Block:English Baseball in London on August 22 1874
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| Data | “Base-ball” was played in the 16th century according to the writer of a letter published in a London-based sporting newspaper who was taking exception to the viewpoint that the game currently being showed off by visiting American players was something original. Under the heading “The Game of Base-ball,” the writer, Mr. J.C. Reed, expressed the following: “The notoriety recently acquired by our Transatlantic cousins in connection with the above game...[has] led to the belief on the part of many... that the game owes its origin to America...It may inform some and remind others that base ball is thoroughly English, and during the 16th century occupied a foremost place in the list of our national sports. It is alluded to by Shakespeare and other(s) as an old rustic game, and was an indispensable accompaniment to the amusements provided for the festive May-day gatherings on village greens during the reign of the Merrie Monarch and...his successors...However, the game of base ball gradually lost its patrons, and is now known to a comparative few. The knowledge of the game...lingers chiefly in our most remote rural districts, including some villages in the county of Suffolk, where, more than thirty years since, it was a common game between the lads and lasses...I have no desire to depreciate the ability and skill of the Americans in playing this game, being only anxious to remove the prevailing impression that it is an importation from another country.” |
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| Sources | Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, Aug. 22, 1874, p. 23 |
| Block Notes | Mr. Reed was incorrect in placing baseball in the 16th century and in claiming Shakespeare alluded to it. He most likely was confusing baseball with prisoners base. |
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