Written by community archaeologist Alexis Haslam
The National Lottery was established in the United Kingdom in 1994, with the first draw undertaken on the 19th of November. Over the years Fulham Palace has benefitted hugely from this scheme, with funded projects completed in 2006, 2012 and 2019. The Heritage Lottery Fund has invested £9 million in restoring and rejuvenating Fulham Palace and Bishops Park, which goes to show how important the lottery has been for the last 30 years in regards of aiding and assisting the nation’s heritage. The transformation Fulham Palace has undertaken since 2000 is vast, with the botanic garden brought back to life and substantial parts of the Palace restored to their former glory. There is no doubt that without the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the contributions made by both Patrons and the general public, Fulham Palace would not be the place it is today.
Going back in time however, a statute of 1698 stipulated that lotteries were illegal unless authorised by the state. Yet the concept of a National Lottery is not new, and in the late 16th century Elizabeth I implemented one herself. A thesis written by P. S. Ball on the Subject (Gambling in Elizabethan England: Perspectives on England’s Lotterie Generall, 2018) has proved fascinating reading on the subject.
The mid to late 16th century was a rather interesting period, with Elizabeth nearing the end of her first decade as Queen and Bishop Grindal in position as Bishop of London. Appointed to the role in 1559, just two years later things took a turn for the worse for the Bishop as lightning struck St Paul’s on June 4th destroying the roof and the steeple. Catholics claimed this episode was God’s judgement on Elizabeth’s Protestantism, whilst the Bishop of Durham claimed it was because Protestant reforms weren’t taking place quickly enough. Either way it was viewed as a bad portent and repairing St Paul’s wasn’t cheap. Collections were still being made for repairs in 1566 whilst Grindal himself contributed £1,200 to the costs.
This financial restraint appeared to reflect the state of the nation in general. There was the ever-present danger of Catholic invasion and in 1567 the Spanish Duke of Alva was not too far away, crushing a Dutch revolt in Brussels. At the same time Mary Stewart, forced to abdicate in Scotland, now appeared to be a threat to the childless Queen as a legitimate Catholic sovereign.
It was no wonder that Elizabeth was concerned, and it was clear that England’s defensive systems and silted harbours were in dire need of an upgrade. She was, however, not keen to raise taxes to do so, and so the concept of a lottery was born in 1567. In total, 400,000 tickets would be made available at 10 shillings each, with organisers (the Privy Council) hoping that this would raise £200,000. With £107,000 going towards prizes this would leave £93,000 as profit. Prizes were to include cash as well as ‘kind’ in the form of plate, tapestries and cloth. Tickets went on sale on 24th August and participants were to write a posy (a rhyme or saying) with their ticket which would be read aloud at the draw.
There were issues with the lottery from the start however, as it was viewed as a form of gambling or ‘gaming’ as it was known at the time; something that had been seen as detrimental to the good of the nation for many years. Both Henry VII and Henry VIII had claimed that passing time idling with activities such as playing dice or cards meant less time practicing archery. Earlier on in 1477 bans had been introduced on playing dice, cards and tennis, a sport in which participants were rather keen on placing a wager, Henry VIII included. Even in the home of the Bishop of London we have evidence of gaming taking place, with a teetotum die dating to between 1480 and 1550 recovered during the 2017 excavation. This is now on display in the museum.
Gaming was also seen as morally dubious, the sins of avarice, pride and sloth embodied whist associated with poverty and crime. So, to a large proportion of the population, the concept of buying a lottery ticket must have been conflicting. Whereas before they had been told gaming was detrimental to the defence of the nation, now they were being asked to game for the same reason!
Unfortunately for Elizabeth, the lottery was not a success even after sales were extended up until the 30th September 1568. The tickets were expensive and with 400,000 released approximately 10% of the English population were being asked to buy one. Under 1/12 tickets were sold which meant that prizes had to be reduced accordingly. The vast majority of the tickets were purchased by the landed gentry. It seems that members of the church were not altogether against the idea, although the belief at the time defined the concepts of luck or fortune as contrary to the will of God. It isn’t clear if Bishop Grindal bought a ticket, although he may have spent all his money on salvaging St Paul’s. Archbishop Parker did not purchase any tickets himself, but again it is unclear if this was due to disapproval of the scheme.
Readings of the winners took place outside St Paul’s between the 11th of January and the 6th of May 1569, but the posies were at times quite telling. Whilst the Bishop of St David’s posy stated ‘This is faire play’, William Alley, the Bishop of Exeter, wasn’t so sure. His posy read ‘Before had I wist’, a well-known anti gaming proverb from the time meaning ‘I wish I had known’. Others took direct aim at the gentry and ruling elite, with Richard Servington’s posy stating ‘The crowe is white’, a play on the proverb that ‘If the master says the crow is white the servant must not say ‘tis black’.Effectively the lottery had provided an opportunity for participants to vent their frustrations in the form of posies. Any form of censorship or subsequent punishment (other than overt sedition) was annulled by the fact that not only had purchasers of tickets been asked to take part, but they had also been told to provide posies.
Whilst Elizabeth’s Lottery was thus a failure, there is no doubt that the current National Lottery has been hugely successful. Buying a ticket of course offers the opportunity of winning a prize, but it is worth remembering that approximately 28% of the purchase goes towards charitable causes. This helps fund numerous projects such as Fulham Palace, a place which is open to the public free of charge all year round. So, the next time you stroll through the Palace gardens and enjoy the borders and blooms, you can ponder the benefits buying a lottery ticket can bring. Plus, you never know, ‘It could be you!’