History of Croquet

To make sure that we provide the best croquet sets in the entire history of croquet, it's very important that we take much interest in the actual history of croquet!

We love to keep the traditions of croquet as prominent as we possibly can, and so we select croquet sets that we feel stay true to the values of traditional croquet with the attention to detail that will be appreciated by any croquet player. Whether you're a player of advanced croquet or a beginner croquet player, you are sure to love the classic styling of our croquet sets.

Croquet History - Where Did Croquet Begin?

The earliest mention of croquet in documentation is in a set of rules written for the game in 1856 by Isaac Spratt. In 1868 the All England Croquet Club was formed at Wimbledon and the very first meeting was held in Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire.

There was a game played by the French called Paille-Maille or Pall Mall (from the Latin for Ball and mallet). There are records of this game being played in England - most notably in a book called 'Sports and Pastimes of the People of England'. In this book (written in 1810) the game was described to be a game where a ball is struck with a mallet through an arch of iron. This sounds increidbly similar to the game we now know as croquet.

The game is noted to have been popular from very early on in the 17th century. The game even gave The Mall in London its name - as that is where Charles II played the game many times.

Some people think that the game as we know it today arrived from Ireland - and although there is evidence of a similar game called 'crookey' being played at Castlebellingham in 1834, and the following year it being referred to as 'croquet', there is no documentation to the significant stroke in today's game.

Despite the slightly unsure nature of how the game came about - it is certainly sure that by the 1860's the rules of the game had been published thousands of times by John Jaques. The game flourished, and was extremely popular in England as well as the US, Canada and Australia.

Croquet - A Game for Everyone

The game was celebrated by women as well as men, and it was this popularity with everyone that quickly increased awareness and enjoyment of the game. Previously, women were rarely involved in sports and it was this game that quickly changed this tradition and started to become a tradition of itself.

Towards the end of the 1800's Tennis had become the new fashionable game and took croquet over in terms of popularity. In 1882, Croquet was removed from the All England Club's title, but was re-introduced in 1899 - the interest in the game faded in the early 1900's but the club keeps the full title now as the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Croquet today is known for its social traditions, with families and friends coming together to play a game of croquet while chatting and celebrating certain occassions. The level of physical activity involved in Croquet allows the players to chat and socialise between shots while they rest, and enjoy the game as a fun and social activity as opposed to a strenuous sport.