William Traill Explained

William Frederick Traill (7 January 1838 – 3 October 1905) was an English barrister and first-class cricketer.^[1]

Life

He was born in Lewisham, the fourth son of James Traill, stipendiary magistrate, and his wife Caroline Whateley; George Traill was his uncle.^[2] his brothers James Christie Traill (eldest son, for Oxford U.) and George Balfour Traill (born 1833, for the MCC) also played cricket.^[3] Another brother, the sixth son, was Henry Duff Traill (1842–1900).^[2]

Traill was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and St John's College, Oxford, where he matriculated in 1856, and graduated B.A. in 1860.^[4] From 1858 to 1867, he played cricket for Kent, Oxford University and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).^[4]

He died in South Hampstead.^[4]

Works

Traill wrote verse, under the pseudonym "Adon". His works included:^[5]

• Lays of Modern Oxford (1874 and later editions), with illustrations by Mary Ellen Edwards
• Through Storm and Sunshine (1875)

Drawing on undergraduate experiences, Traill wrote a volume of stories, Tales of Modern Oxford (1882). It features a Bullingdon Club dinner, and the ragging of a drunken college porter, made up blackface with burnt cork, and robed in academic dress.^{[6] [7] [8]}

Notes and References

1. Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition), pp. 535–536. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-21.)
2. 27661. Chandrika. Kaul. Traill, Henry Duff.
3. Book: Bailey. Philip. Philip Bailey (statistician). Thorn. Philip. Wynne-Thomas. Peter. Who's Who of Cricketers. 1984. Newnes Books. London. 0600346927. 1021.
4. https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/33/33394/33394.html William Traill at CricketArchive
5. Book: Reilly, Catherine. Mid-Victorian Poetry, 1860–1879. 2000-01-01. A&C Black. 9780720123180. registration.
6. Web site: Author Information At the Circulating Library, William Frederic Traill. 26 February 2018.
7. Book: Proctor, Mortimer Robinson. The English University Novel. 26 February 2018. 1957. University of California Press. 82.
8. News: BBC - An early history of cricket in Oxford. Davies. Mark. BBC Online. 5 August 2010 . 26 February 2018.