Reverand Frederick Thackeray

Article by Richard Kirton - September 2012

Reverend Frederick Thackeray was the vicar of Shopland for 45 years and was the hero of many a notable performance in the cricket field. His major teams were Cambridge Town Club, Cambridge University and he was a contemporary of Lillywhite, Redgate, Wenman, Hillier, Broughton and others. In those days fielding was studied perhaps more than it is today, when a player’s principal object is to get well up in the batting averages.

In one match he hit the ball to the leg, for which he and his partner, Edward Ede, ran ten runs, and then, although the ball was not returned Mr Ede said he could run no more. Two affidavits were sworn to the truth of this statement.

Frederick was born 23 Feb 1817 in St Andrew’s parish, Cambridge, the son of a doctor. He was educated at Eton, being admitted as a pensioner on 01 Jul 1835 and achieved: B.A. in 1840; M.B. in 1841; M.A. in 1847.

He made his speech as a Tancred student in 1838 and was a cricketer for the University during the years 1838, 1839 and 1840. He became the Treasurer to the Union Society in 1838.

He was ordained a Deacon in 1844 and became the Curate at Stockport. In 1845 he was ordained a Priest and became the Vicar of Shopland in 1847 until his death in 1892, a total of 45 years. He held the curacy of the adjoining village of Wakering for 27 years and six months, during which time he calculated that he had walked 90,000 miles in the performance of his duty. He was an evening lecturer at the School Chapel in Shoeburyness for several years.

Frederick married his first wife, Georgiana Maclean Aitkin 03 Jan 1845. (Source: London signatures - City of London Corporation: You +1'd this publicly. Undo

Aitken, Georgiana Maclean, 1845 Jan 03, Spinster, All Saints, Carshalton, Surrey, married Frederick Thackeray). Georgiana was the daughter of John Aitkin, master of the Calcutta mint and was born in 1825 at Hadley in Middlesex. She died Jun Q 1877 (Source: FreeBMD, District: Rochford, Vol: 4a, Page: 158, Age: 52).

Frederick and Georgiana had a daughter, Mary Selena Thackeray, who was born Sep Q 1854 (Source: FreeBMD, District: Rochford, Vol: 4a, Page: 140) who married Francis Ralph Bernard in Jun Q 1879 (Source: FreeBMD, District: Rochford, Vol: 4a, Page: 356).

Frederick and Georgiana also had a son, Montague Thackeray who was born on 06 Apr 1857, Southend, Essex.

Frederick married his second wife, Edel Elise Drew on 03 Oct 1882, the daughter of R.P. Drew, Esq., of Plaistow. Frederick Died 28 July 1892 in Chappel, Essex, aged 75 (Source: FreeBMD, District: Lexden, Vol: 4a, Page: 322).