Documents, photos and videos

These primary sources bring stoolball history to life, and they’re great for school history projects. If you know of any old documents or photos of stoolball please let us know.

Stoolball Illustrated And How To Play It

Published in 1919, 'Stoolball Illustrated And How To Play It' by Major W W Grantham is both a fascinating primary source from the time of stoolball's revival after the First World War, and also a good summary of this history of the 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

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.

Making stoolball bats in Lewes

This photo, kindly sent to us by Andrew Lusted, shows N Cochrane, a cricket bat maker in Lewes, East Sussex, making stoolball bats.

Tales of stoolball from the Women's Institute

'West Sussex as seen through the eyes of the WI', has some excellent articles including 'Village Stoolball' by Enid Dunlop from the Funtington and West Stoke Women's Institute (WI).

Stoolball through the ages - photographs and drawings

Here's a selection of photographs and images of stoolball being played from 1861 right through to today in our local schools. If you have any photos to add to this page please send them to us, or upload them to our Facebook page.

Stoolball in the British Newspaper Archive

Fascinating reports of stoolball matches and leagues from right across the country, which show clearly that stoolball is not just a Sussex sport.

Sports and Pastimes of the People of England

Joseph Strutt published this book in 1801, and mentions stoolball as a sport still played in the north of England in Chapter 3: ‘Rural Exercises Generally Practised’.