Property:Block Notes
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E
<p>Another example of baseball and rounders played side by side. Oakley, near Basingstoke, is less than three miles from Jane Austen's home village of Steventon.</p> +
<p>Another rare recognition that baseball was originally English. Likely the writer was wrong about English baseball dating from the 16th century—confusing it with prisoner's base as have many since—but was unusually well informed in knowing that the game was still being played in rural districts, including Suffolk. This letter is also the only known historical source to equate English baseball and tut-ball, and by locating the latter game in Cambridgeshire expands southward the territory where it was known to be played. Interestingly, the day after this letter was published, a short article appeared in a Yorkshire newspaper, the Bradford Observer, in which the writer appeared to have merged the contents of this letter with the letter in The Times from “Grandmother.” The Yorkshire article lifted whole phrases from this letter, such as the stuff about the 16th century and the Merrie Monarch, as well as the Lady Hervey quotation from The Times' letter.</p> +
<p>Apart from the oddity of the context, it was a bit unusual for an adult male Londoner to identify with baseball in that era.</p> +
<p>Apparently this letter was very persuasive, because the suggested fete was organized and held within a month's time (see entry below).</p> +
<p>Appears to have been traditional English baseball.</p> +
<p>As of writing this I have not yet located the two original documents cited by the writer of this article. However, the article has a strong ring of authenticity to it, including an explanation of how he came to be given the documents by the current governor. Charles LeBreton administered Cardiff Gaol between the years 1819 and 1821. If the facts in this article are borne out by the original documents, it would be the earliest mention of baseball in Wales, and also the earliest mention of the word rounders anywhere.</p> +
<p>At the time, Kingston-on-Thames was in Surrey; now it is part of greater London. The location of St. Ann's Hill was just five miles west of Walton-on-Thames where Prince Frederick played baseball nearly 150 years earlier.</p> +
<p>At various times located in the administrative districts of West Ham and East Ham, which at the time were incorporated into Essex, Little Ilford is now considered part of Greater London.</p> +
<p>Baseball played against a wall is unusual.</p> +
<p>Baseball was often referred to as “base” in Norfolk.</p> +
<p>Bushy Park is the second largest of London's Royal Parks, located in the borough of Richmond upon Thames. It was part of Surrey in the 19th century. Twickenham is a nearby town in the same borough.</p> +
J
<p>Cassandra Cooke's maiden name was Cassandra Leigh, the same as Jane Austen's mother (they were first cousins). The novel is set in the mid-17th century during the period of the English civil war; it is improbable that dialog from that era would include the word "base-ball," belying the claim in the novel's subtitle that it is "founded on facts."</p> +
E
<p>Chalvey was within Buckinghamshire in 1857, but was transferred to Berkshire in 1974. </p> +
<p>Cheshire was a little far afield for English baseball, but in this context and this early, American baseball was unlikely.</p> +
<p>Claydon Park comprised the grounds of Claydon House, a grand country house that was then occupied by the sister of Florence Nightengale, who often stayed there herself.</p> +
<p>Clear distinction between rounders and English baseball.</p> +
T
<p>Clearly, tut-ball was considered a separate game from rounders in this locale. The “five towns” referred to in the title are fictional stand-ins for the six towns of the Staffordshire potteries district.</p> +
E
<p>Croydon was then in Surrey but is now part of London. The article does not mention the nature of Mr. Allder's business. The game of “cocoanuts” mentioned in the article is somewhat obscure, and apparently involved players throwing objects (balls? rocks?) at cocoanuts attached to stakes from a distance of thirty feet and trying to get them to fall into small baskets underneath.</p> +
<p>Despite the unusual spelling, there is little doubt that the word “brace ball” is a reference to baseball. The same spelling showed up exactly one week later in the same newspaper, suggesting that a member of the staff was unfamiliar with the term and spelled it as he or she heard it. Given the setting, it seems likely that the game being played was English baseball, although it should be noted that Leicestershire was the only known location in England where clubs formed to play American-style baseball in the aftermath of the 1874 tour.</p> +
<p>Despite their similarities and proximity of dates, this outing was not the same as the one of Aug. 7th by the Free Methodist Sunday School. Every year, both the Band of Hope and Free Methodist Church in Framlingham held their treats within a week of each other, and seemed to have some overlap in membership and organization.</p> +