William Buckley Roderick (17 January 1862 – 1 February 1908) was a Welsh solicitor, international

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

forward and later a Vice-Consular for Spain. Roderick played club rugby for Llanelli Rugby Football Club and international rugby for

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

Business career

Roderick was commissioned into the 1st Volunteer Regiment of the Welsh Regiment in 1882, and eventually rose to the rank of captain. He was awarded the

Volunteer Officers' Decoration The Volunteer Officers' Decoration, post-nominal letters VD, was instituted in 1892 as an award for long and meritorious service by officers of the United Kingdom's Volunteer Force (Great Britain), Volunteer Force. Award of the decoration was di ...

(VD) on 30 December 1902. By 1885 Roderick had commenced his practice as a solicitor in

Llanelli ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire and the Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is on the estuary of the River Loughor and is the largest town in the Principal areas of Wales, ...

founding Rodericks Solicitors. Roderick held many posts throughout his career, including serving on the Local Board of Health in Llanelli, becoming a coroner within Carmarthen County and he was also Registrar for Llanelli County Court. Roderick was a company director of multiple businesses, one of which was local rail firm Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway.

Rugby career

Roderick played only one international match for Wales, the final game of the 1884 Home Nations Championship. Wales had lost the first two matches of the tournament and Roderick was one of six new caps brought into the team to face Ireland at the

Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park (), also known as The Arms Park, is primarily a rugby union stadium, and also has a bowling green. It is situated in Cardiff, Wales, next to the Millennium Stadium. The Arms Park was host to the 1958 British Empire and Common ...

. Played under the captaincy of Joe Simpson the team was made up of mainly

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, Newport and

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

players, Roderick being the sole representative from Llanelli. The Irish team turned up two players short for the game and their whole squad were highly inexperienced. Wales won by two tries and a dropped goal to nil; only the second victory the team had experienced. Despite the win, Roderick, like fellow solicitor Tom Barlow was dropped for the next game, both becoming one cap internationals.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), p. 471. * 1884

Personal history

Roderick was born in Llanelli to William and Maria (née Buckley) Roderick, and educated at Marlborough and Bath. A keen sportsman, he not only excelled at rugby, but was also an excellent cyclist. By 1887 Roderick had married Ella and was living in Pembrey,

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

. They had two sons of note who both served in the British Army. Hume Buckley Roderick was an acting captain in the Welsh Guard, and was killed in action in 1917, while William Buckley Nicholl Roderick became a Colonel in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

, married the daughter of Sir George Ernest Clark and was awarded the OBE.The Peerage.com
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Bibliography

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* Biography of Buckley Roderick {{DEFAULTSORT:Roderick, Buckley 1862 births 1908 deaths 19th-century Welsh businesspeople 20th-century Welsh businesspeople Llanelli RFC players Rugby union forwards Rugby union players from Llanelli Wales international rugby union players Welch Regiment officers Welsh rugby union players Welsh solicitors