• Annals of Lord's and History of the M.C.C. By
Alfred D. Taylor. (J. W. Arrowsmith, Bristol.)—The first cricket match played at "Lord's" (the first ground of that name) took place on May 31st, 1787. Cricket had before had its headquarters at Finsbury and at Islington. (So far Mr. Taylor ; but what place is referred to in Gay's line : "And dukes at Marybone bowl time away"?) Lord was a York- shireman, whose father had lost his property after the '45. He lived down to 1832. "Lord's Ground" was rented from the Duke of Dorset. The present ground was opened in 1814. In 1825 Mr. W. Ward took over the tenancy, and he gave it up in 1836 to L. H. Dark. The freehold was secured by the M.C.C. in 1866. In 1887 Henderson's Nursery and other properties were secured; finally, in 1896 the site of the Clergy Orphan School was bought. This is an outline of the history of the ground ; that of the game we must leave. Mr. Taylor has something to tell us, but his book is, of course, incomplete.
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