Croquet became highly popular as a social pastime in England during the 1860s; by 1867, Jaques had printed 65,000 copies of his Laws and Regulations of the game. It quickly spread to other Anglophile countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States. No doubt one of the attractions was that the game could be played by both sexes, this also ensured a certain amount of adverse comment.

By the late 1870s, however, croquet had been eclipsed by another fashionable game, tennis, and many of the newly-created croquet clubs, including the All-England club at Wimbledon, converted some or all of their lawns into tennis courts. There was a revival in the 1890s, but from then onwards, croquet was always a minority sport, with national individual participation amounting to a few thousand players. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club still has a croquet lawn, but has not hosted any significant tournaments.



This is a fine collection of six {6} Croquet guide and official rules produced by the Spalding Company.



:: Croquet guide and official rules governing the game (1893)

:: Croquet guide and official rules governing the game (1894)

:: Croquet guide and official rules governing the game (1895)

:: Croquet guide and official rules governing the game (1896)

:: Croquet guide and official rules governing the game (1897)

:: Croquet guide and official rules governing the game (1901)