Archdale Palmer Wickham (9 November 1855 – 13 October 1935) was an English

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

clergyman, first-class cricketer and

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Clerical career

Wickham was the son of the Rev. Edmund Dawe Wickham of Holmwood, and was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

. He matriculated in 1874 at

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...

, where he read

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

, and graduated B.A. in 1879. He then prepared for the priesthood at Leeds Clergy School and was ordained. After three curacies he was vicar of

Martock Martock is a large village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the edge of the Somerset Levels north west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The parish includes Hurst, approximately one mile south of the village, and Bow ...

, Somerset, from 1888 to 1911 and a prebendary of Wells Cathedral from 1904 to 1911. He was then vicar of

East Brent East Brent is a village and civil parish, on the eastern edge of a hill that dominates the surrounding level countryside—Brent Knoll—close to the M5 motorway, west of Axbridge, in the Sedgemoor district of the county of Somerset, in the so ...

, Somerset, from 1911 until his death in 1935.

Cricket career

Wickham played 82 first-class matches for

Somerset County Cricket Club Somerset County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Somerset. Founded in 1875, Somerset was initially regarded as a minor ...

between 1891 and 1907. He also played for a number of representative teams and for Oxford University, and played second-class cricket for Norfolk County Cricket Club from 1881 to 1890. A wicket-keeper and right-handed batsman, he scored 760 career first-class runs, and claimed 90 catches and 60

stumpings Stumped is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket, which involves the wicket-keeper putting down the wicket while the batsman is out of his ground. (The batsman leaves his ground when he has moved down the pitch beyond the popping crease, ...

. He had a distinctive wicket-keeping stance, bending low with his feet more than a metre apart. Playing for Somerset against Hampshire in the County Championship in 1899, he kept throughout Hampshire's innings of 672 for 7 without conceding a bye. This remained a record in the Championship until 2002. In 1901, playing for Somerset against Oxford University, he kept wicket for both sides: when the Oxford wicketkeeper was injured during the match, Wickham volunteered to stand in briefly for him. It is the only known instance in first-class cricket of a player keeping wickets for both sides in the same match. He was not noted for his batting, and usually batted at number 11. However, when he made his highest first-class score of 28, he top-scored in Somerset's second innings as they struggled in vain to avoid an innings defeat against Gloucestershire in 1900.

Personal life

Wickham was a renowned amateur

, specializing in the

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

. In 1917 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society. His collection of butterflies numbered many thousands. After his death his collection of specimens and manuscripts was lodged at the British Museum. Wickham married firstly, in 1883, Emily Helena McPherson Baldwin (1856–1890), daughter of the Rev. John Richard Baldwin, a chaplain in India. They had a daughter and two sons. He and his second wife, Harriet Elizabeth Strong, who came from a family of vicars and brewers, had a son and two daughters.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wickham, Archie 1855 births 1935 deaths Cricketers from Surrey English cricketers Somerset cricketers Oxford University cricketers Somerset County Cricket Club presidents Gentlemen cricketers Gentlemen of England cricketers Oxford and Cambridge Universities Past and Present cricketers People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of New College, Oxford 19th-century English Anglican priests 20th-century English Anglican priests English entomologists North v South cricketers Oxford University Past and Present cricketers Wicket-keepers