Giant Nine Mens Morris
Rolly, the premier manufacturer of Giant Chess and Draughts (Checkers), produces a version of Nine Mens Morris (also known as Mill or Merelles).
The special board consists of mesh tiles that interlock to form a grid in the right pattern. The idea is that the mesh lets your lawn breath and so should not damage it as much as a mat. Alternatively, many people opt to create their own board on tarmac or a patio or playground.
BONUS
- Both pieces and board on this page are also designed to be used for
Draughts (Checkers). There are 12 of each colour piece and special sticks
for holding the Kings together. The board can be taken apart and 64 of
the squares used to make a chequerboard. Two giant games for the price
of one!
Click on the picture to enlarge.
Pieces are about 11cm diameter, 4.5cm high (4 1/4 inches
diam, 1.75 inch high). Board has 41 white pieces and 80 black and ends
up at around 2m square.
Change to $  Change to  |
UK pounds (ex.VAT) |
Pounds (incl. VAT) |
Typical ETA in wkg days |
Add to basket |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rolly Mini-Giant Draughts pieces (without board) |
£59.04 | £67.90 | 1 + transit time | ||
Rolly Giant Nine Mens Morris board (lawn-friendly, also suitable for draughts / checkers) |
£72.96 | £83.90 | 1 + transit time | ||
For an immediate quote and ETA, add to the basket & select your location. |
Product Index
View Basket
About Us
Game Rules
Shortcuts
Go
Bowls
Chess
Skittles
Croquet
Mah Jong
Dominoes
Poker
Sets
Fair Games
Party Games
Casino Games
The Origin of Nine Mens Morris
This game, with an ancestry so old it is another contender for the prize of 'Oldest game in the world', is known by a number of different names in England - Nine Mens Morris or Morelles or or Merrills or Merels or Mill or just plain Morris. Presumably an extension of the simpler Three Mens Morris, a Nine Mens Morris pattern has been cut into the temple at Kurna, Egypt (~1440 BC). Other boards have been found in Ceylon which were carved during the reign of Mahadithika Maha-Naga (9-21AD). European boards have been found in such places as the first city of Troy, within a Bronze age burial site in Ireland and at the Acropolis in Athens. The game reached its peak popularity in Europe during the Fourteenth Century.
As an old English game, it used to be played with black and white pebbles on a board marked out with a trowel dug into village greens as well as in Taverns on boards marked with chalk on a table. Shakespeare mentioned it in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Act 2, Scene 2 - "The Nine Mens Morris is filled up with mud" which is what must have happened to the boards marked in the village green when it rained.
You can learn more about the History of Morris from The Online Guide to Traditional Games.