Arthur Paul Boissier (25 January 1881 – 2 October 1953) was an English schoolmaster who was headmaster of

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

, and a wartime civil servant. He was a

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er who played first-class cricket for

Derbyshire County Cricket Club Derbyshire 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 Derbyshire. Its limited overs team is called the Derbyshire Falco ...

in 1901 and 1906.

Life

Boissier was born at

Bloxham Bloxham is a village and civil parish in northern Oxfordshire several miles from the Cotswolds, about southwest of Banbury. It is on the edge of a valley and overlooked by Hobb Hill. The village is on the A361 road. The 2011 Census recorded ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

, the son of the Rev. Frederick Scobell Boissier, M.A., who was then curate of neighbouring

Deddington Deddington is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, south of Banbury. The parish includes two hamlets, Clifton and Hempton. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,146. It has been a market town since the 12th cent ...

as well as a teacher at

Bloxham School Bloxham School, also called All Saints' School, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private co-educational day and boarding school of the Public school (United Kingdom), British public school tradition, located in the village of Bloxham ...

. The Boissier family were minor gentry with a strong tradition of clerical service, descended from Gaspard Boissier (c. 1640–1705), of Geneva. Boissier was educated at St. John's School, Leatherhead. His father became vicar of

St Mary the Virgin's Church, Denby St Mary the Virgin's Church, Denby is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Denby, Derbyshire. History The church dates from the 13th century. It comprises a tower at the west end with a recessed broached spire, a clerest ...

in 1900 and in 1901 Boissier made his first-class debut for Derbyshire against

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

(MCC). He went to

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

where he played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

against

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in 1904. He also played cricket for

in 1903. In 1906 he played again for Derbyshire against

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

. He played four innings in two first-class matches to make a total of six runs. He bowled six overs to take two first-class wickets for 32 runs. From 1905 to 1919 Boissier was a master at the

Royal Naval College, Osborne The Royal Naval College, Osborne, was a training college for Royal Navy officer cadets on the Osborne House estate, Isle of Wight, established in 1903 and closed in 1921. Boys were admitted at about the age of thirteen to follow a course lasting ...

, on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

. In November 1939 he was elected headmaster of

, where he had been employed as an assistant master specializing in Mathematics since 1919. In 1942 he became Director of Public Relations at the

Ministry of Fuel and Power The Ministry of Power was a United Kingdom government ministry dealing with issues concerning energy. The Ministry of Power (then named Ministry of Fuel and Power) was created on 11 June 1942 from functions separated from the Board of Trade. ...

. Boissier married Dorothy Christina Leslie, daughter of Rev. Clement Smith, rector of Whippingham and canon of Windsor, on the

in 1909. Their daughter Beatrice Mary June BoissierVisitation of England and Wales, vol. 18, ed. Frederick Arthur Crisp, 1914, Additions and Corrections, p. x married David Gordon, 4th Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, an Old Harrovian, in 1939. Boissier died at Stockethill,

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, Scotland, in 1953.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boissier, Arthur Paul 1881 births 1953 deaths English cricketers Derbyshire cricketers Head Masters of Harrow School Instructors of the Royal Naval College, Osborne Oxfordshire cricketers English civil servants Alumni of the University of Oxford Oxford University A.F.C. players People educated at St John's School, Leatherhead People from Bloxham Men's association football players not categorized by position English men's footballers