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The Museum
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Colonel Wingfield
(1858-1896)
While serving in India in 1873 Colonel Walter Wingfield attempted to allieviate the boredom of the ladies by formulating the rules of a game to be later known as tennis. On his return to England he patented the game and its rules under the moniker of "Sphairistike", in hommage to the ball games of the ancient Greeks. Fortunately the game proved more popular than the name. Indeed, The Army and Navy Gazette noted "A new game has just just been patented by Major Wingfield...which, if we mistake not, will become a national pastime..."
As a venerated tobacco buff, as well as inventor, Major Wingfield came to the following agreement with Robert Lewis in 1886:
whereas the said Walter Wingfield is the original inventor of a Smoking mixture known in the trade as the "Wingfield Mixture" the recipe of which is in the possession of the said firm of Robert Lewis amd it has been agreed that the said firm... shall haev the sole and exclusive right of preparing, making and vending the said mixture...and in consideration of such right hereby agree at thier own expense to deliver...on the first day of every succeeding month a packet of the said Smoking mixture of the weight of one pound to the said Walter Wingfield free of expense.
Major Wingfield imposed a further condition a little later: that
you...present me with a massive silver box made with metal (of about the thickness of a shilling) and with a well executed enamel copy of my label of the Wingfield tobacco on the lid - the box being a facsimile of the tin box the mixture is sold in.
Wingfeld smoking mixture quickly became one of our most popular lines and was a favourite of many of our eminent clients. It remains available, solely at JJ Fox, to this day.
JJ Fox & Robert Lewis, 19 St James's Street,
London, SW1A 1ES
Tel:+44 (0)20 7930 3787 Fax:+44 (0)20 7495 0097
