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Details
AN EARLY TILT-HEADED LAWN TENNIS RACKET, c.1875, by Henry Mallings of Frances Street, Wollwich, with ash head and walnut convex wedge, original natural gut strings and natural gut trebling, later velvet grip, silver-plated plaque inscribed Ladies prize for Lawn Tennis won by Miss M.G. Gray, Bermuda 1876
Literature
TODD,T., The Tennis Players, From Pagan Rites to Strawberries and Cream, Gurnsey: Vallancey, 1979, p. 164.
American Lawn Tennis, 'A Bermuda Tournament in 1876', Mary Gray, 15 September, 1924, p.534.
American Lawn Tennis, 'A Bermuda Tournament in 1876', Mary Gray, 15 September, 1924, p.534.
Special notice
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Further details
This early lawn tennis racket was probably made by Henry Mallings c.1875 due to the fact that it was presented to Miss Gray as the winner of the Ladies' Singles at the Bermuda Tennis tournament in 1876, pre-dating the Wimbledon tournament by one year.
Mary Gray was born in Bermuda and lived at 'Clermont', Paget, the Gray's family home (see fig.2) where she played tennis on an improvised court and became a very enthusiastic player. Since children were not supposed to take part in games with any other adults, Mary found herself a partner of her own age to play against, a Miss Wood who was the daughter of the Chief Justice Mr. T.L. Wood. The pair played on the narrow 'court' using 'bats' made of wood and uncovered balls.
The first official sets of Lawn Tennis in Bermuda are said to have been provided to the English Army who were stationed on the island (Fifty Years of Lawn Tennis in the United States, published for the American Lawn Tennis Association, New York, 1931, p.13). In 1873, it is said that whilst the 20th Regiment stopped over in Bermuda, a military friend of the Gray family taught Mary the "new" method of scoring.
The revised game of Lawn Tennis is said to have eventually found its way over to America from Bermuda when Mary Outerbridge took the inital and infamous first set, of which the whereabouts remains unknown, to the United States when she sailed on the S.S. Canima from Bermuda in late January 1874. The transfer of the rackets from Bermuda to America is recorded by E.H. Outerbridge in a letter to the American Lawn Tennis Association - 'To the best of my knowledge and belief it was in the spring of 1874 that my sister, Mary Ewing Outerbridge, brought from Bermuda a lawn tennis net, rackets and balls which she had obtained from the regimental stores through the courtesy of the colonel or some of the officers with whom she had played a game there'. Mary Outerbridge promptly set up the first tennis court on the grounds of the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club through her brother Emilius Outerbridge. Although Major Clopton Wingfield did not patent his game until February 1874, the game was already being played at Leamington Spa in 1872, whilst rectangular courts, and not Wingfield's hour-glass shaped court, were being used in Bermuda at this time (Fifty Years of Lawn Tennis in the United States, published for the American Lawn Tennis Association, New York, 1931, p.13).
In an article she wrote for American Lawn Tennis ('A Bermuda Tournament', 15 September 1924, p.534) Mary Gray explained how she came to play with one of the first private sets to have been brought over in 1875 by 'An elderly gentleman in Bermuda [said to be a Mr. Middleton who visited Britain in 1873] who saw the game advertised and sent to England for a set of net, poles, racquets, etc. On it's arrival he was so horrified at the idea of ladies playing such an undignified game that in order to prevent his equally elderly wife from attempting to take it up he decided to dispose of the whole concern - thus it came into our possession and the ball was started rolling in Berumda.' The set was in fact given to Sir Brownlow Gray, Mary's father by Mr. Middleton and although Gray himself was never an active participant in the game, Mary and Miss Wood were so enthusiastic that they were largely responsible for the game's growth in popularity in Bermuda and their games are recorded in a diary kept by Miss Gray (Todd, T., The Tennis Players, from Pagan Rites to Strawberries and Cream, Gurnsey: Vallancey, 1979, p.164). Mr. Wood even had a further set of racquets made for them and built a court at his home, "Dudley".
It is also likely, however, that Mary was introduced to the game by her brother Sir Reginald Gray, who who was one four gentlemen to have played the first game of lawn tennis at Wimbledon in 1874 and was also the 1874 World Croquet Champion. It is very probable that he brought a set back with him on his return from studying for the Bar at the Inner Temple in that year (Todd, T., The Tennis Players, ibid, 1979, p.164).
The first tennis tournament in Bermuda was organised a year later in 1876 at Admiralty House. Reginald Gray, pleaded that his sister should participate in the Ladies' Singles competition. There were only three entrants including Mary's sister Bessie and Rose Key, with Mary winning the tournament and defeating Miss Key in the final 2-0. Mary Gray noted -- 'The prize was the raquet which I still have: it weighs 9 ounces, the face measuring 8 x 10 inches and the handle sixteen inches. It had a red velvet handle covering (which I promptly tore off) and an inscription on a silver plate...which contains the following inscription "Ladies Prize for Lawn Tennis won by Miss M. Gray Bermuda 1876" (American Lawn Tennis, ibid, 1924, p.534).
It was not until 1880 that the next Ladies' Singles tournament in Bermuda took place. This was then followed by a memorable visit from America by Miss Ellie and Miss Grace Roosevelt in 1889. In that year the first American Tennis Club, the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association, was founded and the Roosevelts were amongst the first players to visit Bermuda. Ellie had become the American Ladies' Champion of that year and both sisters had won the Ladies' Doubles title the previous year. Mary Gray along with a Mrs. Erskine played against the sisters in the Ladies' Doubles Final, losing 2-1, and Mary then played Grace Roosevelt in the Ladies' Singles final, defeating the champion 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
It is not known whether Miss Gray herself ever played with the racket. The fact that shortly after recieving it she then removed the velvet grip, suggests that she may well have used it in further matches. The racket, nonetheless, holds an extremely important place in tennis history, not only in Bermuda or as a Ladies' Trophy, but in the International development of the game and as the earliest known trophy of its kind.
Mary Gray was born in Bermuda and lived at 'Clermont', Paget, the Gray's family home (see fig.2) where she played tennis on an improvised court and became a very enthusiastic player. Since children were not supposed to take part in games with any other adults, Mary found herself a partner of her own age to play against, a Miss Wood who was the daughter of the Chief Justice Mr. T.L. Wood. The pair played on the narrow 'court' using 'bats' made of wood and uncovered balls.
The first official sets of Lawn Tennis in Bermuda are said to have been provided to the English Army who were stationed on the island (Fifty Years of Lawn Tennis in the United States, published for the American Lawn Tennis Association, New York, 1931, p.13). In 1873, it is said that whilst the 20th Regiment stopped over in Bermuda, a military friend of the Gray family taught Mary the "new" method of scoring.
The revised game of Lawn Tennis is said to have eventually found its way over to America from Bermuda when Mary Outerbridge took the inital and infamous first set, of which the whereabouts remains unknown, to the United States when she sailed on the S.S. Canima from Bermuda in late January 1874. The transfer of the rackets from Bermuda to America is recorded by E.H. Outerbridge in a letter to the American Lawn Tennis Association - 'To the best of my knowledge and belief it was in the spring of 1874 that my sister, Mary Ewing Outerbridge, brought from Bermuda a lawn tennis net, rackets and balls which she had obtained from the regimental stores through the courtesy of the colonel or some of the officers with whom she had played a game there'. Mary Outerbridge promptly set up the first tennis court on the grounds of the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club through her brother Emilius Outerbridge. Although Major Clopton Wingfield did not patent his game until February 1874, the game was already being played at Leamington Spa in 1872, whilst rectangular courts, and not Wingfield's hour-glass shaped court, were being used in Bermuda at this time (Fifty Years of Lawn Tennis in the United States, published for the American Lawn Tennis Association, New York, 1931, p.13).
In an article she wrote for American Lawn Tennis ('A Bermuda Tournament', 15 September 1924, p.534) Mary Gray explained how she came to play with one of the first private sets to have been brought over in 1875 by 'An elderly gentleman in Bermuda [said to be a Mr. Middleton who visited Britain in 1873] who saw the game advertised and sent to England for a set of net, poles, racquets, etc. On it's arrival he was so horrified at the idea of ladies playing such an undignified game that in order to prevent his equally elderly wife from attempting to take it up he decided to dispose of the whole concern - thus it came into our possession and the ball was started rolling in Berumda.' The set was in fact given to Sir Brownlow Gray, Mary's father by Mr. Middleton and although Gray himself was never an active participant in the game, Mary and Miss Wood were so enthusiastic that they were largely responsible for the game's growth in popularity in Bermuda and their games are recorded in a diary kept by Miss Gray (Todd, T., The Tennis Players, from Pagan Rites to Strawberries and Cream, Gurnsey: Vallancey, 1979, p.164). Mr. Wood even had a further set of racquets made for them and built a court at his home, "Dudley".
It is also likely, however, that Mary was introduced to the game by her brother Sir Reginald Gray, who who was one four gentlemen to have played the first game of lawn tennis at Wimbledon in 1874 and was also the 1874 World Croquet Champion. It is very probable that he brought a set back with him on his return from studying for the Bar at the Inner Temple in that year (Todd, T., The Tennis Players, ibid, 1979, p.164).
The first tennis tournament in Bermuda was organised a year later in 1876 at Admiralty House. Reginald Gray, pleaded that his sister should participate in the Ladies' Singles competition. There were only three entrants including Mary's sister Bessie and Rose Key, with Mary winning the tournament and defeating Miss Key in the final 2-0. Mary Gray noted -- 'The prize was the raquet which I still have: it weighs 9 ounces, the face measuring 8 x 10 inches and the handle sixteen inches. It had a red velvet handle covering (which I promptly tore off) and an inscription on a silver plate...which contains the following inscription "Ladies Prize for Lawn Tennis won by Miss M. Gray Bermuda 1876" (American Lawn Tennis, ibid, 1924, p.534).
It was not until 1880 that the next Ladies' Singles tournament in Bermuda took place. This was then followed by a memorable visit from America by Miss Ellie and Miss Grace Roosevelt in 1889. In that year the first American Tennis Club, the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association, was founded and the Roosevelts were amongst the first players to visit Bermuda. Ellie had become the American Ladies' Champion of that year and both sisters had won the Ladies' Doubles title the previous year. Mary Gray along with a Mrs. Erskine played against the sisters in the Ladies' Doubles Final, losing 2-1, and Mary then played Grace Roosevelt in the Ladies' Singles final, defeating the champion 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
It is not known whether Miss Gray herself ever played with the racket. The fact that shortly after recieving it she then removed the velvet grip, suggests that she may well have used it in further matches. The racket, nonetheless, holds an extremely important place in tennis history, not only in Bermuda or as a Ladies' Trophy, but in the International development of the game and as the earliest known trophy of its kind.