Frederick George Brabazon Ponsonby, 6th Earl of Bessborough (11 September 1815 – 11 March 1895), was an Anglo-Irish peer who played first-class cricket 1834–56 for Surrey, Cambridge Town Club (aka Cambridgeshire), Cambridge University (CUCC) and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Earl of Bessborough | |
|---|---|
 The 6th Earl of Bessborough | |
| Born | 11 September 1815 |
| Died | 11 March 1895 (aged 79) |
| Father | John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough |
| Mother | Lady Maria Fane |
Background and education
editPonsonby was born in Marylebone, the third son of John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough, and his wife Lady Maria Fane. He was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1837 he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn, and was called to the Bar in 1840.[1] He inherited the earldom on 28 January 1880 when his elder brother died without a male heir.
Cricket
editThroughout his cricket career, Bessborough was known as the Hon. Frederic Ponsonby. He played at both Harrow and Cambridge University, batting right-handed. He was an active player until about 1845, after which, due to an arm injury, he could only play sporadically.[2] Ponsonby was a founder of Surrey County Cricket Club and was elected its first vice-president. He was also a founder of I Zingari, and of the Old Stagers amateur theatre company.
Personal life
editLord Bessborough died at Westminster on 11 March 1895. He never married, and was succeeded in the earldom by his younger brother, Walter.
He owned 35,000 acres, mostly in Kilkenny and Carlow.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Ponsonby, the Hon. Frederick George Brabazon (PNSY834FG)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ "Obituaries in 1895". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. 1896. Retrieved 13 September 2024 – via ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ The great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland
External links
edit- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Bessborough
- Frederick Ponsonby at ESPNcricinfo
 | This biography of an earl in the peerage of the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
  | This biographical article related to an English cricket person born in the 1810s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
.svg){kind=small} | This biography of an earl in the Peerage of Ireland is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |