[Lawn tennis ephemera from Victorian Banbury.] Eight items [printed by Cheney & Sons], including 'Rules' of the Banbury and West End Lawn Tennis Clubs, and other material from the Hook Norton and Borderers' Lawn Tennis Clubs.

From the archive of Cheney & Sons, 'General, Commercial & Artistic Printers, Banbury'. The calling card of partner John Cheney describes him as a 'Printer in Gold, Silver, and Colours', with 'Specialities in the best class of work', and the company's high standards attracted clients from London's West End. For more about the firm see 'John Cheney and his descendants, printers in Banbury since 1767' (1936), and the Victoria County History volume for the County of Oxford, Banbury Hundred. The eight items are in very good condition, lightly-aged. The first three have printers' slugs, with the printers' unnamed on the other five. ONE: 'Rules of the Banbury Lawn Tennis Club'. 7pp., 16mo. Stitched grey-paper pamphlet. Twenty rules in small type. Scarce: no copy traced on either COPAC or OCLC WorldCat. TWO: Card with 'Borderers' | Lawn Tennis Club' on front cover. 3pp., 16mo. With green patterned outer covers. A notice by James Goodwin, Hon. Sec., dated July 1891, of 'The Tournament' (an 'AMERICAN TOURNAMENT') and 'The Dance'. THREE: Card with 'Borderers' | Lawn Tennis Club | 1892.' on front cover. Dated July 1892. 3pp., 16mo. Printed in black on pink card, with gold border to front cover. Another notice by Goodwin, similar to Item Two. FOUR: Invitation card from 'The Members of the HOOK NORTON LAWN TENNIS CLUB', to a dance 'to be held in the National School Room, Hook Norton, on Thursday, December the 27th, 1888'. Printed in black on one side of a shiny 9.5 x 11.5 cm card, with a tasteful floral design in gold. FIVE: Announcement card by A. A. Clarke, Hon. Sec., Hook Norton Lawn Tennis Club, regarding a dance to be held 'on the Lawn of the above Club, or in the Schoolroom if wet, on August 13th, 1889. Printed in black on one side of an 8 x 11.5 cm card. SIX: 'Rules of the West End Lawn Tennis Club, Banbury.' Dated April 1888. 1p., 12mo. Ten rules, printed in black on grey paper. SEVEN: Invitation card from the Committee of the West End Lawn Tennis Club to 'a Cinderella Dance, to be held in the Masonic Hall'. Printed on one side of a 9 x 11.5 cm white card. EIGHT: Unused letterhead of the West End Lawn Tennis Club, Banbury. 8vo bifolium on cream paper.