Col.
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Sir William Arthington Worsley, 4th Baronet (5 April 1890 – 4 December 1973), was an English landowner and
amateur
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
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 ...
er.
Biography
Worsley was born at
Hovingham Hall
Hovingham Hall is a country house built in the Palladian style in the village of Hovingham, North Yorkshire, England. It has been the seat of the Worsley family and the childhood home of the Duchess of Kent. It was built in the 18th century on a ...
,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
, England, the son of Sir William Henry Arthington Worsley of Hovingham, 3rd Baronet (born 12 January 1861), and his wife, Lady Augusta Mary (née Chivers Bower; died 1913).
His paternal grandparents were Sir Arthington Worsley of Hovingham, 2nd Baronet (21 December 1830 – 3 June 1861), and Marianne Christina Isabella Hely-Hutchinson (5 May 1832 – 11 August 1893): his maternal grandparents were Edward Chivers Bower and Amelia Mary Bennett-Martin.
Worsley attended
Ludgrove School
Ludgrove School is an English independent boys preparatory boarding school. Ludgrove was founded in 1892 at Ludgrove Hall in Middlesex by the Old Etonian sportsman Arthur Dunn. Dunn had been employed as a master at Elstree School, which sent boys ...
and
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 ...
. He served as a lieutenant and subsequently captain with the
Green Howards
The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...
(now part of the
Yorkshire Regiment
The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) (abbreviated YORKS) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, created by the amalgamation of three historic regiments in 2006. It lost one battalion as part of the Army 2020 defence ...
) in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. He was wounded and taken prisoner.
Worsley was
Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire
The post of Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire was created in 1660, at the Restoration, and was abolished on 31 March 1974. From 1782 until 1974, all Lords Lieutenant were also Custos Rotulorum of the North Riding of Yorkshire.
Lord ...
from 1951 to 1965.
In 1967, Worsley was awarded an
honorary LLD
Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation#Plural forms, abbrev ...
by the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
. The degree was conferred on him by his daughter in her role as Chancellor of the university.
Marriage and children
Worsley married Joyce Morgan Brunner (6 February 1895 – 3 January 1979), daughter of
Sir John Brunner, 2nd Baronet
Sir John Fowler Leece Brunner, 2nd Baronet (24 May 1865 – 16 January 1929) was a British Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician.
Biography
Brunner was the eldest sonDictionary of National Biography: Brunner, Sir John Tomlinson of indust ...
, and his wife Lucy Marianne Vaughan Morgan, on 20 May 1924 at
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Palace of Westminster ...
. They had four children:
*
Sir (William) Marcus John Worsley, 5th Baronet (6 April 1925 – 18 December 2012),
* (George) Oliver Worsley (22 February 1927 – 30 November 2010),
* John Arthington Worsley (15 July 1928 – 2 March 2022),
*
Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley (born 22 February 1933), married
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, (Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick; born 9 October 1935) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Edward were first cousins through their fathers, King George VI, and Prince George, Duk ...
, thereby becoming
Duchess of Kent
Duchess of Kent is the principal courtesy title used by the wife of the Duke of Kent. There have been four titles referring to Kent since the 18th century. The current duchess is Katharine, the wife of Prince Edward. He inherited the dukedom ...
.
Cricketer
He captained
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club is one of 18 first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Yorkshire. Yorkshire are the most successful team in English cricketing hi ...
in 1928 and 1929, his only seasons of first-class cricket.
He had been unable to accept the captaincy in 1924 due to business commitments.
Worsley followed Major
Arthur Lupton as captain, but only accepted the position after the Yorkshire committee had initially offered
Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe (24 November 1894 – 22 January 1978) was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the tw ...
the captaincy. Sutcliffe refused the offer after
controversy
Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite d ...
broke out over the decision.
The county lost only twice whilst Worsley was captain. He was awarded his
county cap
In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the ea ...
in 1928.
A right-handed batsman, he scored 722 runs at 15.69, with a highest score of 60 against
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 took 32 catches in the field.
His great-uncle,
George Cayley
Sir George Cayley, 6th Baronet (27 December 1773 – 15 December 1857) was an English engineer, inventor, and aviator. He is one of the most important people in the history of aeronautics. Many consider him to be the first true scientific aeri ...
, played four games for 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) and
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 ...
.
He was President of Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1960, until his death in 1973; and was President of the MCC in 1962.
References
External links
Cricinfo Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Worsley, William
1890 births
1973 deaths
Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
British Army personnel of World War I
World War I prisoners of war held by Germany
Green Howards officers
Knights of the Order of St John
Lord-Lieutenants of the North Riding of Yorkshire
People educated at Eton College
People from Hovingham
Presidents of the Marylebone Cricket Club
Presidents of Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire cricketers
Yorkshire cricket captains
British World War I prisoners of war
English cricketers
William Worsley
Col. Sir William Arthington Worsley, 4th Baronet (5 April 1890 – 4 December 1973) was an English landowner and amateur first-class cricketer.
Biography
Worsley was born at Hovingham Hall, Yorkshire, England, the son of Sir William Henry Art ...
People educated at Ludgrove School
20th-century English landowners