A HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX 



record time of 22 min. 5osec. ; in 1902 by 

 A. H. Choate, London Rowing Club ; in 

 1 903 by F. S. Kelly, Leander Rowing Club ; 

 in 1904 by St. George Ashe, Thames Row- 

 ing Club; in 1907 by J. G. de Edye, 

 and in 1909 by A. A. Stuart, Kingston 

 Rowing Club. 



Three international four-oared races have 

 been rowed on the course between Putney 

 and Mortlake ; in 1872, when the London 

 Rowing Club beat the Atlanta Boat Club of 

 New York ; in 1876, when it beat the Frank- 

 fort Rowing Club ; and in 1882, when the 

 Thames Rowing Club beat an American crew 

 of somewhat doubtful amateur status. 81 The 

 eight-oared race between Harvard and Cam- 

 bridge in 1906, won by the Englishmen, was 

 rowed over the same course. 



PUNTING 



There are punting courses in Middlesex at 

 Staines, Shepperton, and Sunbury. 82 



TENNIS 



Though there are allusions to tennis, 

 formerly called ' tenisse ' or the ' caitch,' in a 

 ballad to Henry IV, written by Gower in 

 I4OO, 83 and in Shakespeare's Henry V, there 

 are no records of the game in England prior 

 to the sixteenth century. The oldest tennis 

 court in England is that erected by Henry 

 VIII at Hampton Court, between 1515 and 



I520. 84 



This court which has been the model for all 

 existing ones appears to have been excellently 

 finished in every detail. There are traces in 

 it of what is termed a rabat a net placed over 

 the end pent-houses which has not for many 

 years been used in English courts, 85 and the 

 following description given of it by Mr. Law 

 in his History of Hampton Court shows the 

 care which was bestowed on its construc- 

 tion : 



Although it is usually supposed by writers on 

 the game of tennis that the courts in England were 

 not glazed till the beginning of this century we find 



81 Rowing (Badminton Library), 190. The 

 London Rowing Club also beat another American 

 crew of equally doubtful status the Shoe-wae-cal- 

 meete Club for the Grand Challenge Cup at 

 Henley in 1878, thus preventing the cup from 

 leaving the country. 



8> Ibid. 281-2. 



83 Strutt, Sports and Pastimes (ed. 1903). 



" Julian Marshall, The Annals of Tennis (1878), 

 36, 86 ; Law, History of Hampton Ct. i, 138. 



" Ann. of Tennis, 36, 39. 



from the old bills that in the tennis court at 

 Hampton Court the windows, which were twelve 

 in number six on each side were 'sett with 

 glass" in the year 1550, and over each of them was 

 stretched a wire netting to prevent the glass from 

 being broken by the balls. Each window was 

 divided into three lights, and contained altogether 

 112 sq. ft. of glass, so that no inconsiderable 

 amount of light was afforded within. At each end 

 of the tennis court still remain ' the new lodgynges 

 by the tennis play ' which were built by Henry 

 VIII, and which were doubtless occupied by the 

 master of the court, the markers, servers and others. 

 In these ' lodgings ' there are in addition rooms on 

 the ground floor adapted for dressing rooms, and 

 others on the front floor with small windows into 

 the court used by distinguished lookers-on. These 

 and the court itself were connected with the main 

 building of the palace by two passages or galleries, 

 the upper one communicating directly with the 

 old Queen's Gallery. 86 



The privy purse expenses of Henry VIII, 

 who was a frequent and skilful player, con- 

 tain numerous entries respecting the games he 

 played at this court ; w and among subsequent 

 royal players there were Prince Henry son 

 of James I, 88 Charles II, 89 and William III. 80 

 Both Charles II 91 and William III reno- 

 vated the court, 92 and a bird's-eye view of 

 it as it appeared after its restoration by the 

 latter, engraved by Kip from a drawing by 

 Knyff, is given in the edition of 1720 of 

 Britannia Illustrata. Play was continued at 

 the court after the palace had been divided into 

 apartments. George Lambart, the greatest 

 of living players in the last quarter of the 

 nineteenth century, was marker there in 

 1866, and, on quitting it for the court at 

 Lord's three years later, was succeeded by his 

 younger brother William, who was still play- 

 ing there in i878. 93 



In addition to the court or ' close tennys 

 play ' at Hampton Court where there was 

 also an ' open tennys play,' which appears to 

 have been constructed for a game resem- 

 bling lawn tennis 94 Henry VIII also built 

 courts both at Whitehall and St. James's 

 Palace. 



With regard to that at Whitehall, Stow in 

 his Survey of London says that on the right 



88 Hiit. of Hampton Ct. \, 139, 140. On the 

 division of the Palace into private apartments the 

 ' Lodgings of the master of the Tennis Court ' 

 formed one of the suites. Ibid, iii, 406. 



87 Ibid, i, 138, 139 ; Ann. of Tennis, 55, 56. 



88 Hist, of Hampton Ct. ii, 47. 



89 Ibid. 202-3 -daa. of Tennis, 88. 



90 Ann. of Tennis, 92. 



91 Hist, of Hampton Ct. ii, 202, 203. 



91 Ann. of Tennis, 75. n Ibid. 1 08, 109. 



94 Hist, of Hampton Ct. i, 140. 



290 



