Stoolball history

Stoolball has been played for over 500 years, and perhaps much longer. Baseball, and probably cricket too, developed from our ancient sport.

Annual report of the Stoolball Association for Great Britain 1938

This report of the 1938 season was presented at the AGM of the Stoolball Association for Great Britain. It tells of stoolball being played in London, York, Amsterdam, Sri Lanka, India, New Zealand and even on board an ocean liner.

British Pathe stoolball archive - do you know more?

We need your help. British Pathe has a collection of archive material which shows, among others, stoolball photos and film clips dated 1940 and 1951, which make very interesting viewing. We want to know who is in the clips.

Stoolball in Sussex, by M S Russell-Goggs

Sussex County Magazine published a detailed history of stoolball in its July 1928 edition, which sold for 6d. The article is reproduced here in full.

Major W W Grantham

Major W W Grantham breathed new life into stoolball after World War One, even taking the sport to Lord's Cricket Ground. He also took stoolball around the world from Iceland and Finland to Russia and Sri Lanka.

Baseball's origins in stoolball

Baseball fans interested in the origins of their own sport have researched the history of stoolball. The results include the most detailed chronology we know of, and a documentary film produced by Major League Baseball.

Books featuring stoolball history

Stoolball's history can often be found in publications in local history books. If you can find any stoolball history in your area, we'd like to hear about it.

Recreating the first Kent v Sussex match

Players from the West Kent Ladies Stoolball League in 1998 re-enacted the first match played between Kent and Sussex, which took place 200 years before.

Stoolball through the ages

Photographs and images of stoolball being played from 1861 right through to today in our local schools.