The rules of Croquet were first codified by a former resident of Chastleton, Walter Whitmore Jones.
Looking at his biography, Walter became easily restless; he never finished his Oxford University degree, leaving after two years and left a position in the government’s War Office to try his hand at inventing various objects and games.
He found a bit of success with a game called Frogs & Toads, but others, such as The Game of War (similar to Chess), lost him money.
He put aside board games and turned to inventing objects such as the Bootlace Winder and the Railway Carriage Signal, both patented in 1864. Needless to say, he didn’t make much money from either of them. He also managed to persuade the publisher Longmans to publish two volumes of his poetry, but again they were not warmly received.
Always looking for the next big thing, Walter took up Croquet and it quickly became an all-consuming passion. He installed lawns at Chastleton and recognizing there were no standard rules (Croquet set makers made up their own), he set about creating new rules and tactics for the game.