Ancient Roman board game discovered in Yorkshire Dales

The 'board' for an ancient game of strategy, dating back to the Roman Empire, has been discovered in the village of Gayle in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The game is locally called 'Merrills' but is also known elsewhere in the UK as 'Nine Men’s Morris' and 'Mills'. 

Etched into the top of the stone wall that runs alongside Gayle Beck is the 'board', which consists of three concentric and connected squares, giving 9 intersections for each square.

The object of the game is to create a run of three of your own pieces in a row and to box your opponent in so that he can no longer move.

Gayle Mill Manager Paul Bisson said: “The Merrills ‘board’ may well have been carved by the first workers at the mill into the stone wall which was built to channel the beck through the middle of the village.

"It was probably a welcome pastime, much enjoyed as a break in their long hours at the spinning machines or carding the cotton or wool.  But the game is not as easy as you might think!”

The game is thought to date back as far as the Roman Empire and was certainly very popular in medieval times.

Boards have been found carved into the cloister seats at a number of English cathedrals, and there is a mention of ‘Nine Men’s Morris’ in Shakespeare’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’.

Now restored fully to working order, Gayle Mill opened to visitors last Easter and has been developing a range of special, traditionally crafted products for sale to the public, including a wooden version of the game.