| William Knatchbull-Hugessen | |
| Fullname: | William Western Knatchbull-Hugessen |
| Birth Date: | 1837 5, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Mersham Hatch, Kent |
| Death Place: | St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex |
| Batting: | Right-handed |
| Family: | Sir Edward Knatchbull, 9th Baronet (father) Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen, 1st Baron Brabourne (brother) Henry Knatchbull (uncle) Cecil Knatchbull-Hugessen, 4th Baron Brabourne (nephew) |
| Club1: | Gentlemen of Kent |
| Club2: | Kent |
| Year2: | 1859 |
| Type1: | FC |
| Debutdate1: | 29 July |
| Debutyear1: | 1858 |
| Debutfor1: | Gentlemen of Kent |
| Debutagainst1: | Gentlemen of England |
| Lastdate1: | 25 July |
| Lastyear1: | 1859 |
| Lastfor1: | Kent |
| Lastagainst1: | Middlesex |
| Source: | https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/william-knatchbull-hugessen-16143 CricInfo |
| Date: | 1 August |
| Year: | 2021 |
William Western Knatchbull-Hugessen (23 May 1837 – 6 September 1864) was an English amateur cricketer who played in three first-class cricket matches in 1858 and 1859.
The youngest son of Sir Edward Knatchbull, 9th Baronet and his second wife Fanny, Knatchbull-Hugessen was born William Western Knatchbull at the family estate of Mersham-le-Hatch near Ashford in Kent in 1837.[1] [2] Hugessen was added to the family name following the death of Sir Edward in 1849 as a condition of the will.[3] He was educated at Eton College before going up to Magdalen College, Oxford in 1855.[1] [4]
Despite not playing for either the Eton or Oxford cricket teams, Knatchbull-Huggesen played cricket for the Gentlemen of Kent side between 1856 and 1860, generally as a wicket-keeper. He made two appearances for the side in matches which have been given first-class status, both in 1858 against Gentlemen of England sides.[5] [6] He was a member of the management committee which set up the Maidstone based Kent County Club in 1859 and played one first-class match for the side that year.[5] [6] In his three first-class matches he scored a total of 33 runs with his highest score of nine coming in his match for Kent. He did not bowl.[5]
At the 1861 census, Knatchbull-Hugessen was farming at Provender House at Norton, close to Faversham in Kent,[5] an estate which had been in the Hugessen family since the 17th-century.[7] He resigned from the Kent management committee in 1863 due to ill health and died of tuberculosis at St Leonards-on-Sea in Sussex in September 1864, aged 27.[5] [8] A memorial tablet was erected in the church of St John the Baptist in Mersham.[2]
Knatchbull-Hugessen's brother, Edward became the first Baron Brabourne in 1880. Edward's son Cecil, who later became the fourth Baron Brabourne, also played first-class cricket, mainly playing for Cambridge University, but also made one appearance for Kent.[9] [10] [11] His uncle, Henry Knatchbull had played for Kent sides between 1827 and 1848 whilst Knatchbull-Hugessen's brother, Henry Thomas, took his place on the Kent management committee and was the club's president in 1880.[5] [12]