Henry Anderson Bryden (3 May 1854 – 23 September 1937) was an English solicitor, athlete and sportsman, playing rugby for England in 1874. He was a keen hunter and naturalist and travelled widely. He then became a professional author writing about wildlife and his hunting experiences.
Early life
Henry Bryden was born on 3 May 1854 in
Banbury
Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census.
Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshire ...
,
the third son of William Anderson Bryden,
and Maria, daughter of William Cowper. He attended
Brackenbury's Anglican Preparatory Military Academy and went on to study at
Cheltenham College
("Work Conquers All")
, established =
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent School Day and Boarding School
, religion = Church of England
, president =
, head_label = Head
, head = Nicola Huggett
...
, leaving in 1869.
[Cheltenham College Register, p.288, 1841-1910. (1911). United Kingdom: Bell.] At Cheltenham at the same time were his two older brothers,
William Radford Bryden
William Radford Bryden (1851 – 16 February 1941) was an English architect and surveyor who designed various prominent Victorian buildings in Buxton, Derbyshire.
Life
Bryden was born in Eccles, Lancashire in 1851. His parents were Willia ...
the architect, and
Charles Bryden,
also a future England rugby union international. As well as rugby football, Henry was known as an excellent long-distance runner, and holder of 37 prizes. He represented South versus North of England, and was second to
Walter Slade in what was at the time the fastest amateur mile on record (time 4m 24.5s) in 1875.
Rugby union career
Bryden played his club rugby for the dual code side,
Clapham Rovers
Clapham Rovers was from its foundation in 1869 a leading English sports organisation in the two dominant codes of football, association football and rugby union. It was a prominent club in the late 19th century but is now defunct. The club playe ...
, the two codes being rugby union and association football. From there he was called up for England, and made his only international appearance on 23 February 1874 at
The Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
against
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
match.
Later life
Bryden went on to train as a solicitor and after leaving Cheltenham he moved in with his parents in
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
, Surrey. However, he resided and travelled extensively in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, chiefly in pursuit of sport and natural history and also traveled in
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
,
the Canaries,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
,
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. He married Julia St John Wright on 10 August 1881 in
Southam
Southam () is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Southam is situated on the River Stowe (called 'The Brook' by many locals), which flows from Napton-on-the-Hill and joins Warwickshire's R ...
,
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
with whom he had one daughter (Olivia) and one son (Colonel Ronald A.Bryden
DSO,
RAMC
The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...
.) Although trained as a solicitor, he later became an author by profession, drawing on his experiences in Africa. His obituary in the ''Times''
[The Times, 29 September 1937] was headed "Sportsman, Athlete and Naturalist". In this obituary, his book ''The Enchantment of the Field'' of 1931 was noted as his best book, "as it is the most varied; it contains an instructive comparison between conditions and methods of foxhunting in England, France and America." Also noted was his ''Wild Life in South Africa'' of 1936 that showed his powers of observation as a naturalist.
Among his recreational pursuits were hunting, fishing, shooting,
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
, and natural history. He was also a member of the Constitutional and Shikar clubs.
Publications
*Wild Life in South Africa (Pub 1936??) The birds and animals of South Africa from cuckoos to giraffes, from pidgeons to lions.
*Gun and Camera in Southern Africa. A year wandering in Bechuanaland, the Kalahari Desert, and the Lake River country, Ngamiland with Notes on Colonisation, Natives, Natural History, and Sport.-Edward Stanford, 1893 London, 544pp, .
*Great and Small Game of Africa (with Lydekker) - Bryden Editor of this. An Account of the Distribution, Habits, and Natural History of the Sporting Mammals, with personal hunting Experiences Pub by Rowland Ward, London 1899.
*Kloof and Karroo: Sport, legend and natural history in Cape Colony: with a notice of the game birds, and of the present distribution of the antelopes and larger game. Pub. London: Longmans Green, 1889. xiii
*Tales of South Africa, 1896
*Nature and Sport in South Africa. Pub Chapman and Hall, 1897.
*From Veldt Camp Fires,1900
*Hare-Hunting and Harriers. 1903. Hare-hunting and Harriers: With Notices of Beagles and Basset Hounds by H. A. Bryden.
*Giraffes, and How to Capture Them, article in The Pall Mall Magazine Nov 1893
*The Tragedy of a Noble Poacher, article in Chambers's Journal, 7 Mar 1908
*The Gold Kloof, LONDON Thomas Nelson & Sons 1907
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryden, Henry
1854 births
1937 deaths
Clapham Rovers F.C. players
English rugby union players
England international rugby union players
Rugby union forwards
Rugby union players from Banbury
English footballers
Association footballers not categorized by position