White Conduit Club
Encyclopedia
The White Conduit Club, although short-lived, was perhaps the most significant club in cricket
history for it bridged the gulf between the rural and rustic Hambledon
era and the new, modern and metropolitan era of MCC
and Lord's, the two entities that it spawned.
We do not know for certain when the WCC was founded but it seems to have been after 1780 and certainly by 1785. The famous batsman William Beldham was hired while still a young professional by the WCC in 1785 and he told James Pycroft
, author of The Cricket Field (1851) that his farming employer concluded a deal with George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea
to allow Beldham time off his agricultural duties to go to the "new cricket ground" at White Conduit Fields
in Islington
and play for Hampshire (or more accurately, the Hambledon club) against All-England. The score of the match has evidently been lost because there is no trace of an All-England v Hampshire game at White Conduit Fields in or about 1785. Beldham's first match in Scores & Biographies was for All-England v WCC at Lord's in 1787; but he was previously recorded as playing for Berkshire against Essex in 1785 (this match was reported by H T Waghorn
in his Dawn of Cricket).
Although his match cannot be traced, it is interesting that Beldham described the ground at White Conduit Fields
as "new" because it was not a new venue, although perhaps a new area of it had been designated for use by the WCC. What was "new" was the club, not the venue.
The WCC had its origin in much earlier gentlemen's clubs. By the 1720s, cricket was already well-established in southern counties such as Kent, Surrey and Sussex. It was also being played and watched, often by large crowds of spectators, in London, where many of its leading advocates and players were members of the aristocracy. One of the earliest recognised London cricket clubs was the Je-ne-sais-quoi, later known as the Star and Garter, which had a meeting place on Pall Mall and actually drew up a set of Laws there in 1774. In the 1730s and 1740s, the Star and Garter Club had Frederick, Prince of Wales
as its chairman. From that club there grew the WCC, so-called because it played on White Conduit Fields. Its leading lights were George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea
(1752-1826) and the Hon. Colonel Charles Lennox (1764-1819), who later became the 4th Duke of Richmond
. The WCC was nominally an exclusive club that only "gentlemen" might play for, but the club did employ professionals and one of these was the bowler Thomas Lord
, a man who was recognised for his business acumen as well as his bowling ability.
And so it might have continued except that White Conduit Fields was an open area allowing members of the public, including the rowdier elements, to watch the matches and to voice their opinions on the play and the players. The White Conduit gentlemen were not amused by such interruptions and decided to look for a more private venue of their own.
Thomas Lord ultimately used his business abilities to become a successful wine and provisions merchant, but he is remembered for his cricket grounds (there were three in all). Winchilsea and Lennox asked Lord to find a new ground and offered him a guarantee against any losses he may suffer in the venture. So Lord took a lease from the Portman Estate on some land at Dorset Fields where Dorset Square is now sited; and the ground was prepared and opened in 1787. It was named Lord's cricket ground and, since it was in Marylebone, the WCC on relocating there decided to call themselves Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC).
As for White Conduit Club, it disappeared in the aftermath of MCC's founding and White Conduit Fields also disappeared under increasing urbanisation as London grew and swallowed the village of Islington whole.
For the record, White Conduit Club is known to have played at least eleven matches between 1785 and 1788. The last, ironically, was on 27 June 1788 against MCC at Lord's (Dorset Square). It is recorded in Scores & Biographies on page 83 but it was not a major match because the WCC team contained ten unknown players. MCC won by 83 runs and WCC played no more.
S&B bemoans the lack of fixtures in this season (though there were more than in 1784) but there is a historical significance in that state of affairs because it reflected the decline of Hambledon's
influence while the emergence of WCC foreshadowed the shift in focus to London. Cricket at this time had reached a watershed.
These are the number of known appearances by White Conduit Club players (M = matches played):
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...
history for it bridged the gulf between the rural and rustic Hambledon
Hambledon Club
The Hambledon Club was a social club that is famous for its organisation of 18th century cricket matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England.-Foundation:...
era and the new, modern and metropolitan era of MCC
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...
and Lord's, the two entities that it spawned.
We do not know for certain when the WCC was founded but it seems to have been after 1780 and certainly by 1785. The famous batsman William Beldham was hired while still a young professional by the WCC in 1785 and he told James Pycroft
James Pycroft
James Pycroft is chiefly known for writing The Cricket Field, one of the earliest books about cricket, published in 1851. Pycroft mythologised cricket as a noble, manly and essentially British activity James Pycroft (1813, Geyers House, Wiltshire – 1895-03-10, Brighton, Sussex) is chiefly known...
, author of The Cricket Field (1851) that his farming employer concluded a deal with George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea
George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea
George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea KG PC FRS was an important figure in the history of cricket. His main contributions to the game were patronage and organisation but Winchilsea, an amateur, was also a very keen player....
to allow Beldham time off his agricultural duties to go to the "new cricket ground" at White Conduit Fields
White Conduit Fields
White Conduit Fields in Islington was an early venue of major cricket matches and the original home of the White Conduit Club, forerunner of MCC...
in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
and play for Hampshire (or more accurately, the Hambledon club) against All-England. The score of the match has evidently been lost because there is no trace of an All-England v Hampshire game at White Conduit Fields in or about 1785. Beldham's first match in Scores & Biographies was for All-England v WCC at Lord's in 1787; but he was previously recorded as playing for Berkshire against Essex in 1785 (this match was reported by H T Waghorn
H T Waghorn
Henry Thomas Waghorn , was a cricket statistician and historian. He is best known for his two classic researches into cricket's early history: The Dawn of Cricket and Cricket Scores: 1730 - 1773....
in his Dawn of Cricket).
Although his match cannot be traced, it is interesting that Beldham described the ground at White Conduit Fields
White Conduit Fields
White Conduit Fields in Islington was an early venue of major cricket matches and the original home of the White Conduit Club, forerunner of MCC...
as "new" because it was not a new venue, although perhaps a new area of it had been designated for use by the WCC. What was "new" was the club, not the venue.
The WCC had its origin in much earlier gentlemen's clubs. By the 1720s, cricket was already well-established in southern counties such as Kent, Surrey and Sussex. It was also being played and watched, often by large crowds of spectators, in London, where many of its leading advocates and players were members of the aristocracy. One of the earliest recognised London cricket clubs was the Je-ne-sais-quoi, later known as the Star and Garter, which had a meeting place on Pall Mall and actually drew up a set of Laws there in 1774. In the 1730s and 1740s, the Star and Garter Club had Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales was a member of the House of Hanover and therefore of the Hanoverian and later British Royal Family, the eldest son of George II and father of George III, as well as the great-grandfather of Queen Victoria...
as its chairman. From that club there grew the WCC, so-called because it played on White Conduit Fields. Its leading lights were George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea
George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea
George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea KG PC FRS was an important figure in the history of cricket. His main contributions to the game were patronage and organisation but Winchilsea, an amateur, was also a very keen player....
(1752-1826) and the Hon. Colonel Charles Lennox (1764-1819), who later became the 4th Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox KG, PC was a British soldier and politician and Governor General of British North America.-Background:...
. The WCC was nominally an exclusive club that only "gentlemen" might play for, but the club did employ professionals and one of these was the bowler Thomas Lord
Thomas Lord
Thomas Lord was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1787 to 1802. He made a brief comeback, playing in one further match in 1815. Overall, Lord made 90 known appearances in first-class cricket...
, a man who was recognised for his business acumen as well as his bowling ability.
And so it might have continued except that White Conduit Fields was an open area allowing members of the public, including the rowdier elements, to watch the matches and to voice their opinions on the play and the players. The White Conduit gentlemen were not amused by such interruptions and decided to look for a more private venue of their own.
Thomas Lord ultimately used his business abilities to become a successful wine and provisions merchant, but he is remembered for his cricket grounds (there were three in all). Winchilsea and Lennox asked Lord to find a new ground and offered him a guarantee against any losses he may suffer in the venture. So Lord took a lease from the Portman Estate on some land at Dorset Fields where Dorset Square is now sited; and the ground was prepared and opened in 1787. It was named Lord's cricket ground and, since it was in Marylebone, the WCC on relocating there decided to call themselves Marylebone Cricket Club
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...
(MCC).
As for White Conduit Club, it disappeared in the aftermath of MCC's founding and White Conduit Fields also disappeared under increasing urbanisation as London grew and swallowed the village of Islington whole.
For the record, White Conduit Club is known to have played at least eleven matches between 1785 and 1788. The last, ironically, was on 27 June 1788 against MCC at Lord's (Dorset Square). It is recorded in Scores & Biographies on page 83 but it was not a major match because the WCC team contained ten unknown players. MCC won by 83 runs and WCC played no more.
1784
| Date | Match Title | Venue | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 May | "A Great Cricket Match" | White Conduit Fields White Conduit Fields White Conduit Fields in Islington was an early venue of major cricket matches and the original home of the White Conduit Club, forerunner of MCC... |
unknown | FLPV |
| 27 May | "A Great Cricket Match" | White Conduit Fields White Conduit Fields White Conduit Fields in Islington was an early venue of major cricket matches and the original home of the White Conduit Club, forerunner of MCC... |
unknown | FLPV |
| It is almost certain that these matches involved the White Conduit Club but few details are known. The Earl of Winchilsea was noted as "the best bat" in the first game; a few players in the second game were named including Dorset, Winchilsea, Talbot and Lennox. | ||||
1785
| 20 June | Gents of Kent v White Conduit Club | Sevenoaks Vine | G Kent by 104 runs | WDC |
| Gents of Kent 105 (Stanford 38) and 131 (Amherst 22, Whitehead 22); WCC 46 and 86 (Lennox 25, Peachey 21). No bowling or fielding details have been preserved. | ||||
| 30/6-1/7 | White Conduit Club v Gents of Kent | White Conduit Fields White Conduit Fields White Conduit Fields in Islington was an early venue of major cricket matches and the original home of the White Conduit Club, forerunner of MCC... |
WCC by 304 runs | SB62 |
| WCC 170 (Lennox 42, Capt. Monson 29; Hosmer 4-?) and 284 (Burrell 97, Newman 56; Hosmer 3-?); Gents of Kent 122 (Stanford 59, Hosmer 22; Capt. Monson 5-?) and 28 (East 4-?) |
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| A total collapse by the Gents of Kent in the final innings. | ||||
S&B bemoans the lack of fixtures in this season (though there were more than in 1784) but there is a historical significance in that state of affairs because it reflected the decline of Hambledon's
Hambledon Club
The Hambledon Club was a social club that is famous for its organisation of 18th century cricket matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England.-Foundation:...
influence while the emergence of WCC foreshadowed the shift in focus to London. Cricket at this time had reached a watershed.
1786
| 22-24 June | White Conduit Club v Kent | White Conduit Fields White Conduit Fields White Conduit Fields in Islington was an early venue of major cricket matches and the original home of the White Conduit Club, forerunner of MCC... |
WCC by 5 runs | SB64 |
| WCC 103 (Taylor 33; Bullen 2-?, Clifford 2-?) and 123 (J Small sr 49, G Monson 26; Clifford 3-?) Kent 121 (Hosmer 26, Bullen 26; Stevens 2-?) and 100 (Hosmer 25; Stevens 4-?) |
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| A very tight finish and it seems that master bowler Lumpy made all the difference. Tom Walker made his (known) first-class debut in this game. | ||||
| 8-12 August | Kent v White Conduit Club | Bishopsbourne Paddock Bishopsbourne Paddock Bishopsbourne Paddock was a cricket ground at Bourne House, seat of Sir Horatio Mann, near Canterbury in Kent. It was a popular venue for first-class matches from 1766 to 1790.-Matches:... |
WCC by 164 runs | SB68 |
| WCC 183 (T Walker 95*, East 26; Clifford 4-?) and 296 (Taylor 117, T Walker 102; Bullen 4-?) Kent 218 ( Stanford 73, Amherst 39, Boorman 32; Harris 3-?) and 97 (Clifford 41, Collier 35; Harris 3-?) |
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| Tom Walker, known as "Old Everlasting", was very close to becoming the first batsman ever to score two centuries in a match. The centuries by Walker and Thomas Taylor are the first instance of two players scoring centuries in the same match, let alone the same innings. Although it cannot be confirmed, it is possible they shared a 200-plus partnership. These were the third and fourth centuries in recorded first-class cricket, following the previous hundreds by John Small sr and James Aylward who were both playing in this game. Arthur Haygarth commented in S&B about this game: "There are only a few recorded matches of the White Conduit Club. The Marylebone Club was formed in 1787 from its members. The date of the formation of the White Conduit could not be found." |
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1787
Thomas Lord established his first ground on Dorset Fields in Marylebone. It was on the site of the present Dorset Square. Lord's backers were members of the nobility led by the Earl of Winchilsea and Colonel Charles Lennox. The first match at Lord’s was on 21 May between the White Conduit Club and Middlesex.| 21 May | White Conduit Club v Middlesex | Lord's (Dorset Square) | unknown | FL18 |
| The pre-match notice has survived. Lord’s is called the New Cricket Ground at New Road in Marylebone. The sides were termed eleven Noblemen (sic) of the White Conduit Club and eleven Gentlemen (sic) of the County of Middlesex with two men given, for "500 guineas a side". None of the players are named. | ||||
| 5-6 June | White Conduit Club v Middlesex | Lord's (Dorset Square) | WCC by 10(?) wkts | WDC |
| The Earl of Winchilsea didn’t play because he was unwell. The detailed scorecard has not survived but the WCC team was Sir Peter Burrell, Mr John Peachey, Mr - Dampier, Capt. Charles Cumberland, Mr G East, Mr Assheton Smith, Mr George Talbot, Mr Richard Newman, Mr R B Wyatt, Mr Edward Hussey and Mr C Drummond. White Conduit batting last needed 38 to win and apparently scored 39-0. It seems as if Burrell and Smith opened and reached the target without a wicket having fallen but it is not definite. FL18 reports that Cumberland's bowling was "much commended" but he was badly injured when "attempting to leap over a rail" (to take a catch?) and "is now very lame at his house in Tunbridge Wells". |
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| 14-15 June | White Conduit Club v Middlesex | Lord's (Dorset Square) | Middx by 8 wkts | FL18 |
| WCC 80 (Butcher 30; Boorman 4-?) and 90 (Wyatt 26; Boorman 2-?, Bedster 2-?) Middlesex 126 (Dean 23, Louch 22) and 45-2 (Louch 16*) |
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| The match report said about the injured Capt. Charles Cumberland that "(he) second to none as a bowler and second to few as a fieldsman, was unable to play for the Club owing to an injured ankle." | ||||
| 20-22 June | White Conduit Club v All-England | Lord's (Dorset Square) | AEE by 239 runs | SB71 |
| AEE 247 (Aylward 94, Bullen 44, Hosmer 41; Harris 4-?) and 197 (Beldham 63, J Small jr 42, J Small sr 32*) WCC 112 (Dampier 26, Hussey 21; Beldham 2-?) and 93 (Taylor 25; Beldham 2-?, Mann 2-?) |
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| WCC were clearly outclassed by a strong England team containing several professionals. | ||||
| 30 July | MCC 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... v White Conduit Club |
Lord's (Dorset Square) | result unknown | FL18 |
| This is believed to have been the first ever MCC match. It was advertised on 27 July in The World but no other information is known. | ||||
| 2 August | Hornchurch v White Conduit Club | Langton Park, Hornchurch | WCC by 100+ runs | WDC |
| In this game, White Conduit combined with Moulsey Hurst Club in order to take on Hornchurch. The exact result is uncertain but it was by over 100 runs: WCC scored 89 and at least 162; Hornchurch 100 and not above 50. The only player mentioned in WDC is Winchilsea who scored between 20 and 30 but whether in one innings or in the whole match we do not know. The stake was 500 guineas. | ||||
| The teams are in FL18 but no scorecard information. The WCC/MHC team was Earl of Winchilsea, Sir Peter Burrell, Mr G East, Mr George Talbot, Mr C Drummond, Mr G Boult, Mr - Slater, Mr George Louch, William Bedster, Edward "Lumpy" Stevens and - Davy (Surrey); Lumpy and Davy were professional bowlers. | ||||
1788
| 27 June | MCC v White Conduit Club | Lord's (Dorset Square) | MCC by 83 runs | SB83 |
| MCC 62 (Talbot 20*; Weston 4-?) and 124 (Burrell 33, Talbot 31; Nicoll 4-?) WCC 42 (Nicoll 16; East 4-?) and 61 (Rutten 17; East 5-?) |
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| This game is the earliest MCC match for which the score has survived. It seems to have been the last match played by White Conduit Club. | ||||
White Conduit Club Appearances
These are the number of known appearances by White Conduit Club players (M = matches played):
| player's name | M |
|---|---|
| Anguish, Mr Charles (MCC) | 1 |
| Aston, Capt. Henry Hervey (Hants) | 1 |
| Bedster, William (Surrey/Middx) | 1 |
| Boult, Mr George senior (Berks/Middx) | 2 |
| Burrell, Sir Peter (Kent) | 6 |
| Butcher, (Surrey) | 1 |
| Chippendale, Mr – (WCC) | 1 |
| Clifford, Robert (Kent) | 1 |
| Cumberland, Capt. Charles (MCC) | 1 |
| Dampier, Mr – (WCC) | 6 |
| Davy, – (Surrey) | 1 |
| Drummond, Mr C (Surrey) | 4 |
| East, Mr G (Berks) | 5 |
| Everitt, Mr – (WCC) | 1 |
| Harris, David (Hants) | 2 |
| Hawkins, Mr – (Hants) | 1 |
| Hussey, Mr Edward (Kent) | 2 |
| Lawrence, Richard (Berks) | 1 |
| Le Gros, Mr J (WCC) | 1 |
| Le Gros, Mr W (WCC) | 1 |
| Lennox, Hon. Col. Charles (MCC) | 3 |
| Louch, Mr George (MCC) | 2 |
| Mann, Noah (Hants) | 2 |
| Martin, – (Essex) | 1 |
| Monson, Captain – (WCC) | 1 |
| Monson, Hon. George Henry (MCC) | 2 |
| Newman, Mr Richard (MCC/Essex/Kent) | 4 |
| Nicoll, Mr – (WCC) | 1 |
| Ogle, Mr – (WCC) | 1 |
| Peachey, Mr John (WCC) | 3 |
| Price, Mr – (WCC) | 1 |
| Purchase, Richard (Hants) | 1 |
| Rimmington, ? (Essex/Kent) | 1 |
| Ring, John “Little Joey” (Kent) | 1 |
| Rutten, Mr – (WCC) | 1 |
| Sellers, Mr – (WCC) | 1 |
| Slater, Mr – (Berks/Middx) | 1 |
| Small, John senior (Hants) | 2 |
| Smith, Mr Assheton (MCC) | 1 |
| Stevens, Edward "Lumpy" (Surrey) | 3 |
| Strathavon, Lord Charles (Surrey; snr) | 1 |
| Talbot, Mr George (MCC) | 4 |
| Taylor, Thomas (Hants) | 3 |
| Tyson, Mr – (MCC) | 2 |
| Walker, Harry (Surrey) | 1 |
| Walker, Thomas (Surrey) | 3 |
| Weston, Mr – (WCC) | 1 |
| Winchilsea, Earl of (MCC) | 7 |
| Wyatt, Mr J (Essex) | 4 |