies and opportunities are identified, such as an analysis of the monarchy's sporting interests and its effects, the complex interplay between amateurism and upper-class values and the place of sport in upper-class women's life. The article concludes with a brief review of available sources.