Brief History

The sport called jactus lapidum (rolling of stones) was banned in the 14thC by King Edward III and archery was made compulsory.  In the 15thC the sport was called 'Bowls' (after the French word for ball) and the boules were made of wood.  By the 16thC bowls were given a bias and by the early 17thC they were made from Lignum Vitae, the hardest and densest wood there is.  Today bowls are made of a melamine compound, but we still call them 'woods'.  Harrow Weald Bowling Club came into being in 1908 after Thomas Francis Blackwell (d.1907) (son of the founder of the famous company 'Crosse & Blackell') bequeathed part of his Harrow Weald Estate to the parish to be made into a recreation ground that was to include a bowling green. The club used a clay tennis court whilst the green was being prepared ready for 1909.  The first silverware was presented to the club in 1919 by the then president, Sir Reginald Blair MP (former army major), as 'The Blair Victory Cup'.  Later he became the '1st Baronet of Harrow Weald'.  The Cumberland Turf was laid in 1933.  It was not until 1984 that ladies were allowed full club membership and not until 1989 that they had enough funds to build their clubhouse.  Famous bowlers have been:- Sir Francis Drake, King Charles II, William Gilbert Grace, David Bryant and some Harrow Weald club members.