Arthur James Ceely (14 October 1834 – 31 December 1866) was an English soldier and cricketer.
Ceely was born in Aylesbury, the son of James Ceely who was a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.[1][2][3] He attended Charterhouse School and, in 1854, went up to Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge University. Having played cricket for Charterhouse, he played for a Gentlemen of Kent side and for Kent County Cricket Club in 1854 before appearing in non-first-class matches for the university and his college in 1855. He was described as a "brilliant cricketer" by the archives of Gonville and Caius[2] but played only three matches which have been given first-class cricket status.[4][5][6]
Ceely left the university after a year and enlisted in the British army.[2] He was commissioned in the 42nd Highlanders and saw service during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was at the Siege of Lucknow and at the Capture of Bareilly and was awarded the Indian Mutiny Medal.[1][2][3] He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1858.[2]
Ceely died at sea on 31 December 1866 off the Point-de-Galle in what was then Ceylon whilst returning to England.[2][3] He was 32 years old. His parents dedicated stained glass windows to his memory at St Mary the Virgin's Church, Aylesbury.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Venn J & Venn JA (1922) Arthur Ceely in Alumni cantabrigienses; a biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge, from the earliest times to 1900, p.547, University of Cambridge. (Available online. Retrieved 2017-04-16.)
- ^ a b c d e f Biographical History of Gonville and Caius College 1349-1897, p.316. Cambridge University Press Archive.
- ^ a b c Parrish WD (1879) List of Carthusians, 1800 to 1879, p.43. Lewes: Farncombe and Co. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ Arthur Ceely, CricInfo. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
- ^ Arthur Ceely, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
- ^ Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition), pp. 106–107. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-21.)
- ^ Aylesbury, St Mary The Virgin - Stained Glass & Aylesbury, St Mary The Virgin - Stained Glass, Glass Angel's Flickr photostream. Retrieved 2017-04-16.