Frederick George Brabazon Ponsonby, 6th Earl of Bessborough (11 September 1815 – 11 March 1895), was an Anglo-Irish peer who played

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 officia ...

1834–56 for Surrey,

Cambridge Town Club Cambridge Town Club (CTC) was a first-class cricket club established in Cambridge before 1817. Among notable players who represented CTC were Tom Hayward senior, Robert Carpenter and George Tarrant. It co-existed with Cambridge University Cr ...

(''aka'' Cambridgeshire),

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

(CUCC) and

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).

Background and education

Ponsonby was born in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it me ...

, the third son of

John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough John William Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough, PC (31 August 1781 – 16 May 1847), known as Viscount Duncannon from 1793 to 1844, was a British Whig politician. He was notably Home Secretary in 1834 and served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland ...

, and his wife Lady Maria Fane. He was educated at Harrow and

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

. In 1837 he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn, and was called to the Bar in 1840. He inherited the earldom on 28 January 1880 when his elder brother died without a male heir.

Cricket

Throughout his cricket career, Bessborough was known as the Hon. Frederic Ponsonby. He played at both Harrow and Cambridge University, batting right-handed. He was an active player until about 1845, after which, due to an arm injury, he could only play sporadically. Ponsonby was a founder of Surrey County Cricket Club and was elected its first vice-president. He was also a founder of I Zingari, and of the Old Stagers amateur theatre company.

Personal life

Lord Bessborough died 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, B ...

on 11 March 1895. He never married, and was succeeded in the earldom by his younger brother, Walter.

References

External links

thepeerage.com

Cracroft's Peerage
*

1815 births 1895 deaths Ponsonby, Frederick Ponsonby, Frederick Ponsonby, Frederick Ponsonby, Frederick Ponsonby, Frederick Ponsonby, Frederick Ponsonby, Frederick Ponsonby, Frederick Frederick Ponsonby, 06th Earl of Bessborough Directors of the Great Western Railway Gentlemen cricketers Gentlemen of England cricketers People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Frederick 06 {{Ireland-earl-stub