Sir Edward Lee French, KCVO (22 July 1857 – 17 May 1916) was an English-born senior officer in the Indian Police Force and a first-class

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er.

Life

Edward Lee French was born on 22 July 1857,''Dod's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, Etc. of Great Britain and Ireland'' (1923), p. 340. the son of Rev. Frederic French (1823–1907), JP, rector of

Worlingworth Worlingworth is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England, located around ten miles south-east of Diss. In 2011 it had a total population of 802 people. The village has a primary school called Worlin ...

with

Southolt Southolt is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, about southeast of Eye, on the road between Bedingfield and Worlingworth. History John Speed recorded the village on his 1610 map as "Southold". The Plough pub at Southolt Green opened i ...

, in

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, and his wife, Anna Maria (d. 1901), eldest daughter of John Davis, JP, DL (d. 1864), of Cranbrooke Park,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

. He was baptised at

. The Rev. French's family came from

Eye, Suffolk Eye () is a market town and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk, about south of Diss, north of Ipswich and south-west of Norwich. The population in the 2011 Census of 2,154 was estimated to be 2,361 in 2019. It lies ...

; his father Thomas was banker to the Henniker family,

patrons Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

of Worlingworth's rectory. This connection helped secure Frederic French, newly graduated from the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

(BA 1847, MA 1850), the living at Worlingworth, which he held from 1853 to his death in 1907. Following schooling at

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

, Edward French entered the Indian Police in 1879. He was appointed Deputy Inspector-General in the Criminal Investigation Department for the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

in 1905. Three years later, he was made Inspector-General of the North-West Frontier Police and then, in 1909, of the Punjab Police. In this capacity, he placed in charge of the police during the

Coronation Durbar The Delhi Durbar ( lit. "Court of Delhi") was an Indian imperial-style mass assembly organized by the British at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it wa ...

of 1911,"French, Sir Edward Lee"
''Who Was Who'' (online edition), Oxford University Press, 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2017. when King-Emperor

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

appointed him a Knight Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

. French was also a

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

er, playing cricket in both England and India. In England he played two matches for

W. G. Grace William Gilbert Grace (18 July 1848 – 23 October 1915) was an English Amateur status in first-class cricket, amateur cricketer who was important in the development of the sport and is widely considered one of its greatest players. He played ...

's London County in 1902, having previously played for

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

against Lord Hawke's touring team in 1893. He played one further match in India in 1903, for the Gentlemen of India against the touring

Oxford University Authentics Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

team. In 1886, he married Wilna, daughter of David Ross, CIE at

Hoxne Hoxne ( ) is a village in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, about five miles (8 km) east-southeast of Diss, Norfolk and south of the River Waveney. The parish is irregularly shaped, covering the villages of Hoxne, Cross Street a ...

. He died on 17 May 1916.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:French, Edward Lee Indian Police Service officers 1857 births 1916 deaths English cricketers London County cricketers Gentlemen of India cricketers