Lord Frederick Beauclerk
Encyclopedia
Lord Frederick Beauclerk (8 May 1773, London
– 22 April 1850, Westminster
) was an outstanding but controversial English first-class cricket
er for 35 years from 1791 to 1825. On his retirement, he served as president of Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) in 1826.
Beauclerk was the fourth son of the 5th Duke of St Albans and became a clergyman. He was Vicar of St. Michael's Church at St Albans
and a Doctor of Divinity
.
bowler who was a recognised all-rounder
. He generally fielded at slip
. His career spanned the 1791 to 1825 seasons. In his prime, his height was and he weighed between .
He played at Cambridge University
where his talent as an accurate slow bowler was spotted by the Earl of Winchilsea
, who invited him to play for MCC. Beauclerk's first-class debut was for MCC v Gentlemen of Kent at Lord's Old Ground
on 2 & 3 June 1791. Beauclerk was "now but 18 years of age". He played two first-class matches in the 1791 season
but then was unavailable until the 1795 season
while he completed his studies. He then became a regular and prolific player.
Having started as a bowler, he developed his batting skills and became better known as a hard-hitting batsman, but remained a genuine all-rounder.
Beauclerk played for the Gentlemen in the inaugural and second Gentlemen v Players
matches in 1806.
Beauclerk scored 170 as a given man playing for Homerton
against Montpelier
in 1807, a match not widely recognised as first-class. This score set a world record for the highest individual innings in all forms of cricket that lasted until 1820 when it was beaten by William Ward's
score of 278.
In 1810, Beauclerk and Thomas Howard
were due to play George Osbaldeston
and William Lambert
in a lucrative single wicket
match. Osbaldeston was taken ill just before the match and Beauclerk flatly refused to postpone it, saying: "Play or pay". Lambert had to play on his own but he was a canny professional who was well aware of Beauclerk's weakness: his uncontrollable temper. By deliberately bowling wide, Lambert caused Beauclerk to lose both his temper and his wicket with the result that Lambert won the match by 15 runs.
The humiliated and vindictive Beauclerk would have his revenge on Osbaldeston and Lambert in years to come but first he used his influence at MCC to secure a change in the Laws of Cricket
so that wide balls were for the first time banned in 1811.
In 1817, Beauclerk played in a highly controversial match at Nottingham in which he captained an All-England team
while Osbaldeston and Lambert were given men for Nottingham. Accusations of match-fixing were made by both sides and Beauclerk was able to produce witnesses who implicated Lambert. As a result, MCC banned Lambert from ever playing again at Lord's Cricket Ground
. Osbaldeston's turn came in 1818 after he too lost his temper when beaten at single wicket by George Brown
of Sussex. Osbaldeston was so angry that he resigned his MCC membership. Later, he repented and asked to be reinstated but Beauclerk refused his application.
Beauclerk persuaded MCC to call a meeting to ban roundarm bowling
in 1822 even though he had been known to claim wagers when playing alongside the early roundarmers like John Willes
. According to Lord Harris
: "When he (Willes) played on the side of Lord Frederick his bowling was fair, when against him, the contrary".
Beauclerk was the second president of MCC in 1826, playing for its team in minor matches while in office. Thereafter, he was a regular attendee at Lord's to watch matches and was occasionally involved in them as a patron. A "persistent symbol of insensitive autocracy long after his retirement", he was invariably accompanied by a "nasty, yapping dog" whereas the rule for everyone else was: "No dogs allowed".
players of his time. His batting style was "rather scientific, in the more orthodox manner of the professionals", while his under-arm bowling was very slow, but extremely accurate and he could get the ball to rise abruptly off a length.
Although his batting style was described as scientific, Beauclerk was also impulsive as "he sometimes lost his wicket by trying to cut straight balls". He was a hard-hitting batsman with fine strokeplay, "especially to the off". He improved his batsmanship by modelling himself on William Beldham, but he lacked the latter's natural flair.
Beauclerk was an astute tactician and it has been recorded that he carefully studied opposing batsmen with the ability to quickly understand their strengths and weaknesses so that he could set his field accordingly.
Beauclerk wore a white beaver hat
when playing, the remainder of his outfit being a white shirt, nankeen breeches, a scarlet sash and white stockings. He once threw his hat down on the pitch in frustration at his inability to dismiss the obdurate batsman Tom Walker, known as "Old Everlasting". Beauclerk called Walker a "confounded old beast" but, when Walker was asked about it afterwards, he shrugged and said: "I don't care what he says".
Much that is hagiography
exists about cricketers but "an unqualified eulogy of Beauclerk has never been seen and that is significant". Although he was a cleric and ostensibly against gambling, he estimated that he made up to £600 a year from playing cricket, which at the time was funded mostly by gambling. But Beauclerk as a vicar was "completely devoid of Christian charity". In this vein, Rowland Bowen
likened him to Talleyrand as "a cleric without, it would seem, the faintest interest in being a clergyman or any kind of Christian".
Beauclerk has been described as "an unmitigated scoundrel". Among the quotations about him is one that he was a "foul-mouthed, dishonest man who was one of the most hated figures in society ... he bought and sold matches as though they were lots at an auction". Another described him as "cruel, unforgiving, cantankerous and bitter".
In an early example of gamesmanship
, he is said to have occasionally suspended an expensive gold watch from the middle stump whilst batting, the inference being that his batting was sound enough, or the bowling bad enough, for it to remain unscathed. Sadly, there is no record of how many watches he lost in this fashion.
When he died in 1850, his unpopularity was such that The Times
did not give him an obituary
.
, and thus descended from Charles II
and Nell Gwyn
. He attended Cambridge University
, where his cricket career began (see above).
Like other younger sons of the nobility, Beauclerk became a clergyman and, from 1828, was Vicar of St Michael's Church in St Albans
. However, he "never allowed his clerical duties to interfere materially with the claims of cricket" and "his sermons were legendary for their dullness".
He married Charlotte Dillon, daughter of Charles Dillon, 12th Viscount Dillon
, on 3 July 1813. They had four children:
His sons, Charles and Aubrey, also played cricket as did his nephew, William Aubrey de Vere Beauclerk, 9th Duke of St Albans.
Beauclerk lived mostly at Winchfield House, Winchfield
, Hampshire
. He also had a London residence at 68 Grosvenor Street, Westminster, where he died aged 76 on 22 April 1850. He was buried in Winchfield at St Mary's Church. His wife erected a tablet inside the church which refers to "his many virtues".
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
– 22 April 1850, Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
) was an outstanding but controversial English first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
er for 35 years from 1791 to 1825. On his retirement, he served as president of Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
(MCC) in 1826.
Beauclerk was the fourth son of the 5th Duke of St Albans and became a clergyman. He was Vicar of St. Michael's Church at St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
and a Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
.
Cricket career
Beauclerk was a right-handed batsman and a right arm slow underarmUnderarm bowling
In cricket, underarm bowling is as old as the sport itself. Until the introduction of the roundarm style in the first half of the 19th century, bowling was performed in the same way as in bowls, the ball being delivered with the hand below the waist...
bowler who was a recognised all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
. He generally fielded at slip
Slip (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a slip fielder is placed behind the batsman on the off side of the field. They are placed with the aim of catching an edged ball which is beyond the wicket-keeper's reach. Many teams employ two or three slips...
. His career spanned the 1791 to 1825 seasons. In his prime, his height was and he weighed between .
He played at Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
where his talent as an accurate slow bowler was spotted by the Earl of Winchilsea
George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea
George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea KG PC FRS was an important figure in the history of cricket. His main contributions to the game were patronage and organisation but Winchilsea, an amateur, was also a very keen player....
, who invited him to play for MCC. Beauclerk's first-class debut was for MCC v Gentlemen of Kent at Lord's Old Ground
Lord's Old Ground
Lord's Old Ground was a cricket venue in London that was established by Thomas Lord in 1787. It was used mainly by Marylebone Cricket Club for major cricket matches until 1810, after which a dispute about rent caused Lord to relocate.-Matches:...
on 2 & 3 June 1791. Beauclerk was "now but 18 years of age". He played two first-class matches in the 1791 season
1791 English cricket season
In the 1791 English cricket season, the emergence of the Brighton club heralded a brief revival of Sussex cricket which had been prominent during the early 18th century. As with Hornchurch Cricket Club and Essex, the Brighton team was a fair representation of Sussex as a county and the county name...
but then was unavailable until the 1795 season
1795 English cricket season
In the 1795 English cricket season, the enigmatic Thursday Club made its bow. But Samuel Britcher says it was the Middlesex county XI.- Matches :-First mentions:* William Barton* Arthur Upton...
while he completed his studies. He then became a regular and prolific player.
Having started as a bowler, he developed his batting skills and became better known as a hard-hitting batsman, but remained a genuine all-rounder.
Beauclerk played for the Gentlemen in the inaugural and second Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
matches in 1806.
Beauclerk scored 170 as a given man playing for Homerton
Homerton Cricket Club
Homerton Cricket Club was based in Homerton, Hackney and was recognised as a first-class cricket team during the first decade of the 19th century. The club had been established in the 18th century and it first came to notice in 1800 when it played the strong Montpelier team...
against Montpelier
Montpelier Cricket Club
The Montpelier Cricket Club was prominent in English cricket from about 1796, when it began to compete against Marylebone Cricket Club and other leading "town clubs", until 1845 when its members were the prime movers in the formation of Surrey County Cricket Club.Montpelier was based at George...
in 1807, a match not widely recognised as first-class. This score set a world record for the highest individual innings in all forms of cricket that lasted until 1820 when it was beaten by William Ward's
William Ward (cricketer)
William Ward was a noted English cricketer. He came from an affluent family which owned property on the Isle of Wight. He was educated at Winchester College, and then received financial training in Antwerp.-Life and career:William Ward was a prominent right-handed batsman and an occasional slow...
score of 278.
In 1810, Beauclerk and Thomas Howard
Thomas Howard (cricketer)
Thomas Charles Howard was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1803 to 1828...
were due to play George Osbaldeston
George Osbaldeston
"Squire" George Osbaldeston was an English sportsman and politician.Osbaldeston spent his childhood at Hutton Buscel, the family estate in Yorkshire...
and William Lambert
William Lambert (cricketer)
William Lambert was an English professional cricketer in the first two decades of the 19th century...
in a lucrative single wicket
Single Wicket
Single wicket cricket is a form of cricket played between two individuals, who take turns to bat and bowl against each other. The one bowling is assisted by a team of fielders, who remain as fielders at the change of innings. The winner is the one who scores more runs...
match. Osbaldeston was taken ill just before the match and Beauclerk flatly refused to postpone it, saying: "Play or pay". Lambert had to play on his own but he was a canny professional who was well aware of Beauclerk's weakness: his uncontrollable temper. By deliberately bowling wide, Lambert caused Beauclerk to lose both his temper and his wicket with the result that Lambert won the match by 15 runs.
The humiliated and vindictive Beauclerk would have his revenge on Osbaldeston and Lambert in years to come but first he used his influence at MCC to secure a change in the Laws of Cricket
Laws of cricket
The laws of cricket are a set of rules established by the Marylebone Cricket Club which describe the laws of cricket worldwide, to ensure uniformity and fairness. There are currently 42 laws, which outline all aspects of how the game is played from how a team wins a game, how a batsman is...
so that wide balls were for the first time banned in 1811.
In 1817, Beauclerk played in a highly controversial match at Nottingham in which he captained an All-England team
All-England Eleven
In cricket, the term All-England has been used for various non-international teams that have been formed for short-term purposes since the 1739 English cricket season and it indicates that the "Rest of England" is playing against, say, MCC or an individual county team...
while Osbaldeston and Lambert were given men for Nottingham. Accusations of match-fixing were made by both sides and Beauclerk was able to produce witnesses who implicated Lambert. As a result, MCC banned Lambert from ever playing again at Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
. Osbaldeston's turn came in 1818 after he too lost his temper when beaten at single wicket by George Brown
George Brown (Sussex cricketer)
George Brown was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1819 to 1838....
of Sussex. Osbaldeston was so angry that he resigned his MCC membership. Later, he repented and asked to be reinstated but Beauclerk refused his application.
Beauclerk persuaded MCC to call a meeting to ban roundarm bowling
Roundarm bowling
In cricket, roundarm bowling is a style that was introduced in the first quarter of the 19th century and had largely superseded underarm bowling by the 1830s. Using a roundarm action, the bowler has his arm extended at about 90 degrees from his body at the point where he releases the ball...
in 1822 even though he had been known to claim wagers when playing alongside the early roundarmers like John Willes
John Willes (cricketer)
John Willes was an English cricketer who, though he made only five known first-class appearances, had a significant impact on the game's history and development...
. According to Lord Harris
George Harris, 4th Baron Harris
George Robert Canning Harris, 4th Baron Harris, GCSI, GCIE was a British politician, cricketer and cricket administrator...
: "When he (Willes) played on the side of Lord Frederick his bowling was fair, when against him, the contrary".
Beauclerk was the second president of MCC in 1826, playing for its team in minor matches while in office. Thereafter, he was a regular attendee at Lord's to watch matches and was occasionally involved in them as a patron. A "persistent symbol of insensitive autocracy long after his retirement", he was invariably accompanied by a "nasty, yapping dog" whereas the rule for everyone else was: "No dogs allowed".
Style and technique
Beauclerk was one of the best single wicketSingle Wicket
Single wicket cricket is a form of cricket played between two individuals, who take turns to bat and bowl against each other. The one bowling is assisted by a team of fielders, who remain as fielders at the change of innings. The winner is the one who scores more runs...
players of his time. His batting style was "rather scientific, in the more orthodox manner of the professionals", while his under-arm bowling was very slow, but extremely accurate and he could get the ball to rise abruptly off a length.
Although his batting style was described as scientific, Beauclerk was also impulsive as "he sometimes lost his wicket by trying to cut straight balls". He was a hard-hitting batsman with fine strokeplay, "especially to the off". He improved his batsmanship by modelling himself on William Beldham, but he lacked the latter's natural flair.
Beauclerk was an astute tactician and it has been recorded that he carefully studied opposing batsmen with the ability to quickly understand their strengths and weaknesses so that he could set his field accordingly.
Beauclerk wore a white beaver hat
Beaver hat
A beaver hat is a hat made from felted beaver fur. They were fashionable across much of Europe during the period 1550-1850 because the soft yet resilient material could be easily combed to make a variety of hat shapes...
when playing, the remainder of his outfit being a white shirt, nankeen breeches, a scarlet sash and white stockings. He once threw his hat down on the pitch in frustration at his inability to dismiss the obdurate batsman Tom Walker, known as "Old Everlasting". Beauclerk called Walker a "confounded old beast" but, when Walker was asked about it afterwards, he shrugged and said: "I don't care what he says".
Personality
Beauclerk was one of the most controversial figures in cricket history. His approach to the game was well summarised in a verse written by a contemporary:My Lord he comes next, and will make you all stare
With his little tricks, a long way from fair.
Much that is hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
exists about cricketers but "an unqualified eulogy of Beauclerk has never been seen and that is significant". Although he was a cleric and ostensibly against gambling, he estimated that he made up to £600 a year from playing cricket, which at the time was funded mostly by gambling. But Beauclerk as a vicar was "completely devoid of Christian charity". In this vein, Rowland Bowen
Rowland Bowen
Major Rowland Francis Bowen was a cricket researcher, historian and writer....
likened him to Talleyrand as "a cleric without, it would seem, the faintest interest in being a clergyman or any kind of Christian".
Beauclerk has been described as "an unmitigated scoundrel". Among the quotations about him is one that he was a "foul-mouthed, dishonest man who was one of the most hated figures in society ... he bought and sold matches as though they were lots at an auction". Another described him as "cruel, unforgiving, cantankerous and bitter".
In an early example of gamesmanship
Gamesmanship
Gamesmanship is the use of dubious methods to win a game. It has been described as "Pushing the rules to the limit without getting caught, using whatever dubious methods possible to achieve the desired end"...
, he is said to have occasionally suspended an expensive gold watch from the middle stump whilst batting, the inference being that his batting was sound enough, or the bowling bad enough, for it to remain unscathed. Sadly, there is no record of how many watches he lost in this fashion.
When he died in 1850, his unpopularity was such that The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
did not give him an obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
.
Family and personal life
Beauclerk was the fourth son and fifth child of the 5th Duke of St AlbansAubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans
Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans was the son of Admiral the 1st Baron Vere and a grandson of the 1st Duke of St Albans...
, and thus descended from Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
and Nell Gwyn
Nell Gwyn
Eleanor "Nell" Gwyn was a long-time mistress of King Charles II of England. Called "pretty, witty Nell" by Samuel Pepys, she has been regarded as a living embodiment of the spirit of Restoration England and has come to be considered a folk heroine, with a story echoing the rags-to-royalty tale of...
. He attended Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where his cricket career began (see above).
Like other younger sons of the nobility, Beauclerk became a clergyman and, from 1828, was Vicar of St Michael's Church in St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
. However, he "never allowed his clerical duties to interfere materially with the claims of cricket" and "his sermons were legendary for their dullness".
He married Charlotte Dillon, daughter of Charles Dillon, 12th Viscount Dillon
Charles Dillon, 12th Viscount Dillon
Charles Dillon-Lee, 12th Viscount Dillon, KP, PC was Member of Parliament for the English borough of Westbury ....
, on 3 July 1813. They had four children:
- Caroline Henrietta Frederica Beauclerk (1815-1878)
- Charles William Beauclerk (1816-1863)
- Captain Aubrey Frederick James Beauclerk (1817-1853)
- Henrietta Mary Beauclerk (1818-1887)
His sons, Charles and Aubrey, also played cricket as did his nephew, William Aubrey de Vere Beauclerk, 9th Duke of St Albans.
Beauclerk lived mostly at Winchfield House, Winchfield
Winchfield
Winchfield is a small village in the Hart District of Hampshire in the South-East of England. It is situated 1 mile south-west of Hartley Wintney, 8 miles east of Basingstoke, 2 miles north-east of Odiham and 38 miles west of London...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. He also had a London residence at 68 Grosvenor Street, Westminster, where he died aged 76 on 22 April 1850. He was buried in Winchfield at St Mary's Church. His wife erected a tablet inside the church which refers to "his many virtues".