A Brief History of Lawn Bowling
1930’s lawn bowlers at Bishop Park in Detroit, MI. Photo credit: Michael McKinley, WA
Did you know that President George Washington had a Lawn Bowling green at his Mount Vernon estate?
Did you know that Lawn Bowling was once so popular in America that 11 U.S. states have a city or town named “Bowling Green”?
A Timeline -
5000 BC - archaeologists discover an ancient version of Lawn Bowling played in Egypt 7000 years ago.
11th century - outdoor ball games become popular in Italy ( bocce) and France (boules).
1066 - The Norman Conquest, and with it, the English adopt France’s game of boules and transform it into a game played on grass - the game of Lawn Bowling is born.
1299 - The Southampton Old Bowling Green Club formed; the oldest continuously operating Lawn Bowling Club in the world.
1522 - Bias added to wooden bowls to give them a curved path to the jack.
1541 - Henry VIII bans Lawn Bowling in England over concerns it was detracting from archery practice. This ban was not officially repealed until 1845.
July 19th, 1588 - While enjoying an afternoon game of lawn bowls Sir Francis Drake was notified the Spanish Armada had been sited. He famously replies that he still has time to win his game before whipping the Spanish.
17th century - Lawn Bowling imported by the British to America with the first Lawn Bowling club founded in Boston in 1615.
Post 1776 - Popularity in Lawn Bowling in the U.S. wanes for many years in a rejection of many things British.
1830 - Modern conditions of play for Lawn Bowling made possible with the invention of the lawnmower.
Late 19th century - the flow of European immigration to the United States revives interest in Lawn Bowling in America.
1899 - First West Coast Lawn Bowling Club formed in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
1930-1960 - Lawn Bowling grows in Southern California in large part through the philanthropy of Lawn Bowling enthusiasts such as John Clark, Marcellus Joslyn and Walt Disney.
Currently - Lawn Bowling retains a passionate core constituency but is a vastly under appreciated and an under utilized social activity and competitive sport.
The future - To be determined - However it is All Comers mission to make lawn bowling bright and glorious once again!