Golf: a Royal and Ancient Game
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^S^!l Golf: a Royal and Ancient Game af OLF: A ROYAL G ANCIENT GAME EDITED BY ROBERT CLARK F.R.S.E. F.S.A. SCOT. 1 Sport Royal, I warrant you, ' I'll give thee leave to play till doomsday.' LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO. AND NEW YORK MDCCCXCIII H/CU • First Edition (Crown 4ft) privately printed 1875. Second Edition {Small 4/0) printed 1893. PAGE HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF TUB GAME OF GOLF I THE GOFF: AN HBROI-COMICAL POEM IN THREE CANTOS . 23 THE HONOURABLE: THE EDINBURGH COMPANY OF GOLFERS . 39 THE ROYAL AND ANCIENT GOLF CLUB OF ST. ANDREWS . 64 THE ROYAL MUSSKLBURGH GOLF CLUB . , . .88 THE BRUNTSFIELD LINKS GOLF CLUB . -95 EDINDURRH BURGESS GOLFING SOCIETY .... 109 ACT OF PARLIAMENT OF KING JAMES II. 1457 . .116 ACT OF PARLIAMENT OF KING JAMES III. 1471 . 117 ACT OF PARLIAMENT OK KING JAMES IV. 1491 . .118 THE KINGS MAJESTIES DECLARATION TO HIS SUHJKCTS CON- CERNING LAWFULI, Sl'ORTS TO UK USED. l6l8 . Il8 DECLARATION CONCERNING I.AWFULI. SPORTS. 1633 . 121 EARLY NOTICES OF GOLF FROM BURGH AND PARISH RECORIJS 123 EXTRACTS FROM THE NOTE-BOOKS OF SIR JOHN KOULIS . 133 EXTRACTS FROM ACCOUNTS OF THIS LORDS HIGH TREASURERS OF SCOTLAND, 1503 . .... 135 SCRAP RELATIVE TO GOLF, 1671 ..... 135 THE COCK O" THE GREEN . 137 SANCTANDRKWS ....... 142 THE LINKS OF ST. RULE ...... 144 GOLFIANA ........ 155 Address to St. Andrews . 157 TheGoltiad 158 The First Hole at St, Andrews on a Crowded Day . 163 Another Peep at the Links . .168 THE GOLFER AT HOME . 177 b Contents THE NINE HOLES OF THE LINKS OF ST. ANDREWS . 194 A GOLF SONG ....... aoj A TALE OF GOLF ....... 206 THE LINKS 0' INNERLEVBN . -213 IN PRAISE OF GUTTA PEUCIIA .... 215 FAR AND SURE ....... 218 A CHASTER ON GOLF ...... 220 BALLADE OF THE ROYAL GAME OF GOLK . 22? SONG—A HUNDRED GOLFERS .... 22a A GOLFING SONG ...... 230 SONG FOR THE FIRST MUSICAL MEETING OF THE WARRKNUKR GOLF CLUB ....... 332 DUFFERS YET !....., 234 ST. ANDREWS ....... 3ig To ST. ANDREW ....... 243 AMONG THE ST. ANDREWS GOLFERS , . , .244) ADDRESS BY THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL AND ANCIENT GOJ.K CLUB OF ST. ANDREWS TO HIS CREW . .25: SUTHERLANDIA . ,3*1 THE MORNING ROUND ..... .26: MEDAL DAY AT ST. ANDREWS . , . 26 A VOICE FROM THIS RHINE .... 2j MEDAL DAY AT BLACKHEATH . • . , aj THE GOLFER'S GARLAND ...... 38 APPENDIX ALLAN ROBERTSON ...... 2J TOM MORRIS Jim, ....... a< RULES FOR THE GAMK OF GOLF AS IT IS n,Avm> BY THE KOYAI. AND ANCIENT GOLF CLUD OP ST. ANUKKWS . , a; INDEX .... PLATES GOLF IN TUB OLDEN TIME . HUGH THOMSON . Titk-page THE MARQUIS OF MONTROSE . To face page xix THE EDITOR .... ,, xxviii HON. DUNCAN FORBES OF CULLODEN 41 SIR HENRY RAEBURN, R.A. 52 JAMES BALFOUR, Esq. 56 WOOD ENGRAVINGS CHARLES I. WHILE FLAYING GOLF ON LBITH LINKS RECEIVES NEWS OF THE IRISH REBELLION SIR JOHN GILBERT Frontispiece THE GOLFER'S LAND . JAMES DRUMMOND I 6 EDINA'S TOWERS . BIRKET FOSTER . 24 Vi ET ARTE ..... DAVID ALLAN 39 PROCESSION OF THE SILVER CLUB DAVID ALLAN 43 PORTRAIT OF WILLIAM ST. CLAIR 48 ROSLIN CHAPEL .... BIRKET FOSTER . 49 KING WILLIAM THE FOURTH MEDAL 85 SILVER CROSS OF ST. ANDREW 87 PROFANING THE LORD'S SAHHATH G. AIKMAN . 123 COCK O' THE GREEN JOHN KAY . 136 NINE HOLES OF ST. ANDREWS THOMAS HODGE 194 A HUNDRED GOLFERS . C. A. DOYLE 228 ST. ANDREWS CATHEDRAL . W. BALLINGALL . 239 ST. ANDREWS SHORE .... BIRKET FOSTER . 243 MEDAL DAY AT BLACKHEATH . F. GILBERT , 276 And numerous Head and Tail Pieces and Initial Letters By Clark Stanton and C. A. Doyle.' NOTE TO SECOND EDITION IT is eighteen years since the first edition of Half; .1 AV>r>«/ and Ancient Gam was privately printed. The imprc*»mn «-.i* small, and the work h*s been long out of print Since ii» pub- lication, Golf has advanced by leap* and bounds: it it now a* popular in England as it is in Scotland; and it has taken deep root in Ireland. After all, this volume is but a collection of Scraps and I'air lies. Many of them, however, have a historico-antiquaruin interest. At one time I contemplated giving some of my own experi- ences of the Game, but my friend* Sir Walter 11, Siinji»on» li«i,» Horace Hutdiinson, Esq., and others, have »» exhaustively treated the subject that no opening is left. A few addition* have been made here and there, which will be found in the " Early Nmires of Golf," and in Footnotes, but it is disappointing to find that the first edition of the book exhausted nearly all that had been written about the Royal and Ancient Came. EDINBURGH, Novmtthr 1893, OLF is a game peculiar to the Scots, and may indeed be called par excellence the national game of Scotland. Its fascinations have always been gratefully acknow- ledged, and not a few of its worthier practitioners have from time to time, in prose and verse, rehearsed its praises. Golf has, in fact, at once a history and a literature. Both of these the Editor believes must be interesting to Golfers. Hence this volume. It is strange, considering its antiquity, and the number of its votaries, that hitherto no attempt has been made to gather together all that has been said and sung in praise of the Royal game. Beyond endeav- ouring to accomplish this—by diving into old records, extracting from them what seemed interesting, and adding such explanatory notes as appeared to be neces- sary—the Editor claims no merit. He trusts, however, that the gratification which this compilation has ix Introduction afforded him, may in .some degree be .shared by the? reader. • Golf (Goff, GowfT) may literally be said to be in Scotland a game of immemorial antiquity. There N Evidence that early in the fifteenth century it WAS popular in such a sense as it can scarcely at this day claim to be; and the obvious inference from this it that its origin lies very much further back—perhaps in some prehistoric period. Indeed, so jiopular had it then become, that the Legislature found it necessary to fulminate repeated statutes against it, as unprofitable, interfering with the more important accomplishment of Archery, and thus tending to impair the military effi- ciency of the people. In March-1-457 Parliament " decroeted and ordained "that wapinschawingis be halden be the !,ardiH and " Baronis spirituale and temporale, fourc times in the r.cir, " and that the PuU-hall and Golf bt utterly eryit Aunt, " and nocht usit; and that the bowc mcrkis be maid " at ilk paroche kirk a pair of buttis, and sehutting be "usit ilk Sunday"1 In May 1471 an Act was passed " anent wapinshawings " ; and for opposing " our auk! enimies of England" it was thought expedient that 1 It is perhaps worth noting that the wont* " Hi Sitmbp " taw hwn omitted in the editions of the Acti of Parlianmt printed In 1597, 1681, and 1682. Thsy were, howsver, re»tor«l in ibe tdition prinicd % the Record Commission, vol. H. 1814, Introduction " ilk yeman that can nocht deil with the bow, that he " haf a gude ax and a targe of leddir, to resist the shot " of Ingland, quhilk is na cost bot the valew of a hide ; "... and that the Fute-bali and Golfe be abusit in tyme " aiming* and the buttis maid up, and schilling usit." In May 1491 it is ordained, "That in na place of the " realme there be usit Fute-bali, Golfe, or uther sik unpro- "fitabill sport's, but for the commoun gude of the realme, " and defence thairof, and that bowis and schutting be " hantit, and bow-markes maid therefore ordained in " ilk parochin, under the pain of fourtie shillinges, to " be raised be the schireffe and baillies foresaid." But Archery, to which the people were averse, could not be made popular by Acts of Parliament, and the parish butts were accordingly neglected, whilst the " unprofitabill sportis" still retained their hold. Ere- long indeed we find the King himself breaking his own behest, as witness the following entries in the Accounts of the Lords High Treasurers of Scotland :— 1503-4, Feb. 3. JletH to the King la flay at tlu Golf with the Erie of liothuih* . xltj it Item i« litlf Vhibbh Mitt Ballis to tlie King that he playit with. ix» r505*6, Feb. 33, Item for xij Ckilf Haiti* to the King . iiij » 1506, July 18, Item the xviij day of July for ij Uolf Cluhbes to the King . , . ij H A century later, we find it sufficiently obvious that xi Introduction these statutes had been little respected, and that the Game continued, to be as popular as before. It was not now, however, Scottish valour that was imperilled, but a much more,serious matter—Scottish piety. In 1592 the Town Council of Edinburgh "ordanis "proclamatioun to be maid threw this burgh, that sec- " ing the Sabboth day being the Lord's day it becumis " everie christiane to dedicat himselfT to the service of "God, thairfore commanding and chairgeing in our " Soverane lord's name, and in name of the provest " and baillies, that na inhabitants of the samyn be acne "at ony pastymes or gammis within or without the " toun upoun the Sabboth day, sic as Gel/, etc,; ami " also that thair dochteris and wemen servands be nochl " fund playing at the ball, nor singing of profgync sangs, " upoun the sam day, under sic payiiis as the magesf rates "sail lay to thair chairge"; and again, in 1593, the Town Council finding that " dyvers inhabitants of this " burgh repaires upoun the Sabboth clay to ihc toun of "Leyth, and in tyms of sermonis are seme v&gant nlhort " the streets, drynking in tavernis, or othcrwayes at Git//, " aircherie, or other pastymes upoun the Links, thairby "profaning the Sabboth day," warned them to desist, "under the payne of wairding thair persounis qtihjJt " thai pay ane unlaw of fourty shillings, and othcrwayes " be punist in thair persouns at the discretioun of the " Magestrates." Xll Introduction Ignoring these proclamations, John Henrie, Pat.