Thomas Southey Baker (29 June 1848 – 24 June 1902) was an amateur sportsman who was on the winning crew that won
The Boat Race
The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. There are separate men's ...
in 1869 and played for England in
the fourth unofficial football match against Scotland in November 1871.
He subsequently became a teacher at
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
in New Zealand. He was the father of
Eleanor Southey Baker McLaglan, a pioneering surgeon in New Zealand.
Early life and education
Baker was born in
Droxford
Droxford ( Drokensford) is a village in Hampshire, England.
Geography
The village is clustered with slight ribbon development along its main, north–south, undulating road. It is entirely on the lower half of the western slopes of the Meon v ...
,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
, the son of Dr Thomas Baker and his wife, Sophia Jane Southey. Baker attended
Lancing College
Lancing College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in southern England, UK. The school is located in West Sussex, east of Worthing near the village of Lancing, on the south coast of England. ...
between 1861 and 1867, where he played both football and cricket for the school. He was considered the "outstanding athlete of his generation" at Lancing College and his sporting abilities resulted in him twice being crowned ''
victor ludorum'' by the college.
In 1867, Baker went up to
Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...
. At
Oxford
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 ...
, he rowed three times in
The Boat Race
The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. There are separate men's ...
against Cambridge, being on the winning side in
1869
Events
January–March
* January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan.
* January 5 – Scotland's oldest professional Soccer, football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded.
* January 20 & ...
and losing in
1870
Events
January–March
* January 1
** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England.
** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed.
* January 3 – Construction of the ...
and
1871, and also played
football for the
University
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
.
Baker graduated from Oxford University in 1871, with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
degree.
Football career
He later played football for
Clapham Rovers
Clapham Rovers was from its foundation in 1869 a leading English sports organisation in the two dominant codes of football, association football and rugby union. It was a prominent club in the late 19th century but is now defunct. The club playe ...
, alongside
R.S.F. Walker and
Jarvis Kenrick, all of whom were selected to play for the England XI against a Scotland XI at The Surrey Cricket Ground,
The Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
,
Kennington on 18 November 1871.
This was the fourth unofficial match between the two countries, which England won 2–1, with Walker scoring both England's goals.
Teaching career
On graduating from Oxford, Baker was briefly a school master at
Whitgift School
("He who perseveres, conquers")
, established =
, closed =
, type = Independent school
, religious_affiliation = Church of England
, president =
, head_label = Head Master
, head = Christopher Ramsey
, c ...
in
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
, before emigrating to New Zealand in 1873. He sailed to New Zealand on board the SS ''
Dallam Tower
Dallam Tower is a grade I listed country house in Beetham parish, near Milnthorpe, South Lakeland, Cumbria, England. It is a member of the Historic Houses Association but is not open to the public except for occasional charity events, visi ...
''. The ship eventually reached
Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers is a town serving as the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre.
History
Early Māori settlement
The origi ...
, New Zealand, after a dramatic voyage in which she lost a mast and travelled 2,000 miles under a
jury rig
In maritime transport terms, and most commonly in sailing, jury-rigged is an adjective, a noun, and a verb. It can describe the actions of temporary makeshift running repairs made with only the tools and materials on board; and the subsequent r ...
.
Baker had originally planned to set up business in the
flax industry but instead he established a private school at French Farm, at
Akaroa near
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
. He continued to maintain his interest in sport, winning the athletics championship at
Timaru
Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...
in 1878 and playing cricket for
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...
between 1874 and 1880, including three
first-class matches
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 ...
.
In 1890, he moved to
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
, where he taught for two years at
Christ College in
Hobart, before returning to New Zealand in 1892. He then established the Goodwood House
prep school at
Otago. In 1896, he became manager of a boarding house at
Otago Boys' High School
, motto_translation = "The ‘right’ learning builds a heart of oak"
, type = State secondary, day and boarding
, established = ; years ago
, streetaddress= 2 Arthur Street
, region = Dunedin
, state = Otago
, zipcod ...
, Dunedin; his contract gave him the right to conduct his own school on the premises. Baker remained at Dunedin until he died suddenly in June 1902, aged 53. He was buried in
Dunedin Northern Cemetery
The Dunedin Northern Cemetery is a major historic cemetery in the southern New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located on a sloping site close to Lovelock Avenue on a spur of Signal Hill close to the Dunedin Botanic Gardens and the suburb of ...
.
Family
Baker married Josephine Dicken in
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
in December 1878.
They had four daughters, including
Eleanor
Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages.
The name was introd ...
, the eldest, who became a doctor and surgeon in remote areas of New Zealand's
North Island.
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Thomas Southey
1848 births
1902 deaths
People educated at Lancing College
Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford
Oxford University Boat Club rowers
Oxford University A.F.C. players
Clapham Rovers F.C. players
England v Scotland representative footballers (1870–1872)
Schoolteachers from Hampshire
Canterbury cricketers
New Zealand schoolteachers
People from the City of Winchester
Burials at Dunedin Northern Cemetery
Association footballers not categorized by position
English footballers
British emigrants to New Zealand