hist-games: Medieval gambling . . .

[Adrian Seville]

Cheating in 1376

Riley, Memorials of London, II, 395-396

"..Nicholas Prestone, tailor, and John Outlawe went to John atte 
Hille and his brother William and asked them if they would like to 
make some money at tables or checkers, commonly called 'quek'.

"Upon their saying 'Yes', ... they followed John Outlawe to the house 
of Nicholas Prestone and their they found Nicholas with a pair of 
tables on the outside of which was painted a checker board called a 
'quek' [They then played at tables for money but lost because the 
dice were loaded].

"The tables were then turned and they played quek with Nicholas 
until they had lost [a total of] 39s 2d.  Then .. they examined the 
board and found that in three quarters of it all black squares were 
lower than the whites and in the fourth part of it, the reverse.  And 
because they would play no longer, Nicholas and John Outlawe 
stripped John at Hille of a cloak valued at 16s.

"The checker board was shown in court.... The men were found guilty 
and had to return the 39s 2d and the cloak...and had to stand in the 
pillory while the checker board was burnt beneath them and then 
remain in prison [until ordered to be released]."

Riley notes that quek was probably played with rounded pebbles 
rolled upon the squares.


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