Croquet History

Croquet history is fairly young dating back to the late 1800's, however, "pall mall," the game it originated from has been around for multiple centuries.

Many internet sites contain great information about croquet history. Some contradict each other, but the main facts describing how the game originated seem to be pretty similar.

I've collected info from numerous sites and put it together in a basic time-line.

What separates croquet's history from other outdoor games is the fact that the game's early success can be attributed primarily to the female gender. Women loved this game in that it gave them an opportunity to play games outdoors with men.

* 1300's- The game of "Paille Maille" (originated from Latin meaning "ball" and "mallet") is said to have originated in France. One suggestion claims the game was originated as an indoor version of "lawn bowling" (bocce ball) that could be played during the cold seasons of the year with much smaller courts and hoops and mallets for a greater challenge. Eventually the French started playing the game outdoors during the warm months as well.

* 1300's-1600's- The game is thought to have migrated to Scotland (a French enemy during much of that time).

* 1604- King James VI of Scotland (soon to become King James I of England) united Scotland and England under 1 crown & moved into the London palace bringing with him a set of golf clubs and also a paille maille set. His grandson, Charles II, was an avid player of the game, and spent much time playing in St James Park.

A road nearby the park was subsequently named "Pall Mall Road". The road enjoyed much pleasant traffic & eventually the word "mall" became a general term used to describe roads suitable for pleasant relaxing strolls. Commercial stores took advantage of "malls" setting up stores in these high traffic areas developing the word "mall" into what we know today.

* 1830- Back in France, a doctor who enjoyed the game, changed the rules and renamed the game "croquet" after the crooked sticks used to hit the balls through the wickets. Croquet spread to Ireland where it was called "Crooky." Croquet history had officially begun.

* 1850- Miss MacNaghten introduced the game to an Englishman named Mr. Spratt. Spratt was intrigued by the game and in 1851 published the 1st known set of croquet rules he named "Spratts Rules."

Spratt introduced the game to a man named John Jacques. Jacques later claimed he saw the game played in Scotland long before Spratt introduced him to it. Jacques played a large role in croquet history through manufacturing much of the equipment and publishing sets of rules.

By 1867 Jacques had printed more than 65,000 copies of his rules. The business he created still exists today under the name "Jacques of London," and remains a major player in the production of croquet equipment.

* 1860- An English inventor and avid game player named Walter Jones Whitmore took an interest in the game. He studied it and published a series of 3 articles in "The Field." In 1968 his articles became published in book form. Apparently his views on the game were very popular and gained many followers. He would later be called the "father of modern croquet" by some.

* 1861- A croquet guide named "Routlege's Handbook of Croquet" was published and became very popular, so popular in fact it spreads across an ocean all the way to America. By 1862 croquet merchandise is being sold in stores along the East Coast. Croquet history in America had begun.

* 1865- The 1st American croquet club was formed in Rhode Island. They were called the "Newport Croquet Club."

* 1867- Croquet began to take America by storm. A popular newspaper is quoted as saying "never in the history of outdoor sports in this country has any game achieved so sudden a popularity with both sexes, but especially with the ladies, as croquet has."

* 1868- Due to the game;s growing popularity in England, a group of Englishman got together and formed the "All English Croquet Club." The club's primary goal was to standardize rules across their nation as well as provide courses to play on. In 1869 the club leased 4 acres of ground in Wimbledon to set up courses on.

* 1871- In America, Milton Bradley published "Croquet- Its Principals and Rules." From this publication it seems the American version more matched the spirit of a young aggressive, achievement minded country than the English version.

* 1874- Croquet's popularity began to decline in England as many women became discouraged with the game claiming it had become too scientific. It is also around this time a new game called "Sphairistrike" began to take England by storm. Sphairistrike would later be renamed to "lawn tennis."

* 1875- The All English Croquet Club transformed one of its Wimbledon courses into a tennis court. By 1877 the club had changed its name to The All English Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club, and by 1882 "croquet" was removed from the title, and all the courses were changed over to tennis courts. The rest is Wimbledon history.

* 1899- Croquet experienced a regrowth in popularity in England & The All English Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club was re-established at a different site.

* 1900- Croquet history receives a boost when its played in the Olympics in Paris using English rules. Court layout is 6 wicket style and mallets are made from wood.

* 1904- American's convince the Olympic committee to host a croquet game using American rules which consist of 9 wickets and rubber mallets. The American version of croquet becomes known as "rogue" (by removing the "c" & "r" & changing the "q" to a "g"). An American wins the gold medal, but it becomes the only year "rogue" is ever played in the Olympics. From here croquet history in America becomes somewhat stagnant.

* 1920- The game experiences a rebirth of popluarity in America on the East and West coasts primarily as a hobby for the upper class. Over the next couple decades the game is enjoyed by many Broadway and Hollywood stars like actors: Marx brothers, George X. Kaufman, Moss Hart, producers: Sam Goldwyn, Howard Hawks, Darryl Zanuck, and composer Richard Rogers, all of which are currently listed in the croquet hall of fame.

* 1950- After World War II the game migrated more to the middle class and by the 50's was being played in backyards across America. By the 1960's the game was experiencing a peak in popularity.

* 1967- The New York Croquet club was formed by 30 people who played regularly in Central Park. By 1969 they had begun to experiment by using American Rules with the English 6 wicket setting.

* 1969- Croquet history is made when the Palm Beach Croquet Club challenged the New York Croquet Club to the 1st American 6 wicket national tournament. The tournament was a success and spawned the annual Palm Beach Invitational. They got other croquet clubs like the Westhampton Mall Club, the Green Gables Croquet Club, and the Croquet Club of Bermuda to join the tournament. All the clubs agreed to use the same set of rules for 6 wicket and 9 wicket play. They joined together to form the United States Croquet Association (USCA) under the guidance of Jack Osborn with the goal of keeping and spreading standard rules across America.

The USCA still exists and is going strong today. The annual Palm Beach Invitational is still held today and remains the longest running tournament in American croquet history.

To return to the top of the page, select croquet history.

For other great information about croquet, including the rules, return to the croquet overview page.

Check out other great outdoor games, return to my outdoor games homepage.