Alfred Inglis
Encyclopedia
Alfred Markham Inglis was an amateur
cricket
er who played for the M.C.C.
and Kent
in the 1870s. By profession, he was a banker.
, India where his father, Lieutenant-Colonel John Eardley Inglis
was serving in the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot. His mother was the Hon. Julia Selina Thesiger, daughter of Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford
. By June 1857, when Inglis was less than a year old, his father was second-in-command under Sir Henry Lawrence at Lucknow
where the British residency was under siege
by Indian "rebels". Lawrence was killed during the early days of the siege
, and as a result Col. Inglis took command of the British forces. Mrs. Inglis kept a diary of the events during the siege which lasted until November when the British were evacuated following the relief of the town by General Colin Campbell
. Her diary was published in 1892.
In the diary she often talks about keeping the "boys" and the "baby" (Alfred) safe during the siege and retreat:
Following the retreat from Lucknow, Mrs. Inglis and her three children returned to England on board SS Ava
; the ship set out from Calcutta for Suez on 10 February 1858, but ran aground off Pigeon Island
, about 12 miles from Trincomalee
, Ceylon on 16 February. The passengers and crew were rescued after spending a night in the ship's boats; the family eventually reached Alexandria
before travelling on to Southampton
, arriving there in early March.
Inglis was educated at Rugby School
before going up to Brasenose College, Oxford
in 1876. He became a banker.
and M.C.C.
.
His first class debut came ten years later when he played for the M.C.C. against Lancashire
. He scored 11 and 12 respectively in his two innings as the M.C.C. were defeated by 8 wickets. Dick Barlow
made his best ever score with 117 in Lancashire's second innings, while Johnny Briggs
took 12 wickets (including Inglis twice).
Inglis' only appearance in County cricket
came in June 1887 for Kent
against Lancashire. Inglis scored a total of 12 runs with Briggs taking 7 wickets for 44 runs in Kent's first innings and Barlow 6 for 28 in the second as Lancashire won by an innings and 62 runs.
Inglis was a keen club cricketer and played for Esher, Free Foresters
, Private Banks and Incogniti, continuing into his 40s For the Free Foresters he had a reputation as a fielder, as recounted by W. K. Riland in his "Annals of the Free Foresters from 1856 to the present day"
, London.
Inglis lived at "Lynton", Beckenham
, and died at Westerham
, Kent on 17 June 1919.
, the Dean of Bristol. They had five children:
Inglis was the third surviving child of John and Julia Inglis. His siblings were:
Amateur sports
Amateur sports are sports in which participants engage largely or entirely without remuneration. Sporting amateurism was a zealously guarded ideal in the 19th century, especially among the upper classes, but faced steady erosion throughout the 20th century with the continuing growth of pro sports...
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 who played for the 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...
and 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...
in the 1870s. By profession, he was a banker.
Early life
Inglis was born in CasouliKasauli
Kasauli is a cantonment and town, located in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The cantonment was established by the British Raj in 1842 as a Colonial hill station, from Shimla, from Chandigarh, and from Panchkula, and lies at a height of .-Demographics:According to the...
, India where his father, Lieutenant-Colonel John Eardley Inglis
John Eardley Inglis
Major-General Sir John Eardley Wilmot Inglis , was a British Army officer.He was born in Nova Scotia, the son of John Inglis, the third bishop of that colony. In 1833 he joined the 32nd Foot, in which all his regimental service was passed...
was serving in the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot. His mother was the Hon. Julia Selina Thesiger, daughter of Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford
Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford
Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford PC KC FRS was a British jurist and Conservative politician. He was twice Lord Chancellor of Great Britain.-Early life:...
. By June 1857, when Inglis was less than a year old, his father was second-in-command under Sir Henry Lawrence at Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
where the British residency was under siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
by Indian "rebels". Lawrence was killed during the early days of the siege
Siege of Lucknow
The Siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defense of the Residency within the city of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After two successive relief attempts had reached the city, the defenders and civilians were evacuated from the Residency, which was abandoned.Lucknow was the capital of...
, and as a result Col. Inglis took command of the British forces. Mrs. Inglis kept a diary of the events during the siege which lasted until November when the British were evacuated following the relief of the town by General Colin Campbell
Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde
Field Marshal Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde GCB, KSI was a British Army officer from Scotland who led the Highland Brigade in the Crimea and was in command of the ‘Thin red line’ at the battle of Balaclava...
. Her diary was published in 1892.
In the diary she often talks about keeping the "boys" and the "baby" (Alfred) safe during the siege and retreat:
I talked to him (Dr. Scott) for some time, and consulted him about baby, who was looking thin and weak. (15 July)
This evening I was standing outside the door with baby in my arms, talking to the ayah, when I felt something whiz past my ears. (23 July)
A poor woman . . . whose husband . . . had been killed during the siege, came to-day to ask me to give her a little milk for her only child, who was dying for the want of proper nourishment. It went to my heart to refuse her; but at this time I had only just enough for my own children, and baby could not have lived without it. I think she understood that I would have given her some if I could. (14 August)
The children still kept pretty well, though baby grew thinner every day; nothing I gave him seemed to nourish him. (28 August)
As we were starting, Major Ouvry brought us some beer to drink, and poor baby, who was very thirsty, cried louder for it than I had ever heard him before. With difficulty I pacified him, and succeeded in getting him to sleep. Just then the word 'Halt!' was heard, and silence was ordered, all lights to be put out. It was evident some danger was apprehended, and I shall never forget my anxiety lest baby should commence crying again, and perhaps betray our whereabouts; I hardly dared breathe. (19 November)
Following the retreat from Lucknow, Mrs. Inglis and her three children returned to England on board SS Ava
SS Ava (1855)
The SS Ava was a 1,613 GRT British steamship, constructed in 1855 by the Tod & McGregor shipyard in Glasgow. Described as "an iron screw barque with one funnel", she was operated by the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company on the China mail service and was named after Ava, the ancient...
; the ship set out from Calcutta for Suez on 10 February 1858, but ran aground off Pigeon Island
Pigeon Island National Park
Pigeon Island National Park is one of the two marine national parks of Sri Lanka. The national park is situated 1 km off the coast of Nilaveli, a coastal town in Eastern Province. The island's name derives from the Rock Pigeon which has colonized it. The national park contains some of the best...
, about 12 miles from Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
, Ceylon on 16 February. The passengers and crew were rescued after spending a night in the ship's boats; the family eventually reached Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
before travelling on to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, arriving there in early March.
Inglis was educated at Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
before going up to Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
in 1876. He became a banker.
Cricket career
At Rugby School, Inglis was a member of the cricket XI in 1875 with appearances against Marlborough CollegeMarlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
and 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...
.
His first class debut came ten years later when he played for the M.C.C. against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
. He scored 11 and 12 respectively in his two innings as the M.C.C. were defeated by 8 wickets. Dick Barlow
Dick Barlow
Richard Gorton Barlow was a cricketer who played for Lancashire and England...
made his best ever score with 117 in Lancashire's second innings, while Johnny Briggs
Johnny Briggs (cricketer)
Johnny Briggs was a left arm spin bowler for Lancashire County Cricket Club between 1879 and 1900 who still stands as the second-highest wicket-taker in the county's history after Brian Statham...
took 12 wickets (including Inglis twice).
Inglis' only appearance in County cricket
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
came in June 1887 for 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...
against Lancashire. Inglis scored a total of 12 runs with Briggs taking 7 wickets for 44 runs in Kent's first innings and Barlow 6 for 28 in the second as Lancashire won by an innings and 62 runs.
Inglis was a keen club cricketer and played for Esher, Free Foresters
Free Foresters Cricket Club
Free Foresters Cricket Club is an English amateur cricket club, established in 1856 for players from the Midland counties of England. It is a 'wandering' club, having no home ground....
, Private Banks and Incogniti, continuing into his 40s For the Free Foresters he had a reputation as a fielder, as recounted by W. K. Riland in his "Annals of the Free Foresters from 1856 to the present day"
Alfred Inglis kindly did all the fielding for our side. Time may have tempered to some degree that ready enthusiasm; but a few years ago, when Inglis was playing on my side, I found it expedient to yell out " Inglis " whenever a ball was hit at all high in the air, by way of saving from utter destruction any other rash or unwary fieldsman who might feel inclined or possibly entitled to go for the catch.
He was the most zealous and untiring fieldsman I ever saw, the sort of man who, if standing or fretting at deep square-leg, might be relied upon to back up cover-point on an emergency. Who that has experienced it will ever forget the sound, as of a mighty rushing steam-engine behind him, as he went to fetch a fourer when Inglis was on the war-path! His activity in very sooth covered not only much ground, but a multitude of other people's sins.
Business career
Inglis was a partner in Child & Co., bankers of Fleet StreetFleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
, London.
Inglis lived at "Lynton", Beckenham
Beckenham
Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...
, and died at Westerham
Westerham
Westerham is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, in South East England with 5,000 people. The parish is south of the North Downs, ten miles west of Sevenoaks. It covers 5800 acres . It is recorded as early as the 9th century, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book in a...
, Kent on 17 June 1919.
Family
On 21 April 1892, Inglis married Ernestine (Nina) May Pigou (1863–1941), daughter of Francis PigouFrancis Pigou
The Very Rev Francis Pigou , DD was an eminent Anglican priest in the second half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th.-Career:...
, the Dean of Bristol. They had five children:
- John (Jack) Alfred Pigou Inglis (1893–1915), killed at the Battle of LoosBattle of LoosThe Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
. - Ernestine (Nesta) Mary Inglis (1895–1990), headmistress at Tudor Hall School, ChislehurstChislehurstChislehurst is a suburban district in south-east London, England, and an electoral ward of the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
, Kent and later at Wykham Park, BanburyBanburyBanbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
, Oxfordshire. - Mildred Catherine Jane Inglis (1897–1979), married (Sir) Victor GoddardVictor GoddardAir Marshal Sir Robert Victor Goddard KCB, CBE usually Victor Goddard, was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He is best known as a protagonist in the 1946 aviation incident immortalized in the 1955 film The Night My Number Came Up.-Early life:Goddard was born at...
(1897–1987) who was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during World War II. - Francis Frederic InglisFrank InglisAir Vice-Marshal Francis "Frank" Frederic Inglis CB, CBE was a British officer in the Royal Air Force who became the head of RAF Intelligence Staff during World War II reporting to Winston Churchill. In 1942 he was sent to America by Churchill, where he successfully persuaded President Franklin D...
(1899–1969), became Air Vice-Marshall and Head of RAF IntelligenceRAF IntelligenceIntelligence services in the Royal Air Force is delivered by Officers of the Royal Air Force Operations Support Intelligence Branch and Airmen from the Intelligence Analyst Trade and Intelligence Analyst Trade...
Staff during World War II. - Alfred Walter Inglis (1899–1967), became Assistant Chief Labour Officer for Imperial Chemical IndustriesImperial Chemical IndustriesImperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
.
Inglis was the third surviving child of John and Julia Inglis. His siblings were:
- John Frederic Inglis (b. 1852, died an infant)
- John Frederic Inglis (1853–1923), who played cricket for KentKent County Cricket ClubKent 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...
and football for WanderersWanderers 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....
and ScotlandEngland 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... - Charles George Inglis (1855–1923), who became a tea planter on the Agra Kandy Estate in Ceylon.
- Victoria Alexandrina Inglis (1859–1929), who married Hubert Ashton, and was mother of cricketers HubertHubert AshtonSir Hubert Ashton KBE MC was an English cricketer and politician...
, GilbertGilbert AshtonGilbert Ashton MC was an English cricketer who played 62 first-class matches between the wars, mostly for Cambridge University and Worcestershire...
, PercyPercy AshtonPercy Ashton was an Indian-born English cricketer. He was a right-arm medium-fast bowler who played for Essex...
and ClaudeClaude AshtonClaude Thesiger Ashton was an English amateur footballer and cricketer. As an amateur, he played football for the Corinthians in several different positions including goalkeeper and centre forward, although his preferred position was wing-half. He made one appearance for the England national team... - Julia Mathilda Inglis (1861–1929), who married Sir George Herman Collier of the India Office
- Rupert Edward Inglis (1863–1916), who was an England international rugby player and became a minister in the Church of England before serving as a chaplain in the First World War and was killed during the Battle of the Somme.