A pewter lidded tennis trophy tankard, March 1870

A pewter lidded tennis trophy tankard the body inscribed O.T.C., T Hartley, Mch 15th 1870, 21ch high

The trophy is believed to have been won by John Thorneycroft Hartley (Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Singles Winner in 1879) when winning a Real Tennis Championship while studying at Oxford University (O.T.C.) in 1870. He was then known affectionately by friends and family as “Thorn” - hence the “T” Hartley inscription. All is revealed by an accompanying article from “Country Life” written by his nephew Charles Terrot about his “Uncle Thorn” in 1977, as well as a 12 page article which appeared inside issue No.4 of The Tennis Historian magazine.