John Moyer Heathcote
| John Moyer Heathcote | |
|---|---|
| Born |
12 July 1834 London, U.K. |
| Died | 3 August 1912 Conington, Huntingdonshire, U.K. |
| Residence | Conington Castle |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Barrister, real tennis player |
| Spouse(s) | Louisa Cecilia Macleod |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) |
John Heathcote Emily Colbourne |
John Moyer Heathcote (12 July 1834 – 3 August 1912) was an English barrister and real tennis player. He was one of the committee members at the Marylebone Cricket Club responsible for drafting the original rules of lawn tennis and is credited with devising the cloth covering for the tennis ball.
John Moyer Heathcote was born on 12 July 1834 in London. He was the eldest son of John Heathcote of Conington Castle, Huntingdonshire, and his wife Emily Colbourne (daughter of Nicholas Colborne, 1st Baron Colborne). He was a descendant of Lord Ancaster of Conington Castle. He was educated at Eton College and was admitted at Trinity College, Cambridge, on 8 October 1851. He was awarded an MA in 1856, but also began playing real tennis at Cambridge.
Heathcote was admitted at Lincoln's Inn on 27 March 1856 and was called to the bar on 17 November 1859. He served on the Northern Circuit.
Heathcote played real tennis regularly at a court in James Street Haymarket from 1856 to 1866. His chief professional teacher and opponent was Edmund Tompkins, for some years champion of tennis. Heathcote became amateur champion in about 1859. At that time, there was no formal competition for the amateur championship, but from 1867 the Marylebone Cricket Club annually offered prizes to its members for play in the courts at Lord's Cricket Ground, and the gold prize carried with it the blue riband of amateur tennis. Heathcote won the gold prize for the next 15 years and in about 1869 he was the equal of any player in the world until the professional George Lambert began to surpass him. Heathcote became involved in lawn tennis which used a vulcanised rubber ball, and he proposed covering the rubber ball with cloth. In 1875, he instigated a meeting at Lords to establish rules for lawn tennis. Walter Clopton Wingfield put forward proposals based on his own game for an hour-glass court and a racquets counting method which were adopted but which led to some objections. By 1877 the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club was proposing the first Wimbledon Tournament, and a review of the rules was required. Heathcote with his fellow MCC commissioner Julian Marshall, and Henry Jones of the All England club laid down the rules that are almost unchanged to this day in time for the first Wimbledon tournament on 9 July 1877. Heathcote was particularly in favour of a return to the rectangular court.
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