H.J. Gray and Sons was founded in Cambridge by world rackets champion H.J. Gray in 1855 and soon built a reputation supplying rackets to University players such as Ranjitsinjhi and the future King Edward VII. The company is owned and controlled by the Gray family to this day. L.J. Nicolls started making bats in 1876 in his workshop in Robertsbridge, East Sussex; where the company is still based today; and supplied WG Grace with his record-breaking bat with which he scored his 100th century and made 1000 runs in May 1894.