The earliest confirmed record of Pikeys in Britain is dated to the 16th Century, when they lived as itinerant showmen travelling the length and breadth of the country setting up entertainments and sideshows wherever they found a village fete or festival. These entertainments were commonly tests of skill or gambling games, upon which small wagers would be placed. Thomas de Rychecunte, 3rd Earl of Snifflingthorpe, writing in 1502 informs us that