Lord John Sackville
Encyclopedia
Lord John Philip Sackville (born 22 June 1713; died 3 December 1765 in Tour du Pain, Lake Geneva
, Switzerland
) was the second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset
. He was a keen cricket
er who was closely connected with the sport in Kent
.
He was Member of Parliament
(MP) for Tamworth
from 1734 to 1747.
when he and his brother Lord Middlesex
played for Kent
v Sussex at Sevenoaks Vine on Friday 6 September.
On 20 August 1735, Sackville again captained Kent to victory against Sir William Gage's Sussex at Sevenoaks Vine. Shortly afterwards, the London Evening Post speculated that "the Conqueror" (i.e., a decider) between the Kent and Sussex teams would be played in a few days, but there is no record of a further match.
Sackville became the main patron of the Kent team and captained the side in many matches until 1745 at least, but he is not mentioned in the sources after that.
In 1739, Sackville played for London Cricket Club
which was having selection problems at the time.
In the 1744 English cricket season
, Lord John challenged an All-England
side to play against his Kent
team and Kent won the game with one wicket to spare, largely thanks to Sackville himself taking a memorable catch to dismiss Richard Newland
. The match details were recorded and preserved in what is now cricket's second oldest known scorecard.
In 1745, Sackville wrote a letter to the Duke of Richmond
after Sussex had lost to Surrey
and said: "I wish you had let Ridgeway
play instead of your stopper behind it might have turned the match in our favour". Evidently, Sackville had wagered on Sussex to win.
and their son, John Frederick, later 3rd Duke of Dorset, was a member of the Hambledon Club
and a leading supporter of cricket in the latter half of the eighteenth century. His son-in-law, the 8th Earl of Thanet
, was an early member of the Marylebone Cricket Club
. His grandsons John Tufton and Henry Tufton
were noted amateur players at the end of the 18th century.
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) was the second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset
Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset
Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, PC was an English political leader and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He was the son of the 6th Earl of Dorset and 1st Earl of Middlesex and the former Lady Mary Compton, younger daughter of the 3rd Earl of Northampton...
. He was a keen 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 was closely connected with the sport 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...
.
He was Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Tamworth
Tamworth (UK Parliament constituency)
Tamworth is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...
from 1734 to 1747.
Cricket career
Sackville was first recorded as a cricketer in the 1734 season1734 English cricket season
In the 1734 English cricket season, four counties and two clubs took part in all the known games....
when he and his brother Lord Middlesex
Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset
Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset PC was a British nobleman, politician, and cricketer. He was styled Lord Buckhurst from 1711 to 1720 and Earl of Middlesex from 1720 to 1765.-Early life:...
played for Kent
Kent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...
v Sussex at Sevenoaks Vine on Friday 6 September.
On 20 August 1735, Sackville again captained Kent to victory against Sir William Gage's Sussex at Sevenoaks Vine. Shortly afterwards, the London Evening Post speculated that "the Conqueror" (i.e., a decider) between the Kent and Sussex teams would be played in a few days, but there is no record of a further match.
Sackville became the main patron of the Kent team and captained the side in many matches until 1745 at least, but he is not mentioned in the sources after that.
In 1739, Sackville played for London Cricket Club
London Cricket Club
The original London Cricket Club was formed by 1722 and was one of the foremost clubs in English cricket over the next four decades. It is closely associated with the Artillery Ground, where it played most of its home matches.-Early history of London cricket:...
which was having selection problems at the time.
In the 1744 English cricket season
1744 English cricket season
1744 was a pivotal season in English cricket history. The earliest known codification of the Laws of Cricket was written by the noblemen and gentlemen of the London Cricket Club which played at the Artillery Ground. Several great matches took place, particularly the challenge by Kent to take on...
, Lord John challenged an All-England
All-England Eleven
In cricket, the term All-England has been used for various non-international teams that have been formed for short-term purposes since the 1739 English cricket season and it indicates that the "Rest of England" is playing against, say, MCC or an individual county team...
side to play against his Kent
Kent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...
team and Kent won the game with one wicket to spare, largely thanks to Sackville himself taking a memorable catch to dismiss Richard Newland
Richard Newland
Richard Newland was an English cricketer in the mid-Georgian period who played for Slindon Cricket Club and Sussex under the patronage of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond. He also represented various All-England teams...
. The match details were recorded and preserved in what is now cricket's second oldest known scorecard.
In 1745, Sackville wrote a letter to the Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond
The 2nd Duke of Richmond has been described as early cricket's greatest patron. Although he had played cricket as a boy, his real involvement began after he succeeded to the dukedom...
after Sussex had lost to Surrey
Surrey county cricket teams
Surrey county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. The first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford.-17th century:...
and said: "I wish you had let Ridgeway
Ridgeway (Sussex cricketer)
Ridgeway was a noted English cricketer of the mid-18th century who played for Sussex and All-England.-Cricket career:...
play instead of your stopper behind it might have turned the match in our favour". Evidently, Sackville had wagered on Sussex to win.
Family and personal life
Sackville married Frances Leveson-Gower, daughter of John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl GowerJohn Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower
John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower PC , known as The Baron Gower from 1709 to 1754, was a British Tory politician, one of the first Tories to enter government in the 18th century.- Background :...
and their son, John Frederick, later 3rd Duke of Dorset, was a member of the Hambledon Club
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:...
and a leading supporter of cricket in the latter half of the eighteenth century. His son-in-law, the 8th Earl of Thanet
Sackville Tufton, 8th Earl of Thanet
Sackville Tufton, 8th Earl of Thanet . He was the second son of Sackville Tufton, 7th Earl of Thanet. Tufton received his early education at Westminster School. He was the father of the 9th, 10th and 11th Earls of Thanet, and John Tufton, a noted cricketer. He was hereditary High Sheriff of...
, was an early member of the 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...
. His grandsons John Tufton and Henry Tufton
Henry Tufton, 11th Earl of Thanet
Henry James Tufton, 11th Earl of Thanet was a peer in the peerage of England and a noted English cricketer of the 1790s.-Biography:...
were noted amateur players at the end of the 18th century.