A Tennis Ball

While reading about Haberdashers, I was surprised at the number of references to tennis balls. Archer mentions that in 1559-60, a study was conducted to understand the impact of imports related to haberdashery goods. In that year, the import of hats was valued at £7915, pins at £3297, paper at £3304 and tennis balls at £1699. This inspired some research into the history of the game of tennis and the construction of a reproduction tennis ball.

Students of Leyden University playing tennis (1610)	Italian Boy with Racket. Master Painting (Cremona, 1570)

The origins of tennis are disputed, but it appears to have evolved from a form of handball to the game with a net and rackets with which we are familiar today. In the 16th century, it could be played with any variety of rules and may have resembled modern racquetball more that modern tennis. A net was commonly used, but it is the use of a racket which defined the game as tennis instead of merely handball (see Willughby for more details).

In England, it was a popular past time with the upper and middle classes and several dedicated courts are known to have existed by the late 16th century. John Stow in the 1570s said, "the ball is used by noblemen and gentlemen in tennis courts, and by people of meaner sorts in the open fields and streets". One of the courts that Henry VIII played on can still be seen at Hampton Court Palace today. It was popular enough that even Estienne Perlin when visiting England in 1558 saw fit to comment "…for here you may commonly see artisans, such as hatters or joiners, play at tennis for a crown, which is not often seen elsewhere, particularly on a working day..."

According to Waterer, the earliest play balls found in England "are those found lodged in the roof timbers of Elizabethan tennis-courts (such as Hampton Court) and of other places including the Byward Tower in the Tower of London. These were somewhat smaller than the modern lawn-tennis balls, made of white tawed goatskin and filled with hair." Waterer also mentions some small play balls (c. 1500 BC) found at Thebes which were made "of segments (six in this case) of equal shape and size sewn together". This construction is similar to that of footballs from the beginning of this century.

While a bit late, Willughby provides this description of a tennis ball: "The ball is made of taylors' shreds beaten by a hammer & shaped in a wooden mould; then it's hard tyed about with packthread. After this they sew white cotton about it or hersy."

The tennis ball on display here follows the description from Waterer. It is made of six equal segments of chrome-tanned pigskin, sewn with waxed linen thread and stuffed with wool scraps and hair. Pigskin leather was used to due to availability and cost, but the modern chrome tanning process produces a similar finish to the alum tawing process used in the 16th century.

The ball ended up a bit softer than may be practical for playing, so my second attempt will more closely follow Willughby's description of making a tennis ball.

References:

• Archer, Ian W., The History of the Haberdashers' Company, Phillimore & Co. Ltd., Chichester, 1991.
• Baker, Oliver, Black Jacks and Leather Bottells, Ed. J. Burrow & Co., Ltd., Cheltenham Spa, London, 1921, reprinted by the Honourable Cordwiners' Company, VA, 1990.
• Sim, Alison, Pleasures & Pastimes in Tudor England, Sutton Publishing, United Kingdom, 1999.
• Waterer, John W., Leather Craftmanship, Frederick A. Praeger, New York, 1968.
• Willughby, Francis, A Volume of Playes, unpublished manuscript c. 1670. (This manuscript has recently been published with commentary as Francis Willughby's Book of Games: A Seventeenth Century Treatise on Sports, Games, and Pastimes by Francis Willughby, Jeffrey L Forgeng (Editor), Dorothy Johnston (Editor), David Cram (Editor), Clive L. Hardy)
• The History of Tennis Website - good pictures