Editing Croquet (section)

===French origin theory===
The first explanation is that the ancestral game was introduced to Britain from France during the 1660–1685 reign of [[Charles II of England, Scotland, and Ireland]] and was played under the name of ''{{lang|enm|paille-maille}}'' (among other spellings, today usually ''pall-mall''), derived ultimately from Latin words for 'ball and mallet' (the latter also found in the name of the earlier French game, ''{{lang|frm|[[jeu de mail]]}}''). This was the explanation given in the ninth edition of ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', dated 1877.

In his 1801 book ''The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England'', Joseph Strutt described the way pall-mall was played in England at the time:<blockquote>"Pale-maille is a game wherein a round [[Boxwood|box&#91;wood&#93;]] ball is struck with a mallet through a high arch of iron, which he that can do at the fewest blows, or at the number agreed upon, wins. It is to be observed that there are two of these arches, that is, one at either end of the alley. The game of mall was a fashionable amusement in the reign of Charles the Second, and the walk in Saint James's Park, now called the Mall, received its name from having been appropriated to the purpose of playing at mall, where Charles himself and his courtiers frequently exercised themselves in the practice of this pastime."<ref>{{Cite book |title=Sports and Pastimes of the People of England |publisher=Methuen |first= Joseph |last=Strutt |page=[https://archive.org/details/gri_33125012252157/page/n177 96] |date=1810 |via=Internet Archive |url= https://archive.org/details/gri_33125012252157}}</ref></blockquote>

While the name ''pall-mall'' and various games bearing this name also appeared elsewhere (France and Italy), the description above suggests that the croquet-like games in particular were popular in England by the early 17th century. Some other [[Early modern era|early modern]] sources refer to pall-mall being played over a large distance (as in golf); however, an image in Strutt's 1801 book shows a croquet-like [[ground billiards]] game (balls on the ground, hoop, bats, and peg) being played over a {{em|short}}, garden-sized distance. The image's caption describes the game as "a curious ancient pastime", confirming that croquet games were not new in early-19th-century England.
[[File:EarlyCroquetSportsofPeopleofEnglandStrutt.jpg|thumb|Early croquet-like game from ''The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England'', first published in 1801; a hoop, peg, and two players with balls are clearly shown 

Such implements in [[ground billiards]] games date to [[classical antiquity]].]]

In [[Samuel Johnson]]'s 1755 dictionary, his definition of "pall-mall" clearly describes a game with similarities to modern croquet: "A play in which the ball is struck with a mallet through an iron ring".<ref>{{Cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=z3kKAAAAIAAJ&q=pelmel&pg=RA2-PA519 |title= A dictionary of the English language |first1= Samuel | first2= John |last2= Walker |first3= Robert S. |last3= Jameson |page=519|year= 1828|last1= Johnson }}</ref> However, there is no evidence that pall-mall involved the croquet stroke, which is the distinguishing characteristic of the modern game.