Issue: CC116
28th November 2024

In the parlour

A very Victorian board game

Maricourt is a Snakes & Ladders style board game, c1900, intended to be played by couples, but it can be played as individuals. Interestingly, the initial pairing of couples by drawing numbered counters makes no difference at all to the gameplay, but does fit very much within a tradition of Victorian matchmaking games that enabled young women and men to learn more about each other in an informal setting.

We’ve not seen a complete version of the game – even the V&A only holds the cards and the dice/counters (made of bone). We were fortunate enough to purchase our copy from St Albans Antiques & Vintage Market, obtaining the board, the cards, the rules and dice cups, enabling us to share with you the opportunity to play the original game.

Available to print, on A4 sheets, is the complete 100-square board, the accompanying cards and the rules. We’ve provided two copies of each card, for more than two players you may want to make additional copies. We are not sure how many cards came with the game originally. Our set had three of each and some duplicates painstakingly traced out onto blue card.

Download Maricourt here (6.2mb pdf)

Notes on our reproduction of the original:

We weren’t able to successfully scan the board in a good quality, so the squares were photographed, sized, colour-corrected a little and pieced back together with new gridlines. We left any damage (such as tears down the middle joint) as is.

The eight game cards all varied in size a little. It appears that they may have originally been presented as one sheet and then hand cut into pieces (hence some illustrations bleeding over onto other cards). At some point, our cards had been laminated. We didn’t attempt to recreate the original sheet.

Our rules sheet had been heavily folded and torn across the middle fold line. It was glued back together and laminated with some wording lost to overlap. Rather than photographing that, we re-typed it.

RULES.

The Counters are placed Numbers downward on the Table and shuffled.

Each Lady takes one White Counter ; each Gentleman one Green Counter. The Players who get corresponding numbers are Partners, and keep together throughout the Game.

Play commences by a Lady casting the Dice, the Counters of herself and partner are moved forward according to the number thrown.

The other Ladies each cast the Dice in turn, moving their own and partners Counters in the same manner. Then the Gentlemen cast the Dice in turn, also moving their own and partners Counters forward according to Numbers thrown.

When any Couple get on to one of the following squares they are entitled to one of the Cards with a corresponding Picture of the Square they are on, and keep the same for further use during the Game
37, Engagement Ring.
61, Papa’s Consent.
69, Bridesmaids.
71, Wedding Ring.
73, Presents for Bridesmaids.
75, Domestic Servant.
79, Carriages.
81, Household Furniture.

When any Couple get on to the following Squares, if they have Cards for these requirements they can proceed, otherwise they must return to the Square where the requirement wanted is located, then take a Card and start again from that Square :
59 & 60, Engagement Ring.
67, Papa’s Consent.
76 & 77, Bridesmaids.
87 & 88, Carriages.
89 & 90, Presents for Bridesmaids.
91 & 92, Household Furniture.

When Players get on to Squares : 3, 5, 9, 17, 19, 23, 25, 29, 21, 43, 47, 49, 51, 53, 63, & 83, they must move Counters to other Squares as shown on the Board :- thus number 3 leads to number 13, number 43 leads to number 27, etc. The first Couple to reach number 100 wins the Game, but the exact number of 100 must be got.

The Game may also be played in the same manner as above, by each Player taking on a Counter and playing the Game singly, not in Couples.