James Haywood Cumberbatch (9 February 1909 – first ¼ 1972) was an English professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played in the 1930s. He played at representative level for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and at club level for

Broughton Rangers Broughton Rangers were one of the twenty-one rugby clubs which met at the George Hotel, Huddersfield, in 1895 to form the Northern Rugby Football Union. They were originally based in Broughton, Salford, but in 1933 moved to Gorton, Manchester t ...

and

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

, as a , i.e. number 2 or 5,

Background

James Cumberbatch was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, and his death aged was registered in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

South district.

International honours

Cumberbatch won

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

s for

while at Broughton Rangers in 1937 against France, and while at

in 1938 against Wales, and was the only player to win an England cap while at the now defunct

rugby league club.

Contemporaneous article extract

"''This live piece of mercury, who has come before the selectors as a Tour probable, first came to Manchester to play for Swinton, who passed him over. However, he signed for Broughton and has since proved their finest acquisition. His clever play on the Broughton left wing has also proved him to be one of the League’s foremost attackers. Born in Liverpool, he first played the Association game for his school until he became attached to Barrow St. Matthew’s Club. Has earned his County Cap, and has also played for the League against France. Jimmy’s brother is a member of the Barrow Club, and two brothers keep up the family tradition of excelling at sport. Jimmy is a good sport, a good player, and one of the League’s most popular players.''"''Sporting Events and Stars - Series of 96 - No. 74 - J. Cumberbatch''. Senior Service. ISBN n/a

Genealogical information

Cumberbatch was the son of Theodore Theophilus Cumberbatch (1863/4 – 193

, a ship's steward, originally from

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

, and Mary Ellen

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Kewin originally from

Ramsey, Isle of Man Ramsey ( gv, Rhumsaa) is a coastal town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,845 according to the 2016 Census. It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has ...

(Marriage third ¼ 1889 in Fylde distric

. The marriage of Cumberbatch and Eva ( Given name#Name at birth, née Ball) was registered during first ¼ 1936 in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

South district, the birth of their son, also named James, was registered during third ¼ 1937 in

North district. Cumberbatch was the brother of the rugby league footballer

Val Cumberbatch Valentine "Val" Cumberbatch (14 February 1911 – 23 January 1973) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. He played at representative level for England and Lancashire, and at club level for Barrow ...

References

External links

Parkinson, Kate (25 June 2007). "Bringing Broughton Rangers back", Greater Manchester Online. Retrieved 6 August 2022.Jimmy Cumberbatch at cumberbatch.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cumberbatch, James 1909 births 1972 deaths Black British sportsmen Broughton Rangers players England national rugby league team players English people of Barbadian descent English people of Manx descent English rugby league players Lancashire rugby league team players Newcastle RLFC players Rugby league players from Liverpool Rugby league wingers