Item HT 41083 Document - Unknown Author, to Dorothy Howard, Description of the Game 'King of the Castle', circa Mar 1955

Summary

Game name (and type): 'King of the Castle' (miscellaneous physical play)

Handwritten description of the game 'King of the Castle' composed for Dr Dorothy Howard by an unknown author, presumably a student at Ceduna Higher Primary School, circa March 1955. The author writes that 'King of the Castle' is typically played by four or more children on the beach or in a sandy area. A sand mound is created on which one child stands. The remaining children attempt to knock the 'King of the Castle' from the top of the mound in hope of taking their place. The author discusses the terminology employed in the game.

One of a collection of letters describing a children's game written to children's Folklorist Dorothy Howard between 1954 and 1955. Dr Howard came to Australia in 1954-55 as an American Fulbright scholar to study Australian children's folklore. She travelled across Australia for 10 months collecting children's playground rhymes, games, play artefacts, etc. This letter, together with the other original fieldwork collected by Dr Howard during this period, is preserved in the Dorothy Howard Collection manuscript files, part of the Australian Children's Folklore Collection (ACFC), Archive Series 3. The ACFC is an extensive collection documenting children's folklore and related research.

Physical Description

Handwritten game description in pencil on lined paper. Text printed on one side only.