The first British patent describing an educational game designed for musical ‘amusement and instruction’ was granted in 1801 to Ann Young of Edinburgh, Scotland. The authors' discovery of Young's game box has prompted an examination of the nature and purpose of the six games she designed. Ann Young's patent is discussed in the context of her cultural environment, the history of women inventors, and eighteenth century educational theory. The activities are compared with musical instruction games recently patented in the UK and the USA.