When Bowling Was a Sport Reserved for Royalty

(via Atlas Obscura) King Henry VIII may be most famous for ruthlessly beheading his wives, but he was also keen on rolling other spherical objects: namely, bowling balls. Henry VIII and his courtiers were known to be fans of lawn bowling, which involved tossing a “bowl” or ball across open lawns in royal gardens.  A recently discovered Tudor-era bowling ball , in what used to be the moat of King John’s Court manor house, is a remnant of one of the British monarchy’s favorite pastimes.