Barron Kilner (11 October 1852 – 28 December 1922) was an English

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

footballer who played in the 1880s, and rugby union administrator of the 1890s. He played at representative level for

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, and at club level for

Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home fixtures at the DIY Kitchen Stadium, Belle Vue (Wakefield), Belle Vue and currently compete in the Super League, the top tier o ...

(were a rugby union club at the time), as a forward, e.g. front row,

lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

, or back row. Prior to 27 August 1895, Wakefield Trinity was a

club. Barron Kilner was also Mayor of Wakefield in 1899.Tony Collins, "Rugby's Great Split: Class, Culture and the Origins of Rugby League football age-157. Taylor & Francis 2006"

Background

Barron Kilner was born in Thornhill Lees,

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

, and he died aged 70 in

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

Playing career

International honours

Barron Kilner won a cap for England while at Wakefield Trinity in the 1879–80 Home Nations rugby union match against Ireland.

County honours

Kilner represented

while at Wakefield Trinity.

"The Rugby Match"

Kilner can be seen in the crowd of

William Barnes Wollen William Barnes Wollen (6 October 1857 – 28 March 1936) was an English Painting, painter mostly known for his paintings of battle and historical scenes and sporting events. Career Born in Leipzig on 6 October 1857, he was educated at Univer ...

's painting "The Rugby Match", which features Yorkshire's 11–3 victory over

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

during the 1893/94 season and is now held at the

Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the Sports governing body, national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby ...

headquarters at

Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium (; usually known as Twickenham, and for sponsorship purposes known as the Allianz Stadium Twickenham) is a rugby union stadium in Twickenham, London, England. It is owned by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), the English rugby u ...

. Alf Barraclough is shown being tackled, and passing the ball to Jack Toothill, with Tommy Dobson on the outside. Kilner is the first person in the crowd to the right of Dobson's head.

References

External links

Biography of Arthur Budd with an 1890–91 RFU Committee photograph including Barron Kilner
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilner, Barron 1852 births 1922 deaths England international rugby union players English rugby union players People from Thornhill, West Yorkshire Sportspeople from Kirklees Rugby union forwards Rugby union officials Rugby union players from Dewsbury Wakefield Trinity players Yorkshire County RFU players