Andrew Marshall Porter (6 January 1874 – 5 June 1900) was an Irish barrister who was killed in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

while fighting for the

Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but su ...

. He was also a noted sportsman, representing Ireland at both

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 st ...

and

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shootin ...

. Born at

Donnycarney Donnycarney () is a Northside suburb in the city of Dublin, Ireland, in the jurisdiction of Dublin City Council. It is mostly residential, around from the centre of Dublin. Dublin GAA's home stadium, Parnell Park, is located here. Location D ...

, Porter was the son of Andrew Marshall Porter, Sr. (later 1st Baronet), a lawyer who was an MP for Londonderry and served variously as Ireland's Solicitor-General,

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

, and

Master of the Rolls The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Head of Civil Justice. As a judge, the Master of ...

, and his wife Agnes Horsburgh. The elder Porter sent his son to

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

, where he kept wicket for the school's cricket team and was praised by

James Lillywhite James Lillywhite (23 February 1842 – 25 October 1929) was an English Test cricketer and an umpire. He was the first ever captain of the English cricket team in a Test match, captaining two Tests against Australia in 1876–77, losing the ...

, a former England captain, as a "very hard hitter".Andrew Marshall Porter
– CricketEurope Ireland. Retrieved 8 August 2015. In 1892, he played in the annual match between Eton and Harrow at Lord's, which Harrow won. Despite being offered a scholarship to Oxford, Porter opted to return home to study law at

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

. He continued his cricket career for the

Dublin University Cricket Club Dublin University Cricket Club is a cricket team in Ireland. There is evidence of cricket being played at the University before 1820 but the first record of a club dates from 1835. They currently play in the Leinster Senior League, and in the p ...

, and during the 1895 season, played in four matches with first-class status – against the

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influenc ...

(MCC) in Dublin, against Leicestershire and

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

on a brief tour of England, and then a return fixture against Cambridge University in Dublin. He played solely as a batsman (

Arthur Gwynn Arthur Percival Gwynn (11 June 1874 – 14 February 1898) was an Irish cricketer and rugby union player. Life Arthur Percival Gwynn was born in Ramelton, County Donegal, Ireland, the fifth son of the Very Rev John Gwynn D.D. and Josephi ...

being given the wicket-keeping duties), with his highest score being 44 against Leicestershire. In 1896, Porter was selected to represent the Irish national team against the MCC, in a match that did not have first-class status. He scored 18 runs as Ireland won by an innings, but did not play for his country again. During the Irish winter, during which no cricket was played, Porter played hockey for the Three Rock Rovers, gaining selection for the national hockey team in 1897. After graduating from Dublin University, he was called to the

Irish Bar The Bar of Ireland ( ga, Barra na hÉireann) is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Ba ...

, becoming a barrister. However, in 1900, Porter enlisted as a private in the 45th (Dublin) Company of the

, and was sent to South Africa. In June of that year, while fighting at

Ladywood Ladywood is an inner-city district next to central Birmingham. Historically in Warwickshire, in June 2004, Birmingham City Council conducted a citywide "Ward Boundary Revision" to round-up the thirty-nine Birmingham wards to forty. As a result o ...

(near Lindley in the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

), he was badly wounded and four days later died of wounds. Porter's death was commemorated by his father with the establishment of the Marshall Porter Memorial Prize, for classics students, as well as a stained-glass window in the

Graduates Memorial Building The Graduates Memorial Building (GMB) is a neo-Gothic Victorian building, in Trinity College Dublin designed by Sir Thomas Drew in 1897. It is home to Trinity College's oldest student societies: the University Philosophical Society (the Phil), t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Marshall 1874 births 1900 deaths British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British military personnel killed in the Second Boer War People educated at Harrow School Dublin University cricketers Irish cricketers Irish male field hockey players Irish soldiers in the British Army Cricketers from County Dublin Irish barristers Younger sons of baronets Three Rock Rovers Hockey Club players Ireland international men's field hockey players Field hockey players from County Dublin Lawyers from County Dublin Military personnel from County Dublin

See also

References