TENNIS

Hampton Court - Cardinal Wolsey's Palace confiscated by Henry VIII, who was a keen player.

Tennis was played indoors or in a high-walled outdoor court. (The grass court was not used until 1591.) The Ball is made of leather and stuffed with hair.  While the racket was a wooden handle with a sheep gut strung head. In one version of the game, there are no rackets; you hit the ball with the palm of your hand over a tasseled rope stretched across the center of the court.  Women did not play this game, possibly because of the strength needed to strike a ball which hardly bounced.

Apparently Henry VIIII invented the 'service'; his servants used to throw the ball up in the air for him because was too fat to do it himself.

Queen Elizabeth enjoyed watching the occasional tennis match.  Sometimes tournaments would be held, and from 1572 onwards, a very grand tilt tournament was held to celebrate the Queen’s accession day.