Arthur Paul Boissier (25 January 1881 – 2 October 1953) was an English schoolmaster who was headmaster of

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

, and a wartime civil servant. He was a

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 who played first-class cricket for

Derbyshire County Cricket Club Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Derbyshire. Its limited overs team is called the Derbyshire Falcons ...

in 1901 and 1906.

Life

Boissier was born at

Bloxham Bloxham is a village and civil parish in northern Oxfordshire several miles from the Cotswolds, about southwest of Banbury. It is on the edge of a valley and overlooked by Hobb Hill. The village is on the A361 road. The 2011 Census recorded ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, the son of the Rev. Frederick Scobell Boissier, M.A., who was then curate of neighbouring

Deddington Deddington is a civil parish and small town in Oxfordshire about south of Banbury. The parish includes two hamlets: Clifton and Hempton. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,146. Deddington is a small settlement but has a co ...

as well as a teacher at Bloxham School. The Boissier family were minor gentry with a strong tradition of clerical service, descended from Gaspard Boissier (c. 1640–1705), of Geneva. Boissier was educated at

St. John's School, Leatherhead Seek those things which are above , established = , closed = , type = Public SchoolIndependent school Co-educational day, weekly and flexi boarding , religious_affiliation = Church of England , p ...

. His father became vicar of St Mary the Virgin's Church, Denby in 1900 and in 1901 Boissier made his first-class debut for Derbyshire against

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...

(MCC). He went to

Oxford University 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 ...

where he played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

against

Cambridge University , 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 ...

in 1904. He also played cricket for

in 1903. In 1906 he played again for Derbyshire against

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 played four innings in two first-class matches to make a total of six runs. He bowled six overs to take two first-class wickets for 32 runs. From 1905 to 1919 Boissier was Senior Master at the

Royal Naval College, Osborne The Royal Naval College, Osborne, was a training college for Royal Navy officer cadets on the Osborne House estate, Isle of Wight, established in 1903 and closed in 1921. Boys were admitted at about the age of thirteen to follow a course lasting ...

, on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

. In November 1939 he was elected headmaster of

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

, where he had been employed as an assistant master specializing in Mathematics since 1919. In 1942 he became Director of Public Relations at the Ministry of Fuel and Power. Boissier married Dorothy Christina Leslie, daughter of Rev. Clement Smith, rector of Whippingham and canon of Windsor, on the

in 1909. Their daughter Beatrice Mary June BoissierVisitation of England and Wales, vol. 18, ed. Frederick Arthur Crisp, 1914, Additions and Corrections, p. x married

David Gordon, 4th Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair Major David George Ian Alexander Gordon, 4th Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair (21 January 1908 – 13 September 1974) was a British peer, soldier, and the son of Dudley Gordon, 3rd Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair. Life Gordon attended Harrow Sch ...

, an Old Harrovian, in 1939. Boissier died at Stockethill,

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, Scotland, in 1953.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boissier, Arthur Paul 1881 births 1953 deaths English cricketers Derbyshire cricketers Head Masters of Harrow School Instructors of the Royal Naval College, Osborne Oxfordshire cricketers English civil servants Alumni of the University of Oxford Oxford University A.F.C. players People educated at St John's School, Leatherhead People from Bloxham Association footballers not categorized by position English footballers