Henry Whatley Estridge (10 October 1837 – 15 January 1902) was an English 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, a Royal Indian Navy and British Army officer, Colonial Service official, and naturalist. The son of George Estridge, he was born at Carshalton in October 1837. Estridge initially served in the Royal Indian Navy, serving in the Anglo-Persian War of 1856–57. He served as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

aboard the

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''Clive'', seeing action at the Battle of Bushire in December 1856. Shortly after the conclusion of the conflict, Estridge returned to England where he purchased a commission with the rank of ensign in the

46th Regiment of Foot The 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1741. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot to form the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in 1881, ...

in September 1859. He later purchased the rank of lieutenant in June 1862, prior to retiring from military service in September 1865. He played first-class cricket for the

Gentlemen of the South A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the ra ...

against the

Players of the South Players may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Players'' (1979 film), a film starring Ali MacGraw * ''Players'' (2012 film), a Bollywood film * ''Players'' (Dicks novel), a novel by Terrance Dicks, based on the television series ''Doc ...

at The Oval in 1868. Estridge batted twice during the match, being dismissed for scores of 0 and 14 by Edgar Willsher and James Southerton respectively. Estridge then proceeded to join the Colonial Service. He resided in the Seychelles from 1876 to 1885, where he was collector of customs at Mahé. While stationed at the Seychelles, he became interested in the flora and fauna of the islands, writing the book ''Six Years in the Seychelles''. From the Seychelles he returned to England in 1885, where he presented a copy of his book to Queen Victoria. He returned to his duties with the Colonial Service in 1886, becoming the receiver and accountant-general for

British Bechuanaland British Bechuanaland was a short-lived Crown colony of the United Kingdom that existed in southern Africa from its formation on 30 September 1885 until its annexation to the neighbouring Cape Colony on 16 November 1895. British Bechuanaland h ...

from 1886 to 1888. Estridge was a non-resident fellow at the

Royal Colonial Institute The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting confli ...

. Estridge died at Witney in January 1902 and was survived by his wife, Selina Eliza Pye Estridge.Deaths. ''Witney Gazette and West Oxfordshire Advertiser''. 18 January 1902. p. 1 His brother, George, was also a first-class cricketer.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Estridge, Henry 1837 births 1902 deaths 46th Regiment of Foot officers British colonial governors and administrators in Africa British military personnel of the Anglo-Persian War Colonial Service officers Cricketers from the London Borough of Sutton People from Carshalton English cricketers English male non-fiction writers English naturalists Gentlemen of the South cricketers Royal Indian Navy officers 19th-century British military personnel Military personnel from the London Borough of Sutton