Many people know the game BOULES (pronounced 'bool') from their French holidays and are confused when they hear the name PETANQUE (pronounced 'pay-tonk').Games involving the throwing of heavy metal balls have been known for years and played in many countries. When Drake played his famous game of bowls, he hurled 2lb cannon balls over rough ground. Such games were somewhat macho -- 'Anything you can throw, I can throw further (or straighter etc).' -- sort of thing. Development was needed to produce a sport for the public at large.
In the UK, development was towards gentility. The rough ground was replaced by immaculate lawns. Predictably, the rolling delivery now became standard and the trend was to large diameter balls. Iron now proved too dense and was replace by high density wood, lignum vitae proving popular. The game was going 'up-market' and dress etiquette was introduced. The balls, and all games played with them, retained the name bowls. Two major games have developed. In the South of England (and generally overseas) the name applies to flat green bowls. However, in the North of England, the name applies to crown green bowls. Neither game seems to have spread much outside the Commonwealth.
The rest of the world stayed with the metal balls, the rough ground and generally relaxed attitude. Nevertheless, both the balls and the games developed over the years. The breakthrough in ball design was the French development of the precision hollow steel ball. The weight of a ball could now be independent of it's diameter. Players were now given choice of weight and diameter to suit the size of their hands and the strength of their arms. Coming from France, these balls, and all game played with them, are universally known as boules .
An aging French expert prompted our game at the turn of the 19th Century. A friend started shortening the distance he threw the jack when playing with his old friend. He limited the scope for macho athleticism by making the thrower stand in a very small circle with feet effectively tied together or pieds tanques. Hence we get the name of the world-wide game of Pétanque.