Sir John Brewer Davis (1741 – 9 November 1817) was the son of the Rev Dr D Davis Prebendary of Canterbury. He is notable for his involvement in

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 ...

through his connections with the Kent county team. In 1774, he sat on a committee of

gentry Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies ''Gentry'', in its widest ...

that laid down the first known laws of cricket. Davis was active as a player before cricket's statistical record began in 1772. In the 1773 season, he has been recorded in two first-class matches playing for Kent against

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. He scored 23 and 4 in the first match at

Laleham Burway Laleham Burway is a tract of water-meadow and former water-meadow between the River Thames and Abbey River in the far north of Chertsey in Surrey. Its uses are varied. Part is Laleham Golf Club. Semi-permanent park homes in the west forms reside ...

and 4 and 0 in the return game at Bourne Paddock. He took 2 catches in the latter match.Sir John Davis
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2022-04-07. He was a

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

West Kent Militia The West Kent Militia (Light Infantry from 1853), later the 3rd Battalion, Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) was an auxiliary regiment raised in Kent in South East England. From its formal creation in 1758 the regiment served in home and co ...

. In the summer of 1778 the regiment was encamped at

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, and as the senior regiment in camp provided the King's Guard when

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

visited on 28 September. Captain Davis commanded the guard of honour and next day the King conferred a knighthood on him, the first militia officer to be so honoured for this service.''London Gazette'', 29 September 1778.
/ref>

References

English cricketers English cricketers of 1701 to 1786 Kent cricketers Kent Militia officers 1741 births 1817 deaths Place of birth unknown Date of birth unknown {{England-cricket-bio-1740s-stub