Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Edward Hay Mackenzie Elliot (30 November 1852 – 5 December 1920) was a British soldier who served as Private Secretary to

David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow, (31 May 1833 – 13 December 1915), was a British naval commander and colonial governor. He served as Governor of New Zealand between 1892 and 1897. Background Boyle was the son of Patrick Boyle (eldest son of ...

while he was

Governor of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand ( mi, te kāwana tianara o Aotearoa) is the viceregal representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and l ...

in the 1890s. He twice 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 ...

for Scotland in the unofficial international matches in 1871 and 1872.

Early life and education

Elliot was born at

Vizagapatam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museum, ...

, India, the son of Walter Elliot (1803–1887), the Scottish naturalist, and Maria Dorothea Hunter Blair (c.1816–1890). His mother was the daughter of

Sir David Hunter-Blair, 3rd Baronet Sir David Hunter-Blair, 3rd Baronet (1778–1857) was a Scottish plantation owner in Jamaica. He also held the office of King's Printer in Scotland. Life The second son of Sir James Hunter-Blair, 1st Baronet (1741–1787), he succeeded his unmarr ...

. Elliot was educated at

Windlesham House School Windlesham House School is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 4 to 13 on the South Downs, in Pulborough, West Sussex, England. It was founded in 1837 by Charles Robert Malden and was the first boys' preparatory school ...

, near

Washington, West Sussex Washington is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located west of Steyning and east of Storrington on the A24 between Horsham and Worthing. The parish covers an area of . In the 2001 census 1,930 pe ...

and Harrow from January 1867 to Easter 1870.

Football career

Elliot played

for Harrow Chequers, before joining the Wanderers club, making his debut for them in a 5–0 victory over

Forest School Forest School or Forrest School may refer to: Educational philosophy * Forest school (learning style), a learner centred outdoor learning approach. Religious philosophy * Thai Forest Tradition, a Theravada school of Buddhism in Thailand. * Sri La ...

on 28 November 1871. He continued to appear regularly for the Wanderers over the next two years, with his final game coming on 22 March 1873. In the 1873 "''Football Annual''", he was described as "a truly ponderous fellow but successful as a dribbler withal; has been known to kick a goal." He was selected to represent Scotland in the representative matches against England on 18 November 1871 and 24 February 1872, playing as a forward in the first match, won 2–1 by England, and as a back in the second match, which England won 1–0. Later in life, he also played

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 ...

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 ...

, making four listed appearances between June 1897 and August 1903.

Military and political career

He enrolled with the Dumfries, Roxburgh, Kirkcudbright and Selkirk ( Scottish Borderers) Militia in May 1873. He joined the regular army as a lieutenant in the 82nd Regiment in 1874. He was promoted to captain in 1884 and in 1888, he was transferred to the 40th, later

South Lancashire Regiment The South Lancashire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment, which recruited, as its title suggests, primarily from the South Lancashire area, was created as part of the Childers Ref ...

. His final promotion came in 1894 to the rank of major. In March 1894, he succeeded Colonel Patrick Boyle, the son of the Earl of Glasgow, as private secretary and

ADC ADC may refer to: Science and medicine * ADC (gene), a human gene * AIDS dementia complex, neurological disorder associated with HIV and AIDS * Allyl diglycol carbonate or CR-39, a polymer * Antibody-drug conjugate, a type of anticancer treatm ...

to the Governor in New Zealand. He retired on 25 January 1899.

Later life

In 1892, Elliot became the 6th Laird of Wolfelee on the death of his brother, James. He was made 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 ...

for

Roxburgh Roxburgh () is a civil parish and formerly a royal burgh, in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland. In the Middle Ages it had at leas ...

. During the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

, Elliot was a commandant of Prisoners of War. Returning to England, h was a Fellow of the

Royal Colonial Institute The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting conf ...

. Elliot went back to New Zealand in 1907, when he visited the cadet camp at Hagley Park, Christchurch during the

International Exhibition A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

. He praised the discipline and appearance of the cadets. In 1912, Elliot sold the family home "Wolfelee House" at

Bonchester Bridge Bonchester Bridge ( Scots ''Binster Brig'') is a village in Roxburghshire, within the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, lying on the Rule Water, six miles away from the market town of Hawick. History The name of the town is said to be Roman ...

, Roxburghshire. He died on 5 December 1920; at the time of his death, he was resident at "Springfield",

Breinton Breinton is a civil parish in Herefordshire, England. Breinton lies just to the west of Hereford. The name Breinton appears to be a modernised form of the word Bruntone, meaning a village near a flowing stream. Breinton is a collection of h ...

, Herefordshire.

Family

On 27 September 1905, Elliot married Edith Margaret Crawford, the daughter of the Rev. John Charles Crawford of Coulsdon, Surrey; they had no children.

References

External links

Picture of Elliot in later lifeSale particulars for Wolfelee House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliot, Edward 1852 births Sportspeople from Visakhapatnam 1920 deaths Indian people of Scottish descent Military personnel of British India People educated at Harrow School People educated at Windlesham House School South Lancashire Regiment officers England v Scotland representative footballers (1870–1872) Wanderers F.C. players Harrow Chequers F.C. players Footballers from Andhra Pradesh Association football defenders Association football forwards Scottish footballers People from Roxburgh