Education, Income and Status: Amateur Cricketers in England and Wales c.1840–c.1930

Abstract

The importance of the amateur element in English and Welsh cricket during the nineteenth and early twentieth century is well known. However, there is not much in-depth information available on the economic, social and educational background of amateur cricketers. This article tries to fill this gap using the information gleaned from a large sample of obituaries, mainly those printed in Wisden. These sources have their weaknesses, which are analysed in the article, but they do provide a good picture of the schooling of amateur cricketers, their main occupations and sources of income, and their county affiliations during the period chosen. The evidence presented is then discussed in the context of recent work on the importance of the growth of service-sector employment in the period and its regional distribution. The article ends with a critical look at amateur cricket and its mores in the context of the current debate on ‘character’ which was a key element in the intellectual and cultural formation of the British gentlemanly class from which amateur cricketers emerged.