Godfrey Darbishire
Encyclopedia
Godfrey Darbishire FRGS
(26 September 1853 – 29 October 1889) was an English
-born rugby union
forward who represented Bangor
at club level and played international rugby for Wales
, gaining one cap in the country's very first international rugby match
.
, Manchester
in 1853. He was educated at Rugby School
before graduating to Balliol College, Oxford
. After spending 18 months at Oxford, his father removed him from the university to rejoin the family. Darbishire moved to North Wales
, where his family were quarry owners, well-known in the Caernarvonshire area. Darbishire settled in the town of Penmaenmawr
where he stayed at Pendyffryn Hall, the family's manor house. The 1881 census records Darbishire's profession as a civil engineer and surveyor, which has some connection to the family's business in stone quarrying.
In 1883, Darbishire emigrated to America
where he carried out important surveys of the state. While in America he met Annie Stein Shelby of Chicago
. They married in Danville, Kentucky
on 3 June 1885, and had one known child, Robert Shelby Derbishire in 1886; by which time the family had moved to Fort Meade
in Florida, where Darbishire had become an orange farmer. It was while living in Polk County
that Darbishire died on 29 October 1889, after becoming ill from exposure
while on a small boat in the sea off Key West
; he was 36 years of age.
Darbishire began playing rugby while a schoolboy, playing for the Rugby school team. He continued his enjoyment of sport while at Oxford University, playing rugby and joining the boat club, and when he settled in the family's North Wales home he turned out for Bangor
cricket
club a few miles down the coast. By 1876, the cricket team had branched out and formed a rugby team, of which Darbishire was one of the first players. With a lack of opposition, the team also played association football.
In 1881, Richard Mullock
had arranged the first international fixture for a Welsh team, to be played at Blackheath in London, against England. The main problem was the fact that Mullock didn't have a team. In an attempt to gain the support of as many regions of Wales as possible, Mullock began selecting 'gentlemen' players based on their geographic location. Darbishire fitted this profile, with a schooling at Rugby and Oxford and a membership of one of the few northern clubs; even the fact that he had not played a rugby game in over two years was not seen as a drawback.
The game against England was a sporting disaster, with the Welsh team meeting without any trials. Few of the team had played together before and several of the players were placed out of position. The English team scored 13 tries, winning the game by eight goals to nil. The Welsh team were humiliated and only four of the fifteen players returned to face Ireland in the country's second international. It was Darbishire's one and only appearance for Wales.
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
(26 September 1853 – 29 October 1889) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
forward who represented Bangor
Bangor RFC
Bangor Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Bangor, North Wales. Bangor RFC is a founding member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Llanelli Scarlets...
at club level and played international rugby for Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
, gaining one cap in the country's very first international rugby match
1880-81 Home Nations rugby union matches
The 1880-81 Home Nations rugby union matches were a series of international rugby union friendlies held between the England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales national rugby union teams. This season is most notable for the introduction of Wales as an international rugby union nation, playing their first...
.
Personal life
Godfrey Darbishire was born in Chorlton-cum-HardyChorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of the city of Manchester, England. It is known locally as Chorlton. It is situated about four miles southwest of Manchester city centre. Pronunciation varies: and are both common....
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in 1853. He 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 graduating to Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
. After spending 18 months at Oxford, his father removed him from the university to rejoin the family. Darbishire moved to North Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, where his family were quarry owners, well-known in the Caernarvonshire area. Darbishire settled in the town of Penmaenmawr
Penmaenmawr
PenmaenmawrConwyPenmaenmawr is a town in the parish of Dwygyfylchi, in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The population was 3857 in 2001. It is a quarrying town, though the latter is no longer a major employer, on the North Wales coast between Conwy and Llanfairfechan.The town was bypassed by the A55...
where he stayed at Pendyffryn Hall, the family's manor house. The 1881 census records Darbishire's profession as a civil engineer and surveyor, which has some connection to the family's business in stone quarrying.
In 1883, Darbishire emigrated to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he carried out important surveys of the state. While in America he met Annie Stein Shelby of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. They married in Danville, Kentucky
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
on 3 June 1885, and had one known child, Robert Shelby Derbishire in 1886; by which time the family had moved to Fort Meade
Fort Meade, Florida
Fort Meade is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,691 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 5,761...
in Florida, where Darbishire had become an orange farmer. It was while living in Polk County
Polk County, Florida
Polk County is located in central Florida between the Tampa Bay and Greater Orlando metropolitan areas. The county was established by the state government in 1861 on the eve of the American Civil War and named after former United States president James K. Polk. The county seat is Bartow and its...
that Darbishire died on 29 October 1889, after becoming ill from exposure
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
while on a small boat in the sea off Key West
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
; he was 36 years of age.
Rugby career
Bangor, Gwynedd
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
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...
club a few miles down the coast. By 1876, the cricket team had branched out and formed a rugby team, of which Darbishire was one of the first players. With a lack of opposition, the team also played association football.
In 1881, Richard Mullock
Richard Mullock
Richard Mullock was a Welsh sporting administrator and official, who is most notable for organising the first Welsh rugby union international game and was instrumental in the creation of the Welsh Football Union, which became the Welsh Rugby Union in 1934...
had arranged the first international fixture for a Welsh team, to be played at Blackheath in London, against England. The main problem was the fact that Mullock didn't have a team. In an attempt to gain the support of as many regions of Wales as possible, Mullock began selecting 'gentlemen' players based on their geographic location. Darbishire fitted this profile, with a schooling at Rugby and Oxford and a membership of one of the few northern clubs; even the fact that he had not played a rugby game in over two years was not seen as a drawback.
The game against England was a sporting disaster, with the Welsh team meeting without any trials. Few of the team had played together before and several of the players were placed out of position. The English team scored 13 tries, winning the game by eight goals to nil. The Welsh team were humiliated and only four of the fifteen players returned to face Ireland in the country's second international. It was Darbishire's one and only appearance for Wales.