History of the Croquet Patent

Like many sports, Croquet has a contested history. Some believe that the game was introduced to Britain, from France, in the late 1600’s under the name paille-maille. Others believe that the game arrived from Ireland in the mid 17th or 18th century. Despite the confusion over its origin, Croquet became a very popular pastime. 

Croquet surged in popularity during the 1860s after being adopted and promoted by the Earl of Essex. The Earl had lavish parties at the Cassiobury House in Hertfordshire and went on to launch his own Cassiobury brand croquet set.

In 1870, a governing body was formed in England to standardize rules after Jaques sold over 65,000 copies of his own Laws and Regulations of the game. The sport quickly spread to other Anglophone countries including Australia, Canada, and the United States. 

Croquet’s rise had an equally precipitous fall. By the late 1870s, croquet quickly lost its luster over its association with gambling and the rise of a new sport, lawn tennis. Many of the croquet clubs of the 1870s, including the All England Club at Wimbledon, converted some or all of their lawns into tennis courts. Croquet survived as a backyard game, but never again reached the professional popularity of the 1860s and 70s. 

The game had a resurgence in the 1930s and 1940s in the US as many Hollywood stars took a liking to the game. This resurgence died until the mid-1980s when over 350 clubs were formed in North America. The World Croquet Federation now organizes international events across over a dozen national associations. 

In 1883, as croquet was falling out of favor, Alfred Farley of Leavenworth, Kansas was granted a patent for a croquet set. His patent claimed a luminous covering for croquet balls that would make them more easy to find when hidden. This was Farley’s only known patent.

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