or very severe punishment, and 100 grounds of fine. La soule was very appreciated at that time, if it was necessary to inspire fear to put an end to play, but that did not stop the eagerness of the souleurs. 19th century – From this time on, the majority of the soules were taking place at Morbihan in spite of their prohibition. Only the war put an end to this play because the young men all were mobilized. 1841 – At Bellou-en-Houlme contestants numbered up to 800 and there were said to be 6,000 spectators. The ball was three feet around and weighed 13 pounds. In this game, the losing side would often cut the ball in half with their knives. To prevent this, the ball was sheathed in tin. Play The rules of soule were relatively simple. Generally two teams competed, often two parishes. The aim of the game was either to bring the ball back to just in front of the team's parish church, with or without the use of sticks (the ball was usually made from a pig's bladder, covered with leather) or to deposit the ball in front of the opposing team's parish church, which was sometimes quite far and entailed going through fields, forests and over rivers and streams. Occasionally, but not always, there were posts. The game was started at the geographical border between the two parishes; it was also sometimes organised between teams of single versus married men. The size of the team could vary from 20 to 200 players. However, sometimes three parishes played in a single game. In Auray, a soule involved 16 parishes, possibly with more than 500 participants. Nothing was forbidden by the rules, and the game could last for several days, until the players were completely exhausted. All the parishes' inhabitants came out to watch and encourage players. A large crowd surrounded the player that threw up the ball to begin the game. Before its prohibition, the clergy and nobility also took part in the sport. Members of the clergy could take part or at least launch the ball once at the beginning. In Vieux-Viel, the soule was launched at the door of the castle, and was then taken to the cemetery by the priests and the officers of the parish. Finally, the soule could be placed with the presbytery or a vault. In Vitré, it was displayed