Osbert Mordaunt
Encyclopedia
Osbert Cautley Mordaunt (26 May 1876 – 20 October 1949) DSO
played first-class
cricket
for Somerset
between 1905 and 1910 and for various amateur teams in the years up to 1914. He was born at Flax Bourton
, Somerset
and died at Bells Yew Green, East Sussex
.
was an 18th century poet, and Canon Osbert Mordaunt was the rector of Hampton Lucy
, Warwickshire
and a 19th century cricket player. The genealogical connection with these other Mordaunts is not clear from the family website. Osbert Cautley Mordaunt's family home was Gatcombe Court, Flax Bourton.
at Lord's. He made little impression in that match or in two further games in 1906, but in the very weak Somerset side of 1907 he appeared 10 times and his slow bowling took 30 wickets. His best return and the only time he took five wickets in an innings came in the game against Gloucestershire
, when he took five for 68 in the first innings and four for 24 in the second, sharing the wickets in the match with Talbot Lewis
(there was one run out
batsman). After 1907, Mordaunt played only one further match for Somerset in 1910.
In 1906 and 1908, Mordaunt appeared in non-first-class matches for the Army cricket team
, and a combined Army and Navy side was one of the amateur teams he played for in a handful of first-class matches against university sides after 1910.
. In 1919 he was appointed as officer commanding the School of Signals
, which predated the establishment the following year of the Royal Corps of Signals
, to which he was then permanently assigned. He retired from the army on half pay in 1924.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
played first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
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...
for Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
between 1905 and 1910 and for various amateur teams in the years up to 1914. He was born at Flax Bourton
Flax Bourton
Flax Bourton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish, with a population of 659, is situated within the Unitary Authority of North Somerset, on the edge of Nailsea Moor on the A370 road south west of Bristol city centre....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and died at Bells Yew Green, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
.
Family
Some Mordaunts have been called "Osbert" since the 12th century; Thomas Osbert MordauntThomas Osbert Mordaunt
Thomas Osbert Mordaunt , a British officer and poet, is best remembered for his oft-quoted poem `The Call', written during the Seven Years' War of 1756–1763:-References:...
was an 18th century poet, and Canon Osbert Mordaunt was the rector of Hampton Lucy
Hampton Lucy
Hampton Lucy is a village and civil parish on the River Avon, northeast of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire.-Prominent residents:*Charles Maries , the Victorian botanist was born and educated at Hampton Lucy....
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
and a 19th century cricket player. The genealogical connection with these other Mordaunts is not clear from the family website. Osbert Cautley Mordaunt's family home was Gatcombe Court, Flax Bourton.
Cricket career
Mordaunt was a right-handed lower-order batsman and a right-arm slow bowler. He made his debut for Somerset in a single match in 1905 against MiddlesexMiddlesex 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...
at Lord's. He made little impression in that match or in two further games in 1906, but in the very weak Somerset side of 1907 he appeared 10 times and his slow bowling took 30 wickets. His best return and the only time he took five wickets in an innings came in the game against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, when he took five for 68 in the first innings and four for 24 in the second, sharing the wickets in the match with Talbot Lewis
Talbot Lewis
Albert Edward Lewis , known as "Talbot Lewis", was an English first-class cricketer who played for Somerset between 1899 and 1912. He reappeared for Somerset in one match after the start of the First World War in August 1914, although he played under an assumed name, A...
(there was one run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
batsman). After 1907, Mordaunt played only one further match for Somerset in 1910.
In 1906 and 1908, Mordaunt appeared in non-first-class matches for the Army cricket team
British Army cricket team
The Army cricket team is a cricket side representing the British Army. The team played a number of first-class matches between 1912 and 1939, although a combined "Army and Navy" side had played two games against a combined Oxford and Cambridge team in 1910 and 1911...
, and a combined Army and Navy side was one of the amateur teams he played for in a handful of first-class matches against university sides after 1910.
Military career
Mordaunt joined the Somerset Light Infantry and in 1911 was on the staff of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. In 1916, with the rank of major, he was promoted to acting lieutenant-colonel and seconded as an assistant director of signals. At the end of the First World War, Mordaunt is cited in a report on the final fighting in Italy as Deputy Director of Signals and had been awarded the Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
. In 1919 he was appointed as officer commanding the School of Signals
Royal School of Signals
The Royal School of Signals is a military training establishment that is part of the United Kingdom's Defence College of Communications and Information Systems. It is located at Blandford Camp in Dorset...
, which predated the establishment the following year of the Royal Corps of Signals
Royal Corps of Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals is one of the combat support arms of the British Army...
, to which he was then permanently assigned. He retired from the army on half pay in 1924.