Badminton House
Photo by Geoff Hinder
Badminton House is a Grade I listed building in South Gloucestershire.
The manors of Great and Little Badminton, called "Madmintune" in the Domesday Book of 1086, were bought from Nicholas Boteler in 1612 by Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester.
The Dukes of Beaufort acquired the property in the late 17th century and moved from Raglan Castle in Monmouthshire, which had been ruined during the English Civil War.
Set in stunning grounds, home to the world-famous Badminton Horse Trials, but it is of particular importance to badminton history.
Badminton House in 1830
The old game of 'battledore and shuttlecock' was played as early as 1830 at Badminton House, with a battledore still in the families possession, with the handwritten inscription 'Kept up with Lady Somerset on Saturday January 12th 1830 to 2117 with...' (the second name is unreadable).
Photo by Geoff Hinder
Legend has it, during a hard winters day, the children of the eighth duke stretched a string across the North Hall and a game developed with participants hitting the shuttle to each other over the string.
As is customary with a new 'game', rules became made up as the game progressed.
The new game became known as 'Badminton', after Badminton house.
The size of the court today is exactly the size of the North Hall at Badminton House.
The North Hall at Badminton House - Photo by Bernd-Volker Brahms
We know that the game was played and known by the name 'Badminton' at least as early as 1863, from an article, 'Life in a Country House', in the Cornhill Magazine of that year, which mentions badminton specifically.
'...If the weather be such as to induce you to remain within doors, your co-operation will be sought for a game at pool, badminton (which is battledore and shuttlecock played with sides, across a string suspended some five feet from the ground), and similar amusements.'
