Block:English Baseball in West Sussex on August 2 1859
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| Data | “Base-ball” was mentioned within a young man's diary entry describing a romantic outing with his future wife. The diarist was an 18-year-old medical student named John Henry Salter, then a resident of Arundel, West Sussex. He wrote: “Aug. 2. A boating party with myself as Captain. After dinner, archery, and cricket, then separation and a stroll. Laura and I found a beautiful sequested (sic) spot, and never did time pass more quickly and delightfully. She vowed she loved me—God knows I do her. She gave me a ring to wear for her sake when absent, and I will wear it too so long as I have a finger. After tea base-ball and bat-and-trap. After a bit the damp came on and it was time to pack up and be off.” |
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| Sources | Dr. Salter of Tolleshunt D'Arcy in the County of Essex, entry for Aug. 2, 1859, compiled by J. O. Thompson, London, 1933, John Lane The Bodley Head Ltd., p. 19 |
| Block Notes | Though born and raised in West Sussex, Dr. Salter spent the last 70 of his 92 years in Essex. He was described as a “medical man, freemason, sportsman, sporting-dog breeder, and horticulturist.” He began keeping diaries at the age of eight and continued doing so without significant interruption until his final days. It is fortunate that they were transcribed and published in 1933, because his original, hand-written manuscripts were destroyed in a World War II bombing raid. Though being an avid cricketer, this entry indicates he was happy to engage in a social game of baseball when in mixed company. |
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