Lawn tennis drawing, newspaper, around 1879

Rev. John Thorneycroft Hartley (9 January 1849 – 21 August 1935) was a

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 from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and the only clergyman to win Wimbledon. Hartley won the 1879 Gentlemen's Singles title against Irish champion,

Vere St. Leger Goold Vere Thomas "St. Leger" Goold (2 October 1853 – 8 September 1909) was an Irish tennis player who competed for the 1879 Wimbledon All Comers' final. That year he became the first singles champion of the Irish Championships. He quickly faded fro ...

in three sets on 15 July, retaining his title the following year, 1880, by defeating

Herbert Lawford Herbert Fortescue Lawford (15 May 1851 – 20 April 1925) was a former world No. 1 tennis player from Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, ...

in the Challenge Round, 6–3, 6–2, 2–6, 6–3. Hartley lost in 37 minutes in the 1881 Gentlemen's Singles final, to

William Renshaw William Charles Renshaw (3 January 1861 – 12 August 1904) was a British tennis player active during the late 19th century, who was ranked world No. 1. He won twelve Major titles during his career. A right-hander, he was known for his pow ...

, 0–6, 1–6, 1–6. This was the shortest final on record and it was reported that Hartley was suffering from an attack of 'English cholera'. Hartley did not compete in the 1882 championships and made a final return at the 1883 championships, losing in the second round to

Herbert Wilberforce Sir Herbert William Wrangham Wilberforce (8 February 1864 – 28 March 1941) was a British male tennis player. He was vice-president of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club from 1911 to 1921 and served as its president from 1921 to 1936. ...

in four sets. In 1926, at the Golden Jubilee championships, Hartley was presented with a silver medal by Queen Mary, as one of thirty-four surviving champions.

Early life

Hartley was born in 1849, second son of John Hartley (died 1884) and his wife Emma, daughter of ironmaster George Benjamin Thorneycroft of

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...

. His parents were both of south Staffordshire industrial business families, his father's family owned the glass making firm of Hartley Chance & Company of Smethwick, while the Thorneycrofts founded Shrubbery Ironworks in Wolverhampton, in which his father became a partner. He grew up at Tong Castle in Shropshire, which his father leased from the

Earl of Bradford Earl of Bradford is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was first created in 1694 for Francis Newport, 2nd Baron Newport. However, all the Newport titles became ...

in 1856. In 1867, Hartley matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford. He graduated B.A. in 1870, and M.A. in 1874. Hartley married Alice Margaret Lascelles Murray, daughter of

William Murray, 4th Earl of Mansfield William David Murray, 4th Earl of Mansfield, 3rd Earl of Mansfield, KT, DL (21 February 1806 – 1 August 1898) was a British Conservative politician. The son of David William Murray, 3rd Earl of Mansfield, and Frederica Markham, daughter of ...

and a granddaughter of

Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

, in 1875. They had no children.

Career outside sport

Hartley was a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

clergyman, who was ordained deacon in 1872 and priest in 1873 by the Bishop of Winchester and served in 1872-74 as curate of Christ Church, Southwark in south London. Hartley became the vicar of Burneston,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

, from 1874 to 1919

Rural Dean of East Catterick In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

from 1891 to 1917 and Honorary Canon of Ripon from 1905. He died at the age of 86 in

Knaresborough Knaresborough ( ) is a market and spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Nidd. It is east of Harrogate. History Knaresborough is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Chenares ...

, Yorkshire, and was buried at Burneston.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

References

External links

The Reverend John Thorneycroft Hartley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartley, John 1849 births 1935 deaths 19th-century English people 19th-century male tennis players English male tennis players Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era) Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's singles British male tennis players Tennis people from Shropshire