Archdale Palmer Wickham (9 November 1855 – 13 October 1935) was an English Anglican

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

er and

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Clerical career

Wickham was the son of the Rev. Edmund Dawe Wickham of Holmwood, and was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

. He matriculated in 1874 at

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at ...

, where he read Classics, and graduated B.A. in 1879. He then prepared for the

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

hood at

Leeds Clergy School Leeds Clergy School was a theological college of the Church of England which was founded in 1876 and closed in 1925. It was established by the Rev. John Gott, Vicar of Leeds and later Bishop of Truro, with the first principal being E C S Gibson, ...

and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

. After three curacies he was

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pr ...

Martock Martock is a large village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the edge of the Somerset Levels north west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The parish includes Hurst, approximately one mile south of the village, an ...

, Somerset, from 1888 to 1911 and a

prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of t ...

Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England, dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, whose cathedra it holds as mother church of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Built as a ...

from 1904 to 1911. He was then vicar of

East Brent East Brent is a village and civil parish, on the eastern edge of a hill that dominates the surrounding level countryside—Brent Knoll—close to the M5 motorway, west of Axbridge, in the Sedgemoor district of the county of Somerset, in the so ...

, Somerset, from 1911 until his death in 1935.

Cricket career

Wickham played 82 first-class matches for

Somerset County Cricket Club Somerset County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Somerset. Founded in 1875, Somerset was initially regarded as a minor ...

between 1891 and 1907. He also played for a number of representative teams and for

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, and played second-class cricket for

Norfolk County Cricket Club Norfolk County Cricket Club is one of twenty minor county cricket clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Norfolk. The team is currently a member of the Minor Counties Champion ...

from 1881 to 1890. A

wicket-keeper The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being watchful of the batsman and ready to take a catch, stump the batsman out and run out a batsman when occasion arises. T ...

and right-handed batsman, he scored 760 career first-class runs, and claimed 90 catches and 60

stumpings Stumped is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket, which involves the wicket-keeper putting down the wicket while the batsman is out of his ground. (The batsman leaves his ground when he has moved down the pitch beyond the popping crease ...

. He had a distinctive wicket-keeping stance, bending low with his feet more than a metre apart. Playing for Somerset against

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

in the

County Championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It b ...

in 1899, he kept throughout Hampshire's innings of 672 for 7 without conceding a bye. This remained a record in the Championship until 2002. In 1901, playing for Somerset against Oxford University, he kept wicket for both sides: when the Oxford wicketkeeper was injured during the match, Wickham volunteered to stand in briefly for him. It is the only known instance in first-class cricket of a player keeping wickets for both sides in the same match. He was not noted for his batting, and usually batted at number 11. However, when he made his highest first-class score of 28, he top-scored in Somerset's second innings as they struggled in vain to avoid an innings defeat against

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

in 1900.

Personal life

Wickham was a renowned amateur

, specializing in the Lepidoptera. In 1917 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Entomological Society The Royal Entomological Society is devoted to the study of insects. Its aims are to disseminate information about insects and improving communication between entomology, entomologists. The society was founded in 1833 as the Entomological Socie ...

. His collection of butterflies numbered many thousands. After his death his collection of specimens and manuscripts was lodged at the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docume ...

. Wickham married firstly, in 1883, Emily Helena McPherson Baldwin (1856–1890), daughter of the Rev. John Richard Baldwin, a chaplain in India. They had a daughter and two sons. He and his second wife, Harriet Elizabeth Strong, who came from a family of vicars and brewers, had a son and two daughters.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wickham, Archie 1855 births 1935 deaths Cricketers from Surrey English cricketers Somerset cricketers Oxford University cricketers Somerset County Cricket Club presidents Gentlemen cricketers Gentlemen of England cricketers Oxford and Cambridge Universities Past and Present cricketers People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of New College, Oxford 19th-century English Anglican priests 20th-century English Anglican priests English entomologists North v South cricketers Oxford University Past and Present cricketers Wicket-keepers