John Moyer Heathcote | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1834-07-12)12 July 1834 London, U.K. |
| Died | 3 August 1912(1912-08-03) (aged 78) |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Occupation(s) | Barrister, real tennis player |
| Spouse | Louisa Cecilia MacLeod |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | John Heathcote Emily Colbourne |
John Moyer Heathcote (12 July 1834 – 3 August 1912) was an Englishbarrister andreal tennis player. He was one of the committee members at theMarylebone Cricket Club responsible for drafting the original rules oflawn tennis and is credited with devising the cloth covering for thetennis ball.
John Moyer Heathcote was born on 12 July 1834 in Westminster, London. He was the eldest son ofJohn Heathcote ofConington Castle,[1][2] Huntingdonshire, and his wife the Honourable Emily Colbourne (daughter ofNicholas Colborne, 1st Baron Colborne). He was a descendant of Lord Ancaster of Conington Castle. He was educated atEton College and was admitted atTrinity College, Cambridge, on 8 October 1851. He was awarded anMA in 1856, but also began playing real tennis at Cambridge.[3]
Heathcote was admitted atLincoln's Inn on 27 March 1856 and was called to the bar on 17 November 1859. He served on the Northern Circuit.[3]
Heathcote playedreal 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 theMarylebone Cricket Club annually offered prizes to its members for play in the courts atLord'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 professionalGeorge 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 theAll England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club was proposing the firstWimbledon Tournament, and a review of the rules was required. Heathcote with his fellow MCC commissionerJulian Marshall, andHenry 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.[4]
Heathcote became an Honorary Colonel in the 3rd Volunteer Battalion Suffolk Regiment and became Honorary Colonel of the 1st Administrative Battalion of the Cambridge Rifle Volunteers in 1880. He was chairman of the Huntingdonshire Quarter Sessions and wasJP andDeputy Lieutenant forHuntingdonshire, and JP forSussex and the Liberty of Peterborough.[3]
Heathcote was amateur real tennis champion every year until 1882 when theHon. Alfred Lyttelton ended his long run but in 1883 he regained the title. After this Heathcote only won the gold prize once more in 1886 when Lyttleton was unable to play. Heathcote played tennis for many years and in a number of courts after he retired from competition play.
Heathcote had many interests in sports and games including shooting and skating, he was an amateur artist of some repute and was a graceful writer on sporting subjects. He wrote for theBadminton Library authoring Volume 14:Tennis, Lawn Tennis, Rackets & Fives (1890) with contributions by A. Lyttelton, W. C. Marshall, and others[5] and Volume 18:Skating & Figure Skating (1892), co-authored byCharles Goodman Tebbutt and illustrated with photographs and withwood-engravings by Charles Whympe[6]
John Moyer Heathcote married Louisa Cecilia MacLeod (d. 1910), the eldest child and only daughter ofNorman MacLeod of MacLeod and his wife Louisa Barbara St John, on 18 December 1860 in St James Westminster.[3][7] She was born on 24 May 1838 in Marylebone London. They lived at 24 Brunswick Square,Hove, and Conington Castle. They had four children:
Louisa Heathcote died aged 72 on 20 January 1910 in Conington. John Moyer Heathcote died aged 78 at Conington Castle.[3] Both are buried in All Saints churchyard Conington, Huntingdonshire.[9]
A wall tablet in the south transept of Conington church is inscribed: "Louisa Cecilia only daughter of Norman Macleod of Isle of Skye and beloved wife of John Moyer Heathcote Esq. She died Jan 1910 in the 50th year of her happy married life aged 77 years. Lord what wait I for? My hope is in thee."[9]
A grave and memorial in the churchyard at east end of church is inscribed: "John Moyer Heathcote / born July 12th 1834 / died August 3rd 1912 : Louisa Cecilia Heathcote / born May 19th 1838 / married December 18th 1860 / died January 20th 1910." A wall tablet with classical surround in the south transept of Conington church: "In memory of John Moyer Heathcote eldest son of John Moyer Heathcote of Conington Castle. Married in 1860 Louisa Cecilia daughter of Norman, Macleod of Macleod. Died Aug 1912 aged 78 years."[9]
Arthur Ridley Heathcote and his wife Margaret Georgina lived in Switzerland from 1928, they both died in Montreux Switzerland.[10]
Grave in churchyard All Saints Conington, headstone inscription: "John Horace / Heathcote / 28th December 1910 / 30th May 2003." A further monument is inscribed: "In loving memory / of / Dorelle Geraldine / Heathcote / wife of / John Horace Heathcote / Born 13th March 1913 / Died 11th May 2007 / together again."[9]
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