Tennis ball

A ball for 'real' or 'royal' tennis, fashioned from leather with a stuffing of compacted dog's hair. The leather has been cut into quarters and the segments are stitched together along the seams. Most of the stitching has come apart and there a several holes in the leather. This ball was discovered in the rafters of Westminster Hall in the 1920s. There is no evidence that real tennis was played at Westminster after c.1520 and so this ball almost certainly dates to the late 15th or very early 16th century.

The earliest tennis balls were made of soft materials because the ball was struck by hand. English players preferred French made balls which were crafted by specialist paumiers who used wool wadding and good hide. Some £1699 worth of 'Balls for tennis' are listed in 'The Particular Value of certain necessary and unnecessary Wares brought into the Port of London' in 1559.

The game of tennis underwent a number of significant changes during the course of the 16th century, and by the late 1500s rackets were commonplace. In consequence, tennis balls were constructed with a tougher core made from tightly wound cloth.