Paul Henry Foley (19 March 185721 January 1928) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
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, cricket administrator and barrister.
The son of
Henry Hodgetts-Foley
Henry John Wentworth Hodgetts-Foley of Prestwood House, then in Kingswinford parish (9 December 1828 – 23 April 1894) was a British MP.
He was the son of John Hodgetts Hodgetts-Foley''Burke's Peerage 2003'', page 1448 and a descendant of Ge ...
, a politician and member of a
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The 20 ...
family of ironmasters, he was born at
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
in March 1857.
He was educated at
Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
,
before going up to
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
. A student of the
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...
, he was
called to the bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
in June 1880.
Although he did not play cricket for
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club (OUCC), which represents the University of Oxford, has always held first-class status since 1827 when it made its debut in the inaugural University Match between OUCC and Cambridge University Cricket Club (CUCC). ...
, Foley was well connected in cricketing circles and became a member of the
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) in 1878.
He would make his only appearance 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 ...
for the MCC in 1891, against
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
at
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
. Batting twice in the match, he was dismissed in the MCC first innings by
Ted Tyler
Edwin ("Ted") James Tyler (13 October 1864 in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England – 25 January 1917 in North Town, Taunton, Somerset, England) was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club between 1891 Eng ...
, while in their second innings he was dismissed for 13 runs by the same bowler. Foley became associated with
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire 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 Worcestershire. Its Vitality Blast T20 team has been rebranded ...
in 1878, later playing for them twice in the
1895 and
1896 Minor Counties Championship against
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
and
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 ...
.
Foley had a greater impact with Worcestershire as an administrator. He was elected co-secretary in 1885, holding that post until 1887, before becoming honorary secretary in 1892.
He was influential in the creation of the
Minor Counties Championship
The NCCA 3 Day Championship (previously the Minor Counties Cricket Championship) is a season-long competition in England and Wales that is contested by the members of the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), the so-called national cou ...
in 1895,
with Worcestershire sharing the inaugural Minor Counties Championship with
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
and
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
. Under Foley's guidance, he transformed the county from a team of amateurs which played mostly one-day matches, to a team composed mainly of professionals playing 3-day matches. The county went on to win the competition in 1896, 1897 and 1898, prompting Worcestershire to apply for
first-class status, which they gained in 1899 and were admitted to the
County Championship
The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...
.
Foley was also the main proponent for Worcestershire's move from their Boughton Park home ground to
New Road in 1896 when he acquired a lease on a field from the Dean and Chapter of
Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, in Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified ...
, with Foley paying for the construction of the pavilion at New Road.
He remained the honorary secretary of Worcestershire until 1908.
Outside of cricket, Foley also served as a
justice of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
.
He lived near Stourbridge at the Prestwood Estate, where he employed
Harry Foster.
Following the death of
Lady Emily Foley
Lady Emily Foley (23 June 1805 – 1 January 1900) was a major landowner and benefactress in nineteenth-century England.
She was born Lady Emily Graham, the daughter of James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose in 1805. In 1832, she married The Hon. ...
he inherited
Stoke Edith House. He served as the
High Sheriff of Herefordshire
This is a list of Sheriffs and, since 1998, High Sheriffs of Herefordshire
The position of Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in each county, but over the centurie ...
in 1906. In 1926, he donated 136 rare books in 242 volumes from the Stoke Edith House to
Hereford Cathedral
Hereford Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Hereford in Hereford, England.
A place of worship has existed on the site of the present building since the 8th century or earlier. The present building was begun in 1079. S ...
's library. However, the following year Stoke Edith House was destroyed by fire. Foley died suddenly at
Pimlico
Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by London V ...
in January 1928.
His son
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
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* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
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, and cousin
Cyril Foley
Lieut. Col. Cyril Pelham Foley (1 November 1868 – 9 March 1936) was an English cricketer, military officer and archaeologist.
Early life and education
Foley was born in Westminster, the son of General The Hon. Sir St George Gerald Foley, who ...
both played first-class cricket. ''Foley's Cafe'' at New Road, which opened in 2017, is named in honour of Foley.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Paul
1857 births
1928 deaths
People from Westminster
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Members of the Inner Temple
English cricket administrators
English cricketers
Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers
Worcestershire cricketers
High Sheriffs of Herefordshire
English justices of the peace
Paul
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
English barristers