Major-General Fendall Currie (24 November 1841 – 4 December 1920) was an English first-class

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er, barrister and

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

officer. He served in the

Bengal Cavalry Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

from 1858–1898, rising to the rank of major-general, in addition being a barrister and a judge while in British India. Currie was also a first-class cricketer, playing once in England for the Gentlemen of Kent.

Life, military and legal career

The son of Sir Frederick Currie, he was born in British India at

Allahabad Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administrat ...

in November 1841. Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, men were hastily recruited in Britain to replace the eight regiments of Bengal Light Cavalry which had mutinied, with Currie enlisting as a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

in the 1st European Light Cavalry and arriving in India in December 1858. He returned to England on leave in 1861, during which he made a single appearance in first-class cricket for the Gentlemen of Kent against the Gentlemen of Marylebone Cricket Club at Canterbury. Batting twice in the match, he was dismissed without scoring in the Gentlemen of Kent first innings by

Henry Arkwright Henry Arkwright (16 December 1837 – 13 October 1866) was an English amateur first-class cricketer. He made seventeen appearances between 1858 and 1866. He is one of only three cricketers to have taken 18 first-class wickets in a match. Early ...

, while in their second innings he batted at number eleven, scoring a single unbeaten run. Currie bowled 23

overs Over may refer to: Places *Over, Cambridgeshire, England *Over, Cheshire, England *Over, South Gloucestershire, England *Over, Tewkesbury, near Gloucester, England **Over Bridge *Over, Seevetal, Germany Music Albums * ''Over'' (album), by Pete ...

across the match, taking 6 wickets. Returning to India, Currie was appointed a deputy commissioner at Hazaribagh in February 1863, before serving in the Oudh commission in September of the same year. He became a lieutenant in March 1864, antedated to March 1859. He was appointed as a judge at the small cause court at Sitapur in June 1868, and in November of the same year he was appointed junior secretary to the chief commissioner there. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in September 1870, at which point he was still serving with the 1st European Light Cavalry, in addition to being a city magistrate at Lucknow. Currie had studied law and was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

as a member of

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

in January 1874. He was appointed a deputy commissioner at Lucknow in November 1878, while in November of the following year he was promoted to brevet

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. He gained the full rank of major in January 1883, while in March 1888 he was appointed a commissioner at Lucknow. By 1898 Currie held the rank of colonel. In June 1898, he was promoted to major-general. He later returned to England, where he settled at

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...

. Currie wrote a number of legal commentaries and manuals, including the ''Indian Code of Criminal Procedure'' and the ''Indian Law Examination Manual''. He was married twice, firstly to Susan Elizabeth Pears until her death in 1868, with the couple having two children, and secondly to Julia Buller, whom he had married in 1869 and had seven children with. Currie died at Dorking in December 1920. Amongst his immediate family, his half-brother's Frederick and William also played first-class cricket. Several nephews were prominent first-class cricketers in

county cricket Inter-county cricket matches are known to have been played since the early 18th century, involving teams that are representative of the historic counties of England and Wales. Since the late 19th century, there have been two county championship ...

.Cheltenham and County. '' Gloucestershire Echo''. 7 December 1920. p. 5

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Currie, Fendall 1840 births 1920 deaths People from Prayagraj British Indian Army generals English cricketers Gentlemen of Kent cricketers Members of Lincoln's Inn English barristers 19th-century English judges 19th-century British military personnel English male non-fiction writers English legal writers Younger sons of baronets Military personnel of British India