Charles Nepean
Encyclopedia
The Rev.
Charles Edward Burroughs Nepean (5 February 1851 – 26 March 1903) was an English amateur cricket
er and footballer who later became a vicar
in the Church of England
. As a cricketer he played ten first class matches for Oxford University
and Middlesex
between 1870 and 1874, whilst in football he was in goal for the winning side, representing Oxford University
, in the 1874 FA Cup Final.
, 1st Baronet and was the Canon
of Westminster
and a Chaplain In Ordinary
to Queen Victoria
. His mother was the daughter of Sir Herbert Jenner-Fust
, the eminent judge.
In the 1851 census
, the family were living at 21 Bolton Street, St George Hanover Square
, Westminster; Charles was listed as "Charles Son 2 mth., born St Georges Hanover". At the time of the 1861 census
, he was listed as a pupil at Charterhouse, London, although the family were still living at Bolton Street. Ten years later, he was at home (now in the cloisters of St. Peter, Westminster) at the time of the census, where he is listed as "Charley B Son 20".
Nepean was educated at Charterhouse School
between 1861 and 1869 before going up to University College, Oxford
. At Charterhouse, he was a regular member of the school cricket XI.
Nepean's brother, Evan Colville Nepean (1836–1908) (father of Evan Alcock Nepean) had several children,including a daughter, Emily Margaret (1867–1950). She married Felton George Randolph; their daughter, Margaret Isabel (1901–2001) married James Cassilis MacLeanand in turn had a daughter, Fyvnola Susan (b. 1933). Fynvola married James Murray Grant in 1957; their children included Hugh Grant
(b. 1960), the actor.
Charles Nepean never married.
against M.C.C.
on 26 May 1870, scoring 11 and 8 in a match won by the M.C.C. by 6 wickets. His next first class match came at the end of June against Surrey
, when he played as the wicket-keeper
, claiming three wicket
s, including those of Surrey's top-scorers, Leonard Howell
and Richard Humphrey
; the University won the match by 3 wickets.
According to his obituary in Wisden
, "his future at Oxford seemed assured, but from some cause he did not get a place in the eleven till his last year"; he was described as "an admirable batsman, with a very neat and business-like style". His next first-class appearance came in May 1873 against M.C.C. In the summer of 1873, he played regularly including the two wicket victory over Middlesex
in June and the match against Cambridge University
at Lords
, scoring 22 and 50 (his top first-class score), helping Cuthbert Ottaway
to gain a victory by three wickets and for Nepean to obtain his blue.
On the strength of his performances for Oxford he was selected for the Gentlemen in the first Gentlemen v Players
match to be played at the Prince's Cricket Ground
, in Chelsea
. The Gentleman won the match by an innings and 54 runs, with A. N. Hornby
and W.G. Grace scoring 104 and 70 respectively, and Grace and his brother Fred
claiming 11 wickets between them.
This match came between Nepean's two appearances for Middlesex
against M.C.C. in June 1873 (when Nepean was again wicket-keeper) and against his former university in June 1874. Both matches ended in defeats for the county side.
Following his ordination
, he no longer played first-class cricket, although he was a member of the Kent
committee, thus keeping him in touch with the game.
to represent "Scotland" in the second pseudo-international
match against the English side, organised by Charles Alcock
. The Scottish XI was made up from players from London and the Home Counties with "Scottish connections". (In his biography of Arthur Kinnaird
, Andy Mitchell says that Nepean's "closest link to Scotland was a cousin who married a Scot.")
According to the report on the match played at the Kennington Oval on 19 November 1870, "proceedings were commenced with a kick-off by C.E.B. Nepean on behalf of the Scottish team". The English won the match with a single goal from R.S.F. Walker
; for the "Scotch", "C.E.B. Nepean . . . was a perfect rock in the way of defence".
Nepean retained his place in the Scottish team for the next three games, playing in various positions. In the match on 25 February 1871, Nepean scored the Scottish goal in a 1–1 draw; the match report says "about a quarter of an hour after the kick-off a loud shout proclaimed the fall of the English goal – an achievement entirely due to the play of C.E. Nepean". With England equalizing through R.S.F. Walker, the match ended "leaving the question of supremacy undecided". The report comments: "to C. E. Nepean, Q. Hogg and W. H. Gladstone
was mainly due the successful defence of [the Scottish] lines against a series of well-organised attacks".
In the last of the pseudo-internationals, played on 24 February 1872, Nepean played in goal for part of the game, alternating with M. J. Muir Mackenzie
; this match ended in a 1–0 victory for the English, with a goal from J.C. Clegg.
In 1872, Oxford University
entered a team in the FA Cup
for the first time, reaching the final against the Wanderers
. Nepean had become the university's first-choice goal-keeper but was unavailable for the final, which was won 2–0 by the Wanderers.
The university reached the final again in 1874; this time Nepean was available to play in goal. In the match against the Royal Engineers
, Nepean repeatedly thwarted the Engineers' attempts on goal. Oxford won the match 2–0 and secured the cup.
He was also a member of the Wanderers
club.
and in 1876 he was appointed as vicar
of Lenham
in Kent
.
In 1894, he was appointed as vice-chairman at the inaugural meeting of Lenham Parish Council.
He died on 26 March 1903 at Lenham, aged 52 years and 49 days.
The Reverend
The Reverend is a style most often used as a prefix to the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. The Reverend is correctly called a style but is often and in some dictionaries called a...
Charles Edward Burroughs Nepean (5 February 1851 – 26 March 1903) was an English amateur cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er and footballer who later became a vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. As a cricketer he played ten first class matches for Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
and Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
between 1870 and 1874, whilst in football he was in goal for the winning side, representing Oxford University
Oxford University A.F.C.
Oxford University Association Football Club is an English football club representing the University of Oxford.-History:Formed in 1872, the club was a giant of the 1870s, winning the FA Cup 2-0 against Royal Engineers in 1874 and finishing the competition as runners up in 1873, 1877 and 1880, the...
, in the 1874 FA Cup Final.
Early life and education
Nepean was born in Mayfair, London, the youngest of 13 children of Rev. Canon Evan Nepean (1800–1873) and Anne Fust. His father was the son of Sir Evan NepeanEvan Nepean
Sir Evan Nepean, 1st Baronet PC was a British politician and colonial administrator.-Early career:...
, 1st Baronet and was the Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of Westminster
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
and a Chaplain In Ordinary
Ecclesiastical Household
The Ecclesiastical Household is a part of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Reflecting the different constitutions of the Churches of England and of Scotland, there are separate Ecclesiastical Households in each nation.-England:...
to Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. His mother was the daughter of Sir Herbert Jenner-Fust
Herbert Jenner-Fust
Sir Herbert Jenner-Fust, born Herbert Jenner was an English judge, dean of the arches.-Early life:Jenner-Fust, surname initially Jenner, was second son of Robert Jenner of Doctors' Commons, proctor, and of Chislehurst, Kent, by his second wife, Ann, eldest daughter of Peter Birt of Wenvoe Castle,...
, the eminent judge.
In the 1851 census
United Kingdom Census 1851
The United Kingdom Census of 1851 recorded the people residing in every household on the night of 30 March 1851, and was the second of the UK censuses to include details of household members...
, the family were living at 21 Bolton Street, St George Hanover Square
St George Hanover Square
St George's, Hanover Square, is an Anglican church in central London, built in the early 18th century. The church was designed by John James and was constructed under a project to build fifty new churches around London . It is situated on Hanover Square, near Oxford Circus, in what is now...
, Westminster; Charles was listed as "Charles Son 2 mth., born St Georges Hanover". At the time of the 1861 census
United Kingdom Census 1861
The United Kingdom Census of 1861 recorded the people residing in every household on the night of 7 April 1861, and was the third of the UK censuses to include details of household members.-See also:*Census in the United Kingdom...
, he was listed as a pupil at Charterhouse, London, although the family were still living at Bolton Street. Ten years later, he was at home (now in the cloisters of St. Peter, Westminster) at the time of the census, where he is listed as "Charley B Son 20".
Nepean was educated at Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
between 1861 and 1869 before going up to University College, Oxford
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
. At Charterhouse, he was a regular member of the school cricket XI.
Family
Nepean was one of thirteen children (six girls, seven boys). His elder brother, Augustus Adolphus Nepean (1849–1933) (known as "Dolly") was also a cricketer with Middlesex as was his nephew, Evan Alcock Nepean (1865–1906).Nepean's brother, Evan Colville Nepean (1836–1908) (father of Evan Alcock Nepean) had several children,including a daughter, Emily Margaret (1867–1950). She married Felton George Randolph; their daughter, Margaret Isabel (1901–2001) married James Cassilis MacLeanand in turn had a daughter, Fyvnola Susan (b. 1933). Fynvola married James Murray Grant in 1957; their children included Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
(b. 1960), the actor.
Charles Nepean never married.
Cricket
On his arrival at Oxford, Nepean had a good reputation as a batsman. He made his debut for the UniversityOxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
against M.C.C.
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
on 26 May 1870, scoring 11 and 8 in a match won by the M.C.C. by 6 wickets. His next first class match came at the end of June against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
, when he played as the wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
, claiming three wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s, including those of Surrey's top-scorers, Leonard Howell
Leonard Howell (footballer)
Leonard Sidgwick Howell was an English footballer who won the FA Cup with the Wanderers in 1873 and made one appearance as a full back for England in the second international match.-Football career:...
and Richard Humphrey
Richard Humphrey
Richard Geoffrey Humphrey is a former English cricketer. Humphrey waa right-handed batsman who fielded as a wicket-keeper. He was born in Hampstead, London....
; the University won the match by 3 wickets.
According to his obituary in Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
, "his future at Oxford seemed assured, but from some cause he did not get a place in the eleven till his last year"; he was described as "an admirable batsman, with a very neat and business-like style". His next first-class appearance came in May 1873 against M.C.C. In the summer of 1873, he played regularly including the two wicket victory over Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
in June and the match against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
at Lords
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
, scoring 22 and 50 (his top first-class score), helping Cuthbert Ottaway
Cuthbert Ottaway
Cuthbert John Ottaway , one of the most talented and versatile sportsmen of the 1870s, was the first captain of the England football team and led his side in the first official international football match....
to gain a victory by three wickets and for Nepean to obtain his blue.
On the strength of his performances for Oxford he was selected for the Gentlemen in the first Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
match to be played at the Prince's Cricket Ground
Prince's Cricket Ground
Prince's Cricket Ground in Chelsea, London was a cricket ground, created by two brothers by the name of Prince, on which 37 first-class matches were played between 1872 and 1878. The ground was built on in 1883...
, in Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
. The Gentleman won the match by an innings and 54 runs, with A. N. Hornby
A. N. Hornby
Albert Neilson Hornby, commonly designated A. N. Hornby, nicknamed Monkey Hornby was one of the best known sportsmen in England during the nineteenth century excelling in both rugby and cricket...
and W.G. Grace scoring 104 and 70 respectively, and Grace and his brother Fred
Fred Grace
George Frederick Grace was the youngest of the three Grace brothers to play Test cricket for England.Although his elder brothers E. M. and W. G...
claiming 11 wickets between them.
This match came between Nepean's two appearances for Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
against M.C.C. in June 1873 (when Nepean was again wicket-keeper) and against his former university in June 1874. Both matches ended in defeats for the county side.
Following his ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
, he no longer played first-class cricket, although he was a member of the Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
committee, thus keeping him in touch with the game.
Football
At Oxford, Nepean also played football, winning a blue. In November 1870, he was selected by Arthur KinnairdArthur Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird
Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird KT was a principal of The Football Association and a leading footballer....
to represent "Scotland" in the second pseudo-international
England v Scotland representative matches (1870–1872)
Between 1870 and 1872, the Football Association organised five representative association football matches between teams from England and Scotland, all held in London. The first of these matches was held at The Oval on 5 March 1870, and the fifth was on 21 February 1872. The matches, which were...
match against the English side, organised by Charles Alcock
C. W. Alcock
Charles William Alcock was an influential English sportsman and administrator. He was a major instigator in the development of both international football and cricket, as well as being the creator of the FA Cup....
. The Scottish XI was made up from players from London and the Home Counties with "Scottish connections". (In his biography of Arthur Kinnaird
Arthur Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird
Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird KT was a principal of The Football Association and a leading footballer....
, Andy Mitchell says that Nepean's "closest link to Scotland was a cousin who married a Scot.")
According to the report on the match played at the Kennington Oval on 19 November 1870, "proceedings were commenced with a kick-off by C.E.B. Nepean on behalf of the Scottish team". The English won the match with a single goal from R.S.F. Walker
Robert Sandilands Frowd Walker
Lt. Colonel Robert Sandilands Frowd Walker C.M.G. was a prominent figure in Malaya during the British colonial era in the late nineteenth-century...
; for the "Scotch", "C.E.B. Nepean . . . was a perfect rock in the way of defence".
Nepean retained his place in the Scottish team for the next three games, playing in various positions. In the match on 25 February 1871, Nepean scored the Scottish goal in a 1–1 draw; the match report says "about a quarter of an hour after the kick-off a loud shout proclaimed the fall of the English goal – an achievement entirely due to the play of C.E. Nepean". With England equalizing through R.S.F. Walker, the match ended "leaving the question of supremacy undecided". The report comments: "to C. E. Nepean, Q. Hogg and W. H. Gladstone
William Henry Gladstone
William Henry Gladstone was a British Liberal Party Member of Parliament, and the eldest son of Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone and his wife Catherine née Glynne....
was mainly due the successful defence of [the Scottish] lines against a series of well-organised attacks".
In the last of the pseudo-internationals, played on 24 February 1872, Nepean played in goal for part of the game, alternating with M. J. Muir Mackenzie
Montague Muir Mackenzie
Montague Johnstone Muir Mackenzie was a Scottish barrister and legal writer. He was the son of Sir John William Pitt Muir Mackenzie of Delvine, Second Baronet and the younger brother of Kenneth Muir Mackenzie, 1st Baron Muir Mackenzie...
; this match ended in a 1–0 victory for the English, with a goal from J.C. Clegg.
In 1872, Oxford University
Oxford University A.F.C.
Oxford University Association Football Club is an English football club representing the University of Oxford.-History:Formed in 1872, the club was a giant of the 1870s, winning the FA Cup 2-0 against Royal Engineers in 1874 and finishing the competition as runners up in 1873, 1877 and 1880, the...
entered a team in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
for the first time, reaching the final against the Wanderers
Wanderers F.C.
Wanderers Football Club is an English amateur football club, based in London, that plays in the Surrey South Eastern Combination. Founded as Forest Football Club in 1859, the club changed its name to Wanderers in 1864....
. Nepean had become the university's first-choice goal-keeper but was unavailable for the final, which was won 2–0 by the Wanderers.
The university reached the final again in 1874; this time Nepean was available to play in goal. In the match against the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers A.F.C.
The Royal Engineers Association Football Club is an association football team representing the Corps of Royal Engineers, the "Sappers", of the British Army. In the 1870s it was one of the strongest sides in English football, winning the FA Cup in 1875 and being Cup Finalists in four of the first...
, Nepean repeatedly thwarted the Engineers' attempts on goal. Oxford won the match 2–0 and secured the cup.
He was also a member of the Wanderers
Wanderers F.C.
Wanderers Football Club is an English amateur football club, based in London, that plays in the Surrey South Eastern Combination. Founded as Forest Football Club in 1859, the club changed its name to Wanderers in 1864....
club.
Later career
On leaving Oxford in 1874, Nepean entered the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and in 1876 he was appointed as vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of Lenham
Lenham
Lenham is a market village in Kent situated on the southern edge of the North Downs, halfway between Maidstone and Ashford. The picturesque square in the village has two public houses , a couple of restaurants, and a tea-room....
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
In 1894, he was appointed as vice-chairman at the inaugural meeting of Lenham Parish Council.
He died on 26 March 1903 at Lenham, aged 52 years and 49 days.
Sporting honours
Oxford UniversityOxford University A.F.C.
Oxford University Association Football Club is an English football club representing the University of Oxford.-History:Formed in 1872, the club was a giant of the 1870s, winning the FA Cup 2-0 against Royal Engineers in 1874 and finishing the competition as runners up in 1873, 1877 and 1880, the...
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winner: 1874