The History of Croquet — Birmingham Croquet Club

The short answer

The origins of croquet are obscure. Croquet England says it is thought to have been invented in Ireland and brought to England in the 1850s, and the first club opened in 1860. Wimbledon’s famous club began as a croquet club in 1868, and croquet was played at the 1900 Paris Games. Golf croquet, the form we play, has had its own world championship since 1996.

Where did croquet come from?

Nobody knows for certain. Croquet England says the sport is thought to have been invented in Ireland and introduced to England in the 1850s. Other accounts trace it to the French game of pall-mall, or jeu de mail. Wikipedia, citing Nicky Smith’s history “Queen of Games,” gives both stories, and no Irish document from before 1858 describes the croquet stroke. Treat any single origin story as a theory, not settled fact.

What happened in the 1850s and 1860s?

That was when croquet got its rules and its first clubs. The earliest document that describes the modern game is usually said to be a set of rules Isaac Spratt registered in London in November 1856. Jaques published rules in 1857, 1860 and 1864, and the World Croquet Federation’s Hall of Fame calls John Jaques II’s 1864 book the basis of the modern Association laws. Who gets the credit for popularizing the game is disputed, because Jaques later claimed, in an 1873 letter, to have seen it played in Ireland first.

The first club opened at Worthing in 1860. The rules were codified at Chastleton House in 1864, and the first official national competition followed in 1870.

What does croquet have to do with Wimbledon?

Wimbledon began as a croquet club. The All England Croquet Club was founded at Wimbledon on July 23, 1868. By most accounts it added lawn tennis in 1875, became the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club at the first tennis championship in July 1877, dropped “Croquet” from its name in 1882 and restored it in 1899.

You may also read that tennis court dimensions, or even snooker, came from croquet. Those claims are theories without good evidence behind them, so treat them as folklore.

Was croquet ever an Olympic sport?

Croquet was played at the 1900 Paris Games, and roque, the American hard-court variant, at St. Louis in 1904, but neither has returned. The 1900 croquet events ran from June 28 to July 22, with three medal events, no known foreign entrants and three women competing. Olympedia counts them as Olympic, while Croquet England calls croquet at those Games a demonstration sport.

Whether those three women were the first women Olympians is also disputed. Olympedia says they were “among the first,” following a Swiss sailor, while Croquet England says they were the first. The 1904 roque event ran from August 3 to 8, with four players, all American, and Charles Jacobus won.

When did the USCA and WCF begin?

The United States Croquet Association (USCA) was organized in 1977 by Jack Osborn with six East Coast clubs, and it is based at the National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. The World Croquet Federation (WCF) held its inaugural general meeting on July 15, 1989, at the Hurlingham Club in London. It had seven full members, including the USA, and Ashley Heenan of New Zealand as its first president. The first world championship began the next day.

Where did golf croquet come from?

Golf croquet is believed to have been played in English gardens from about 1900. The earliest rule sets date from 1902, Crowther-Smith published a book on the game in 1913, and the English governing body, now called Croquet England, formalized the rules in 1934 and held a championship in 1935.

Then, in 1988, a British Airways pilot found golf croquet being played at a very high level in Cairo, where it had been played since the 1950s. The game took off in England in the early 1990s. Italy hosted the first golf croquet world championship in 1996. Egypt’s Khaled Younis took the title, and Egyptian players won the next seven, through 2008. The 2026 championship was scheduled for Cairo, November 21 to 29.

You may read that Egypt invented golf croquet, but that claim is unsupported. The WCF dates English garden play to about 1900, and the Egyptian game it describes was found in 1988 and had been played in Cairo since the 1950s.

What are the key dates in croquet’s history?

The table lists the dates in this guide, from the first rules in 1856 to the 2026 golf croquet world championship.

Year	What happened
1856	Isaac Spratt registers a set of croquet rules in London, the earliest document describing the modern game
1860	The first croquet club opens at Worthing
1864	The rules are codified at Chastleton House, and Jaques publishes a rule book
1868	The All England Croquet Club is founded at Wimbledon
1870	The first official national competition
1900	Croquet is played at the Paris Games
1904	Roque is played at the St. Louis Games
1934	The English governing body formalizes golf croquet rules; a championship follows in 1935
1977	The USCA is organized
1989	The WCF holds its inaugural general meeting
1996	The first golf croquet world championship, in Italy
2022	The WCF approves the 6th Edition of the golf croquet rules, which the USCA also uses
2026	The golf croquet world championship was scheduled for Cairo, November 21 to 29

Where does our club fit in?

The Birmingham Croquet Club plays golf croquet, and its own story is on our About page. If you would like to try the game in Birmingham, Alabama, start here.