1883 women's tennis season

Prior to the creation of the International Lawn Tennis Federation and the establishment of its world championship events in 1913 the Wimbledon Championships, the U.S. National Championships, the Irish Lawn Tennis Championships and the Northern Championships were considered by players and historians as the four most important tennis tournaments to win.[2][3][4]

1883 sees a decrease in the number women's singles events being held as the tennis circuit continues to form.[5] In May 1883 at the first major event of the year the Irish Championships[6] in Dublin, Ireland. In the women's Ireland's May Langrishe wins the singles title defeating her sister Beatrice Langrishe, she also picks up the mixed doubles title with Ernest Browne.[7] In terms of draw size the West of England Championships was the largest tournament of the year with a draw of 46 across three events.

In June 1883 at the second major tournament of the year the Northern Championships in Manchester featured a full schedule of events the singles title going to Edith Coleridge, she also picks up the doubles title with Rose Collier, whilst the mixed event is won by the pairing of Clara Fletcher and Ernest Browne (himself winning both mixed titles at both major tournaments).[7]

At the 1883 Wimbledon Championships the world's first major tennis tournament, it still remained an all men's event, no women's events were staged. At the U.S. National Championships there was still no women's championship events held. In October 1883 the first official event for women is held at the Staten Island Cricket Club organised by the Brighton Ladies Club for Outdoor Sports, the event is known as the Camp Washington Ladies Tournament a Miss Goodwin defeats Adeline Robinson in the singles final, however she wins the doubles title with a Miss Grandy.[8] In 1913 the International Lawn Tennis Federation was created, that consisted of national member associations. The ILTF through its associated members then became responsible for supervising women's tour events.

Notes 1: Challenge Round: the final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a single-elimination phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match. The challenge round was used in the early history of tennis (from 1877 through 1921),[9] in some tournaments not all.

Key

Singles

Results included:[7][14]

Tournaments (25)

#	Date Ended	Tournament	Location	Surface	Winner	Finalist	Score
1.	27-May-1883[7]	Irish Championships	Dublin	Grass	May Langrishe[14]	Beatrice Langrishe	6-0, 6-1
2.	2-Jun-1883[7]	West of England Championships	Bath	Grass	Maud Watson[14]	N. Pope	6-1, 6-2
2.	9-Jun-1883[7]	East Gloucestershire Championships	Cheltenham	Grass	Maud Watson[14]	Freda Davis	6-3, 6-0
4.	21-Jun-1883[7]	Leicester Open	Leicester	Grass	Agnes Watts	Miss Noon
5.	22-Jun-1883[7]	County Kilkenny Tournament *	Archersfield	Grass	May Langrishe	Mary Lysaght	6-1, 6-2, 6-0
6.	20-Jun-1883[7]	Northern Championships	Manchester	Grass	Edith Colerdige[14]	Miss Eckersley	7-5, 6-3
7.	21-Jul-1883[7]	Staffordshire C.C.C. Tournament	Lichfield	Grass	Mrs Peters-Smith	Rose Collier	2-6, 6-4, 6-5
8.	25-Jul-1883[7]	Norwich Open	Norwich	Grass	G Rent	J.Hartoup	6-1, 6-2
9.	28-Jul-1883[7]	North Berkshire ALTC Tournament	Abingdon	Grass	Anne Binney	Miss Nicholas	6-3, 6-2
10.	1-Aug-1883[7]	Framlingham Open	Framlingham	Grass	Miss G Want	Miss Davey	6-2, 6-0
11.	4-Aug-1883[7]	Worcestershire CCC Open	Worcester	Grass	Florence Mardall	Miss Hill	6-2, 6-4
12.	8-Aug-1883[7]	West Somersetshire Tournament	Taunton	Grass	Georgina Woodhouse	Mary Spurway	6-5, 6-2
13.	9-Aug-1883[7]	Victoria Park Lawn Tennis Tournament	Exeter	Grass	Lilian Cole	?	Won
14.	16-Aug-1883[7]	South Wales Championships	Tenby	Grass	C Jones	E Fletcher	6-2, 3-6, 6-4
15	17-Aug-1883[7]	East Grinstead Lawn Tennis Tournament	East Grinstead	Grass	Leila Lodwick	Miss Cobbold	6-2, 6-1
16.	18-Aug-1883[7]	Exmouth Tournament	Exmouth	Grass	Maud Watson	Lilian Cole	6-4, 6-2
17.	23-Aug-1883[7]	Teignmouth and Shaldon Open	Teignmouth	Asphalt	Florence Mardall	Lilian Watson	6-3, 2-6, 6-3
18.	25-Aug-1883[7]	South of Scotland Championships	Moffat	Grass	Jane Meikle	A Forest	6-3, 2-6, 6-3
19.	25-Aug-1883[7]	Midland Counties Championships	Edgbaston	Grass	Miss Hutton	L Sanders	6-5, 8-6
20.	29-Aug-1883[7]	Mid Devon Lawn Tennis Tournament	Eggesford	Grass	Katharine Hole	Miss Hoare	6-2, 6-3
21.	5-Sep-1883[7]	Bournemouth Lawn Tennis Club Tournament	Bournemouth	Grass	Mrs Hornby	M. Richards	5-6, 6-3, 6-1
22.	8-Sep-1883[7]	Devonshire Park Championships	Eastbourne	Grass	M Leslie	Minnie Congreve	10-8, 6-4
23.	12-Sep-1883[7]	Portishead Open Lawn Tennis Tournament	Portishead	Grass	Miss Bryant	J. Carter	6-2, 6-3
24.	14-Sep-1883[7]	Saxmundham LTC Tournament	Saxmundham	Grass	G. Rant	L. Davy	6-0, 6-2
25.	7-Oct-1883[15]	Camp Washington Ladies Tournament	Staten Island	Grass	Miss Goodwin	Adeline Robinson	6-2, 4-6, 6-5

Doubles

Tournaments (9)

#	Date Ended	Tournament	Location	Surface	Winners	Finalists	Score
1.	2-June-1883[7]	West of England Championships	Bath	Grass	Lilian Watson Maud Watson	Edith Davies Grace Gibbs	6-3, 5-6, 6-3
2.	20-Jun-1883[7]	Northern Championships	Manchester	Grass	Edith Coleridge[14] Rose Collier[14]	Miss Cheetam Miss Eckersley	6-3, 9-7
3.	7-Jun-1883[7]	Leamington Open Tournament	Leamington Spa	Grass	Lilian Watson Maud Watson	Agnes Noon Agnes Watts	6-4, 6-4, 6-4
4.	9-Jun-1883[7]	East Gloucestershire Championships	Cheltenham	Grass	Lilian Watson Maud Watson	Kate Cornford F. Davies	6-1, 6-1
5.	25-Aug-1883[7]	South of Scotland Championships	Moffat	Grass	Alice Fenwick Winifred Fenwick	Jane Meikle Miss Meikle	6-2, 12-10
6.	25-Aug-1883[7]	Midland Counties Championships	Edgbaston	Grass	Miss Chamberlain L. Chamberlain	K Cartland J.A. Powell	6-1, 6-4
7.	5-Sep-1883[7]	Bournemouth LTC Tournament	Bournemouth	Grass	Mrs Hornby M. Richards	Miss Dalgairns Miss Drake	6-4, 6-2, 6-1
8.	12-Sep-1883[7]	Portishead Open	Portishead	Grass	Miss Reynolds Miss Reynolds	Miss Arden A. Lys	6-5, 2-6, 6-4
9.	7-Oct-1883[15]	Camp Washington Ladies Tournament	Staten Island	Grass	Miss Grandy Adeline Robinson	Miss Cave Mrs AE Rendel	6-1, 6-2

Mix Doubles

Tournaments (26)

#	Date Ended	Tournament	Location	Surface	Winners	Finalists	Score
1.	27-May-1883[1]	Irish Championships	Dublin	Grass	May Langrishe Ernest Browne	Lena Rice Peter Aungier	6-3, 6-2, 6-0
2.	2-June-1883[1]	West of England Championships	Bath	Grass	K. Ward George Butterworth	Miss Martyn Ernest Browne	6-3, 6-4
3.	7-Jun-1883[1]	Leamington Open Tournament	Leamington Spa	Grass	Maud Watson Edward L Williams	Florence Mardall John C. McKay	6-1, 6-4, 8-6
4.	9-Jun-1883[7]	East Gloucestershire Championships	Cheltenham	Grass	Florence Mardall George Butterworth	Lilian Cole Percy Hattersley-Smith	4-6, 6-2, 6-2
5.	20-Jun-1883[7]	Northern Championships	Manchester	Grass	Clara Fletcher Ernest Browne	Miss L. Cheetam Bruce Ismay	6-2, 6-3
6.	7-Aug-1883[1]	Holkham Park Tournament	Wells-next-the-Sea	Grass	A. Pilling Miss Stoughton	Lionel Middleton Miss Sewell	Won
7.	16-Aug-1883[7]	South Wales Championships	Tenby	Grass	Mrs Bagnall-Wild PJ Ash	Mrs Wodehouse Henry Saunders-Davies	6-1, 6-4
8.	17-Aug-1883[7]	East Grinstead Open	East Grinstead	Grass	Miss Cobbold William N. Cobbold	Miss Saint-Clair P. Wallis	6-0, 6-2
9.	18-Aug-1883[7]	Exmouth Tournament	Exmouth	Grass	Maud Watson Edward Williams	Agnes Noon Charles Grinstead	6-3, 6-1
10.	23-Aug-1883[1]	Teignmouth and Shaldon Open	Teignmouth	Grass	Florence Mardall Charles L. Sweet	Lilian Watson Erskine Watson	6-4, 6-2
11.	23-Aug-1883[1]	Nomad LTC Tournament	Penshurst	Grass	Mr. Kemp Miss. Kemp	Miss Hardinge Frederic Darbishire	Won.
12.	25-Aug-1883	South of Scotland Championships	Moffat	Grass	Winifred Fenwick Percival Fenwick	Miss Meikle George Stenhouse	6-2, 6-2
13.	25-Aug-1883	Midland Counties Championships	Edgbaston	Grass	Miss Chamberlain Sidney A. Noon	Miss Hutton J.A. Powell	13-11, 9-7, 6-2
14.	28-Aug-1883[1]	Gravesend Tournament	Gravesend	Grass	Miss Boyce Frederick Bowlby	H.S. Cooper	Won
15.	29-Aug-1883[1]	Mid Devon Lawn Tennis Tournament	Gravesend	Grass	Katharine Hole Barrington Barnes	Jane Hole Dennis Boles	6-2, 4-6, 6-2
16.	4-Sep-1883[1]	St. Neot's Tournament	St Neots	Grass	Rose Wilkinson Eric Horley	Fabien Chalk Mrs Horley	Won
17.	8-Sep-1883[1]	West Teviotdale Open	Hawick	Grass	Miss Stuart James Locke	Miss Cliff Maxwell Stuart	6-2, 6-3
18.	11-Sep-1883[1]	Scarborough Tournament	Scarborough	Grass	Beryl Whitehead Charles Petgrave	Mrs Woodgate Wilfred B. Woodgate	6-2, 6-0
19.	11-Sep-1883[1]	Newton Abbott Tournament	Newton Abbott	Grass	Mary Wilson Samuel Whateley	Elizabeth Salter Oswald Vicary	6-2, 7-5
20.	12-Sep-1883[1]	Portishead Open	Portishead	Grass	Miss Arden William Renshaw	A. Lys Charles L. Sweet	4-6, 6-2, 6-3
21.	22-Sep-1883[1]	Windyknowe Tournament	Ballantrae	Grass	Eileen Inglis Robert Anderson	Selina Ash Bruce Brown	Won
22.	25-Aug-1883[1]	Burton-on-Trent Tournament	Penzance	Grass	Norman Peters-Smith Mrs Peters-Smith	Harold Paterson Gladys Hodsdon	Won
23.	25-Aug-1883[1]	Penzance LTC Tournament	Penzance	Grass	Doris Childs Thomas Cornish	Agnes Marland Hugh Arathoon	6-5, 2-6, 6-4
24.	28-Aug-1883[1]	Truro LTC Open Tournament	Truro	Grass	Miss Foster Francis St. Hill	Margo Woolcombe James P. Paull	6-1, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
25.	28-Aug-1883[1]	Sussex County Tournament	Brighton	Asphalt	Edith Coleridge Herbert Wilberforce	Minnie Congreve Charles Grinstead	6-2, 6-2
26.	7-Oct-1883[15]	Camp Washington Ladies Tournament	Staten Island	Grass	Miss Goodwin Mr Greenlough	Violet Ward Mr Shippen	6-2, 6-3