Fun and Games

Roseland Cottage was a child’s delight, with plenty of healthy outdoor activities for the Bowen children. There was a distinction in what was accepted as appropriate for the girls, and the more expansive activities that were acceptable for the boys. The girls spent time studying history and French, rode horses, sewed and read. They could play croquet, badminton, and bowl. Grace, one of Lucy’s and Henry’s daughters, wanted to play baseball. She managed to convince Miss Porter, who ran the girls’ school Grace attended, to allow girls to play, as long as no one could see them!

The children’s enjoyment of Woodstock continued into adulthood, and passed down through the generations. Clarence at the age of twenty-five writes of a typical day in Woodstock—first he went fishing, then archery, next, to the park for lunch and some hunting and rowing. From three to four, Clare, as he was called, attended a lecture at church, from four to six played a “most exciting” game of polo on the Common, and then took tea with his brother Ned. That evening, he watched fireworks at Roseland Cottage and also looked through a telescope at the stars.  “I tell you, I slept soundly that night.” Days at Roseland Cottage were rich and full.

But, Mr. Bowen insisted: No games on the Sabbath.