Charles Gilbert Heathcote (2 March 1841 – 15 November 1913) was an English barrister and

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player. He was one of the founders of the All England Club, and played in the first Wimbledon Championships in 1877

Biography

Heathcote was born at

Conington Castle Conington Castle was a 16th-century house in Conington, Huntingdonshire, England, built for Sir Robert Cotton. It was demolished in 1956 by the then owner John Horace Broke Heathcote. History Sir John Cotton (1662–1702) never lived in the h ...

Conington, Huntingdonshire Conington (Conington All Saints, or "Conington-juxta-Petriburg") is an English village and civil parish in the Cambridgeshire district of Huntingdonshire. Conington lies about 10 km (6 miles) south of Peterborough and 3 km (2 miles) north of S ...

, the third son of John Heathcote of Conington Castle Huntingdon and his third wife Emily Colbourne. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and was admitted at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, on 6 April 1859. He was a scholar and migrated to

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mon ...

on 20 June 1863, being awarded an MA in 1866. He was admitted at

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

on 26 January 1865 and was called to the bar on 18 November 1867. He served on the South Eastern Circuit. Heathcote was one of the founders of the

All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, also known as the All England Club, based at Church Road, Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London, England, is a Gentlemen's club, private members' club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon ...

. He is cited as one of the committee that formulated the rules of tennis in 1877 before the first

Wimbledon Championships The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, All England Club in ...

although according to other sources the Heathcote concerned was his brother

John Moyer Heathcote 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 ...

who was a representative of the MCC committee. In the inaugural

1877 Wimbledon Championship The 1877 Wimbledon Championship was a men's tennis tournament held at the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club (AEC & LTC) in Wimbledon, London. It was the world's first official lawn tennis tournament, and was later recognised as the fir ...

he reached the semi-final of the Men's singles when he was defeated by

Spencer Gore Spencer may refer to: People *Spencer (surname) **Spencer family, British aristocratic family **List of people with surname Spencer *Spencer (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia *Spencer, New So ...

and lost to William Marshall in the 3rd place play-off. He played again in

1878 Events January–March * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War – Battle of Shipka Pass IV: Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Battle o ...

and reached the quarter-finals in

1879 Events January–March * January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. * January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. * Janu ...

. He last entered in

1880 Events January–March * January 22 – Toowong State School is founded in Queensland, Australia. * January – The international White slave trade affair scandal in Brussels is exposed and attracts international infamy. * February � ...

. Heathcote was also a member of the

Alpine Club The first alpine club, the Alpine Club, based in the United Kingdom, was founded in London in 1857 as a gentlemen's club. It was once described as: :"a club of English gentlemen devoted to mountaineering, first of all in the Alps, members of which ...

and an amateur artist. From 1884 to 1902, Heathcote was a

Stipendiary Magistrate Stipendiary magistrates were magistrates that were paid for their work (they received a stipend). They existed in the judiciaries of the United Kingdom and those of several former British territories, where they sat in the lowest-level criminal ...

for

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

. He acquired Kilmeston Manor, Alresford, Hampshire in 1902 and became a J.P. for Hampshire in 1906.The Times 29 April 2009
Heathcote married Lucy Edith Wrottesley (1848 – 19 February 1918), daughter of Hon. Walter Wrottesley on 9 September 1869 at St James Westminster. They had three children: * Walter John Heathcote (23 September 1870 – 15 November 1936) was a consul in Turkey. * Isabel Lucy Heathcote (1872 – 27 November 1961) married on 16 July 1910 at St George's Hanover Square London Harry Broke (11 May 1864 – 23 November 1923), they had two children. * Mabel Frances Heathcote (1873 – 9 January 1955) married in 1919 Gwyn Vaughan-Morgan (1873 – 31 My 1945). Charles Gilbert Heathcote died at Alresford, Hampshire, Lucy Edith Heathcote died at Eastbourne Sussex.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Heathcote, Charles Gilbert 1841 births 1913 deaths Charles Gilbert People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge English male tennis players British male tennis players Tennis people from Cambridgeshire 19th-century English lawyers Stipendiary magistrates (England and Wales) English barristers