William Nicholson (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
William Nicholson was an English distiller and Liberal Party
politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1866 and 1885, and later joined the Conservative Party
. He was also an English amateur cricket
er who played first-class cricket
from 1845 to 1869.
Nicholson was born at Upper Holloway
, London, the son of John Nicholson of Upper Clapton, Middlesex and his wife Ellen Payne daughter of Richard Payne. He was educated at Harrow School
and Trinity College, Cambridge
. He was a member of the family which owned the J&W Nicholson & Co
gin
distillery based at Three Mills
. He was mainly associated with Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC), of which he was a prominent member; and with Middlesex (pre-county club)
and Middlesex County Cricket Club
(founded during his career in 1863). He was a right-handed batsman and a wicketkeeper who made 148 known appearances in first-class matches, including a number of appearances for the Gentlemen
between 1846 and 1858.
Nicholson became a director and then chairman of the distillery and was a benefactor of cricket. In 1863 he acquired Basing Park, Alton, Hampshire. In 1864, when MCC finally purchased the freehold of Lord’s Ground, they paid £18,333 6s 8d using money advanced by Nicholson. In 1889, when the foundation stone was laid for the new Lord's Pavilion, it was paid for by a £21,000 loan from Nicholson. He was a J.P.
and Deputy Lieutenant
for Hampshire
In July 1866 Nicholson was elected unopposed as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for the borough of Petersfield
in Hampshire
, at a by-election caused by the elevation to the peerage of the Conservative
MP Sir William Jolliffe
. He was re-elected in 1868
, but defeated at the 1874 general election
. In 1878, he was High Sheriff of Hampshire
. He was re-elected for Petersfield in the 1880 general election
and held the seat until the parliamentary borough
of Petersfield was disenfranchised under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
. The name was transferred to a new county division of Hampshire
. With a wider geographical area, and a franchise expanded under the Representation of the People Act 1884
, the new seat had an electorate more than ten times larger, expanded from 801 in 1880 to 8,202 in 1885. In April 1885 Nicholson announced his resignation from the Liberal Party, stating that he would contest the next election as a Liberal-Conservative. He was adopted by the local Conservative association as their candidate, but at the general election in December that year
he lost the seat by a narrow margin to the Liberal candidate Viscount Wolmer
, and was defeated again at the 1886 election
.
Nicholson died at Westminster at the age of 83.
Nicholson married Isabella Sarah Meek, daughter of John Meek in 1858. They had a large family and one son William Graham Nicholson
was subsequently MP for Petersfield from 1897 to 1935. Another son Brigadier-General John Sanctuary Nicholson
became MP for Westminster Abbey from 1921 to 1924 after a career in the army.
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1866 and 1885, and later joined the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. He was also an English amateur 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 first-class cricket
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...
from 1845 to 1869.
Nicholson was born at Upper Holloway
Upper Holloway
Upper Holloway is a district in the London Borough of Islington, London, centred around the A1 Holloway Road.-Overview:The name has fallen out of common use and the area is generally regarded as being a part of Archway or Holloway. The use of 'Upper Holloway' is most often used for Upper Holloway...
, London, the son of John Nicholson of Upper Clapton, Middlesex and his wife Ellen Payne daughter of Richard Payne. He was educated at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. He was a member of the family which owned the J&W Nicholson & Co
J&W Nicholson & Co
J&W Nicholson & Co was a London-based gin maker. Founded in 1730s during the Gin Craze, the company stopped making gin in England 1941, and closed its premises Three Mills in 1966....
gin
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
distillery based at Three Mills
Three Mills
The Three Mills are former working mills on the River Lea in the East End of London, one of London’s oldest extant industrial centres. The largest and most powerful of the four remaining tidal mills is possibly the largest tidal mill in the world...
. He was mainly associated with 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), of which he was a prominent member; and with Middlesex (pre-county club)
Middlesex county cricket teams
Middlesex county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Given that the first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford, it is almost certain that the game had reached...
and Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex 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...
(founded during his career in 1863). He was a right-handed batsman and a wicketkeeper who made 148 known appearances in first-class matches, including a number of appearances for the Gentlemen
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
between 1846 and 1858.
Nicholson became a director and then chairman of the distillery and was a benefactor of cricket. In 1863 he acquired Basing Park, Alton, Hampshire. In 1864, when MCC finally purchased the freehold of Lord’s Ground, they paid £18,333 6s 8d using money advanced by Nicholson. In 1889, when the foundation stone was laid for the new Lord's Pavilion, it was paid for by a £21,000 loan from Nicholson. He was a J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Hampshire
In July 1866 Nicholson was elected unopposed as the 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 the borough of Petersfield
Petersfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Petersfield was an English Parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Petersfield in Hampshire. It existed for several hundred years until its abolition for the 1983 general election....
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, at a by-election caused by the elevation to the peerage of the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP Sir William Jolliffe
William Jolliffe, 1st Baron Hylton
William George Hylton Jolliffe, 1st Baron Hylton PC , known as Sir William Jolliffe, Bt, between 1821 and 1866, was a British soldier and Conservative politician...
. He was re-elected in 1868
United Kingdom general election, 1868
The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...
, but defeated at the 1874 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1874
-Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
. In 1878, he was High Sheriff of Hampshire
High Sheriff of Hampshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Hampshire, the title was often given as High Sheriff of the County of Southampton until 1959.-List of High Sheriffs:*1070–1096: Hugh de Port *1105: Henry de Port *1129: William de Pont de l'Arche...
. He was re-elected for Petersfield in the 1880 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1880
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
and held the seat until the parliamentary borough
Parliamentary borough
Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...
of Petersfield was disenfranchised under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...
. The name was transferred to a new county division of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. With a wider geographical area, and a franchise expanded under the Representation of the People Act 1884
Representation of the People Act 1884
In the United Kingdom, the Representation of the People Act 1884 and the Redistribution Act of the following year were laws which further extended the suffrage in Britain after the Disraeli Government's Reform Act 1867...
, the new seat had an electorate more than ten times larger, expanded from 801 in 1880 to 8,202 in 1885. In April 1885 Nicholson announced his resignation from the Liberal Party, stating that he would contest the next election as a Liberal-Conservative. He was adopted by the local Conservative association as their candidate, but at the general election in December that year
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
he lost the seat by a narrow margin to the Liberal candidate Viscount Wolmer
William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne
William Waldegrave Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne KG, GCMG, PC , styled Viscount Wolmer between 1882 and 1895, was a British politician and colonial administrator.-Background and education:...
, and was defeated again at the 1886 election
United Kingdom general election, 1886
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the UK general election, 1886*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
.
Nicholson died at Westminster at the age of 83.
Nicholson married Isabella Sarah Meek, daughter of John Meek in 1858. They had a large family and one son William Graham Nicholson
William Graham Nicholson
William Graham Nicholson PC, JP was a British Liberal Unionist and later Conservative Party politician.The eldest son of William Nicholson JP DL, of Basing Park, Hampshire, he was educated at Harrow School and at Trinity College, Cambridge.He was Lieutenant-Colonel and Honorary Colonel commanding...
was subsequently MP for Petersfield from 1897 to 1935. Another son Brigadier-General John Sanctuary Nicholson
John Sanctuary Nicholson
Brigadier-General John Sanctuary Nicholson, CB, CMG, CBE, DSO was a British soldier and politician. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1921 to 1924....
became MP for Westminster Abbey from 1921 to 1924 after a career in the army.