Philip Dehany (died 1809) was a West Indies plantation owner and cricket pioneer. He sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

from 1778 to 1780.

Early life

Dehany was the eldest son of David Dehany, merchant of Bristol and planter of Jamaica, and his wife Mary Gregory, daughter of Matthew Gregory. He was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

and was admitted at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

on 3 July 1752 aged 18. In 1754 he succeeded his father to the Point and Barbican sugar estates in Hanover,

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

Cricket

Dehany was at school and university with the Rev

Charles Powlett The Reverend Charles Powlett (1728 – 29 January 1809) was a noted patron of English cricket who has been described as the mainstay, if not the actual founder, of the Hambledon Club.Ashley-Cooper, p. 155. Powlett held an important position in t ...

, son of

Charles Powlett, 3rd Duke of Bolton Charles Powlett (sometimes spelled Paulet), 3rd Duke of Bolton (3 September 168526 August 1754), styled Earl of Wiltshire from 1685 until 1699, and Marquess of Winchester from 1699 until 1722, was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat ...

. In 1763 Powlett became curate of a parish near Hambledon where Delany helped him establish the

Hambledon Club The Hambledon Club was a social club that is famous for its organisation of 18th century cricket matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England. Foundation The origin of the club, based near Hambledon in rural Hampshire, ...

based on the local cricket team. The club was as much about drinking and gambling as cricket.Martin Williamson The Cradle of Cricket Cricinfo
/ref> Dehany was a member of the Committee which revised the

Laws of Cricket The ''Laws of Cricket'' is a code which specifies the rules of the game of cricket worldwide. The earliest known code was drafted in 1744 and, since 1788, it has been owned and maintained by its custodian, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in Lond ...

at the Star and Garter Hotel in Pall Mall in 1774.

Political career

Dehany purchased Kempshott manor in about 1773. He demolished the old manor-house, and replaced it by a large brick mansion.'Parishes: Winslade with Kempshott', in A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 4, ed. William Page (London, 1911), pp. 179-181. British History Online (accessed 4 November 2017)
/ref> Dehany maintained his links with the Powlett family down to

Harry Powlett, 6th Duke of Bolton Admiral Harry Powlett, 6th Duke of Bolton PC (6 November 1720 – 25 December 1794) was a British nobleman and naval officer. Origins He was the second son of Harry Powlett, 4th Duke of Bolton by his wife Catherine Parry. Career He was educa ...

who had supported his West Indies friend Edward Morant in Parliament. Dehany was returned as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for St Ives on Bolton's interest at a by-election on 26 December 1778. However he did not stand at the 1780 general election two years later.

Later years and legacy

Dehany married Margaret Salter Hooper and had a daughter - Mary Salter Dehany. Their group portrait was painted by

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of ...

. In 1787 he sold Kempshott. and in 1797 purchased Hayes Place, Kent. He died on 27 October 1809 and was buried at Hayes on 6 November 1809.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dehany, Philip 1809 deaths Businesspeople from Bristol People educated at Westminster School, London Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Hambledon cricketers Cricket patrons British MPs 1774–1780 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for St Ives Politicians from Bristol Cricketers from Bristol