Quoits in Stowupland

Our researcher, Neil Langridge, has found evidence that over the years Stowupland has had several teams of players of quoits. 

The earliest mention he has found from newspaper articles is from July 1893 when Stowupland played Creeting St. Peter (and won) in the grounds of Stowupland Hall. This team was called “Stowupland Highlanders“.

photo of men 1930
1931 Quoits Team outside The Retreat

This 1930s photo shows the presentation of the Soames Trophy for a Quoits competition at a Stowupland Flower Show and Fete. Stowupland Hall can be seen in the background.Nathan Robinson organised the quoits competition.He was quite active locally and was Chairman of Parish Council, school manager, Oddfellow and active in Builders trade union etc. He died in 1958. (Neil Langridge)

photo of a group of men
postcard with names
Ena carter's handwritten legend for the SFSF photo

For their 1970s Local History Exhibition Ena and Jack Carter used postcards as labels to explain many of the exhibits.  Here she names some of the people in the photo. The Carter family were very involved in organising Stowupland’s annual  Flower Show and Fete. The Rev Chapman was in Stowupland from  1922 to 35.

photo

Stowupland Social Quoits Club

  • Club founded 1904 from members of the social club. Nathan Robinson elected captain.
  • P. Kerry secretary to 1906
  • 1908 entered North-West Suffolk Quoits Association
  • 1908 F. Tricker captain
  • 1911 won championship in their section beating Haughley Reading Room team and Wetherden, cup presented by Frank Goldsmith M.P.
  •  1911 Rev. England president. (NL 2023)

This photo shows men of  The Stowmarket Explosives Company Quoits Club in 1908. The image was clipped from a newspaper page, we have no reference details but it was published later than 1908. The accompanying article does say the photo was loaned by Ivan Codd and an advert for Abbots carries sale details for a house in Stowupland, price £18,500 for a modern semi-detached chalet.

photo of men 1908
1908. The Stowmarket Explosives Company Quoits Club (unknown press cutting)

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From an unknown source we have a brief history of quoits.

It may have originated in the Minoan Empire (2000BC) passing through Ancient Greece to the Romans who brought it to Britain, being used as a weapon of control over slaves and a weapon of war.

In 1388 it was made illegal by ‘Sports Regulations’ but by the 15th century it became a favorite sport in English taverns etc. and the first official rules were printed in April 1881 in an edition of The Field in northern England.

Quoits lends it self to adaptations depending on what’s available and since it is similar in shape horseshoe may replace a proper quoit.There are several different types of Quoits games, one being East Anglian Quoits.

The National Quoits Association was formed in 1986.

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