Henry Jones (writer)
Encyclopedia
Henry Jones was an English author
well-known as a writer and authority on tennis
and card games who wrote under the nom de plume "Cavendish".
, the eldest son of surgeon Henry Derviche Jones. He attended King's College School
, Wimbledon
from 1842 to 1848, and entered St Bartholomew's Hospital
as a student during the 1849/50 session. His signature can be seen in the hospital’s archives in the student signature book (a book that students signed when they began their studies) for the 1849/50 and 1850/1 sessions, where his address is given as 23 Soho Square.
Jones qualified MRCS (Member of the Royal College of Surgeons) in 1852 and practised medicine as a GP until 1869 when he changed tack and became a full-time writer on games and sport. His writing career can be traced back to 1857 when he began writing about whist
. Jones’s father had been a keen devotee of this trick-taking
card game
, and under his tutelage, Jones had become a good player at an early age. He was a member of several whist
clubs, among them the Cavendish Club, and in 1862 he published The Laws and Principles of Whist: Stated and Explained and its Practice Illustrated on an Original System by Means of Hands Played Completely Through by "Cavendish", which became the leading authority on the game. This work was followed by treatises on the laws of the card games piquet
and ecarte
. Jones became widely known as "Cavendish" (his nom de plume), and wrote extensively in The Field
, the world’s original country and fieldsports magazine, which was founded in 1853. "Cavendish" also wrote on billiards
, lawn tennis and croquet
, and contributed articles on whist
and other games to the ninth edition (1911) of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Cavendish was not a law-maker, but he codified and commented upon the laws which had been made during many generations of card-playing." One of the most noteworthy points in his character was the manner in which he kept himself abreast of improvements in his favourite game.
In 1869, Jones joined the All England Croquet Club
, which had been founded the previous year. He was later voted onto the club’s committee, and was Secretary for a brief period in 1871. In 1875, Jones proposed that one of the club’s croquet lawns should be set aside for the playing of lawn tennis. This proved to be a significant step. In 1877, the Club Secretary John Walsh proposed that a lawn tennis championship be held, and 'The Championships' were born. Henry Jones and two other prominent men, Julian Marshall and John Moyer Heathcote
, formed a sub-committee to frame the rules, many of which survive today, and, from 1877 to 1885, Jones was referee
at The Championships.
The only event held in that first year was the Gentlemen’s Singles, which was won from a field of 22 competitors by Spencer Gore, an old Harrovian rackets player. The final attracted a crowd of about 200 spectators, who each paid one shilling. Today, Centre Court tickets for Gentleman’s Finals Day – on the Sunday of the second week of The Championships – cost £75. Last year, the day was attended by 30,543 people.
The Ladies’ Singles tournament was not inaugurated until 1884, when Maud Watson
became the champion from an entry of just 13 players. The same year, the Gentlemen’s Doubles was started, with a trophy donated to the club by Oxford University Lawn Tennis Club following the cessation of their own doubles championship.
Henry Jones died in 1899. Unfortunately, the fortunes of Wimbledon
were then at a low ebb. Public affection for The Championships had waned for a period in the 1890s, and as a result, Jones’s obituaries ignored his role in lawn tennis. It is sad that Jones did not live to see Wimbledon recover from this brief slump and go on to become the success that it is today.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
well-known as a writer and authority on tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and card games who wrote under the nom de plume "Cavendish".
Biography
Henry Jones was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the eldest son of surgeon Henry Derviche Jones. He attended King's College School
King's College School
King's College School, commonly referred to as KCS, King's, or KCS Wimbledon, is an independent school for day pupils in Wimbledon in south-west London. The school was founded as the junior department of King's College London and occupied part of its premises in Strand, before relocating to...
, Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
from 1842 to 1848, and entered St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital, also known as Barts, is a hospital in Smithfield in the City of London, England.-Early history:It was founded in 1123 by Raherus or Rahere , a favourite courtier of King Henry I...
as a student during the 1849/50 session. His signature can be seen in the hospital’s archives in the student signature book (a book that students signed when they began their studies) for the 1849/50 and 1850/1 sessions, where his address is given as 23 Soho Square.
Jones qualified MRCS (Member of the Royal College of Surgeons) in 1852 and practised medicine as a GP until 1869 when he changed tack and became a full-time writer on games and sport. His writing career can be traced back to 1857 when he began writing about whist
Whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
. Jones’s father had been a keen devotee of this trick-taking
Trick-taking game
A trick-taking game is a card game or tile-based game in which play centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called tricks. The object of such games then may be closely tied to the number of tricks taken, as in plain-trick games such as Whist, Contract Bridge, Napoleon, Rowboat, and...
card game
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
, and under his tutelage, Jones had become a good player at an early age. He was a member of several whist
Whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
clubs, among them the Cavendish Club, and in 1862 he published The Laws and Principles of Whist: Stated and Explained and its Practice Illustrated on an Original System by Means of Hands Played Completely Through by "Cavendish", which became the leading authority on the game. This work was followed by treatises on the laws of the card games piquet
Piquet
Piquet is an early 16th-century trick-taking card game for two players.- History :Piquet has long been regarded as one of the all-time great card games still being played. It was first mentioned on a written reference dating to 1535, in Gargantua and Pantagruel by Rabelais...
and ecarte
Écarté
Écarté is a two-player card game originating from France, the word literally meaning "discarded". It is a trick-taking game, similar to whist, but with a special and eponymous discarding phase. It is closely related to Euchre, a card game played mainly in the United States...
. Jones became widely known as "Cavendish" (his nom de plume), and wrote extensively in The Field
The Field (magazine)
The Field is the world's oldest country and field sports magazine, having been published continuously since 1853.The famous sportsman Robert Smith Surtees, the creator of Jorrocks, was the driving force behind the initial publication...
, the world’s original country and fieldsports magazine, which was founded in 1853. "Cavendish" also wrote on billiards
Billiards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
, lawn tennis and croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
, and contributed articles on whist
Whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
and other games to the ninth edition (1911) of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Cavendish was not a law-maker, but he codified and commented upon the laws which had been made during many generations of card-playing." One of the most noteworthy points in his character was the manner in which he kept himself abreast of improvements in his favourite game.
In 1869, Jones joined the All England Croquet Club
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club , also known as the All-England Club, based at Aorangi Park, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis event still held on grass...
, which had been founded the previous year. He was later voted onto the club’s committee, and was Secretary for a brief period in 1871. In 1875, Jones proposed that one of the club’s croquet lawns should be set aside for the playing of lawn tennis. This proved to be a significant step. In 1877, the Club Secretary John Walsh proposed that a lawn tennis championship be held, and 'The Championships' were born. Henry Jones and two other prominent men, Julian Marshall and John Moyer Heathcote
John Moyer Heathcote
John Moyer Heathcote was an English barrister and real tennis player. He was one of the committee that devised the original rules of lawn tennis and is credited with devising the cloth covering for the tennis ball....
, formed a sub-committee to frame the rules, many of which survive today, and, from 1877 to 1885, Jones was referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
at The Championships.
The only event held in that first year was the Gentlemen’s Singles, which was won from a field of 22 competitors by Spencer Gore, an old Harrovian rackets player. The final attracted a crowd of about 200 spectators, who each paid one shilling. Today, Centre Court tickets for Gentleman’s Finals Day – on the Sunday of the second week of The Championships – cost £75. Last year, the day was attended by 30,543 people.
The Ladies’ Singles tournament was not inaugurated until 1884, when Maud Watson
Maud Watson
Maud Watson was an English tennis player.Born in Harrow, London, the daughter of a local vicar, she began playing competitive tennis in 1881. Undefeated in tournament play, in 1884 the nineteen-year-old Watson won the first ever Ladies’ Singles title at Wimbledon...
became the champion from an entry of just 13 players. The same year, the Gentlemen’s Doubles was started, with a trophy donated to the club by Oxford University Lawn Tennis Club following the cessation of their own doubles championship.
Henry Jones died in 1899. Unfortunately, the fortunes of Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
were then at a low ebb. Public affection for The Championships had waned for a period in the 1890s, and as a result, Jones’s obituaries ignored his role in lawn tennis. It is sad that Jones did not live to see Wimbledon recover from this brief slump and go on to become the success that it is today.
Publications
- The Laws and Principles of Whist Stated and Explained and its Practice Illustrated On An Original System by Means of Hands Played Completely Through. Spine Title: Cavendish on Whist. Thos. De La Rue & Co. (London), Eighth edition, 1868, 120 pages.
- The Laws and Principles of Whist Stated and Explained and its Practice Illustrated On An Original System by Means of Hands Played Completely Through. Spine Title: Cavendish on Whist. John Wurtle Lovell (New York), From the Twelfth English Edition Revised and Greatly Enlarged, 1881, 257 pages.
- Whist Developments: American Leads and the Plain-Suit Echo, De La Rue & Co. (London), 1885, 172 pages.