Topic: Looking for Nur's

[kenkew]

Nur and Spell. Once a popular game in the North. I'm trying to locate the small clay balls (nur's) so I can help revive the game in my Yorkshire village. I can make/get the spell (club) but stuck for the balls. ANyone know of a Nur nest?

[Emagggie]

Nur, sorry ;D

[cornykev]

Nur me  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Jeannine]

 2 for £8 ish from custserv@mastersgames.com

Knur  by the way not Nur. They have the complete game too

XX Jeannine

[kenkew]

(Spelt it 'Nur' to attract attention, J). ;)

Thanks for that but at £4 each they're a bit on the expensive side to be 'tipping'.
The Knur (ball) was made of high fired white clay. The game was thought to have been brought to Britain by the Norsemen over a thousand years ago. The 'ball' was then thought to have been called a nor. Not from the word Norsemen, but because the nor was thought to have been originally made from leather. The game had massive followings in Yorkshire but fell into decline due to lack of knurs...the method of making them had been lost!
The last filmed documentary on the game was made by ITV for the programme, 'The Way we Were' and was filmed in Cowling, North Yorks, my home village in 1962.
There was also a Dalesman article in Oct 1962 about the game.

I have some history of Knur and Spell and it's componants and rules but If anyone has historical detail about the game , I'd like to know of it. Not from what people think, but actual documented evidence.
Ta. Ken.

[Jeannine]

There is tons of stuff on the net,I only know cos I had to look it up about 9 months ago for a project, I didn't keep the links but there were championships and another game that is very similar, Trap and Bat I think it was. If I find the links at school I will let you know. You could probably use billiard balls but they would be bigger. Find someone with a kiln and make your own, use high fire clay though it is tougher. XX Jeannine