'For refreshment and preservinge health': the definition and function of recreation in early modern England

Society accepts that people need time for recreation, and that we are naturally inclined towards play and seeking pleasure. Recreation time helps us to recharge our batteries and relieve stress, and makes us more able to function within our respective social and economic roles. By using evidence taken from diaries written between 1500 and 1700 this article seeks to examine the role and function of recreation in English society within the context of the early modern period. This contemporary writing shows how language was employed to describe the functions of recreation and in particular its association with the concept of refreshment and regeneration in terms of mind, body and soul.