The Dupuis Family at Sessay Rectory was the title of last week's talk at my local history society and despite the splendid achievements of that village's cricket team being the subject of several postings I did not attend in anticipation that the talk, given by Janet Ratcliffe and Sue Thorne would produce material that I could use in the blog. A pleasant surprise awaited me.
The talk was centred on the family of the Reverend George Dupuis, Rector of Sessay from 1877 to until his death in 1912.My interest in George and his family was heightened when we were told he had played first class cricket. Of cricketing stock,, his father played four first class matches, George was educated at Eton from 1851 to 1853, he played in all three years against Harrow and eight first class matches, seven for Cambridge University and one for the Gentlemen of England against the Gentlemen of Surrey and Sussex at The Oval in 1856. In this last match batting at ten in the first innings he scored 30 which gained him promotion to open in the second knock, but alas George went for nought in a match won by Surrey and Sussex by two wickets.
Dupuis gained his blue in 1857 when he made decent scores in both innings but finished on the losing side. He was elected captain for the following season but resigned the post on being appointed to the staff of his alma mater. A strapping man for his time George was over six feet and his 1913 Wisden obituary quoting from Scores and Bographies describes him as ' A fine free hitter and in the field was generally long-leg, cover-point and middle-wicket off'.
Like most of his time George had a large family and the 1891 census list shows him with his wife Annette and seven daughters in residence at the rectory with a large domestic staff. Absent are his two sons, Arthur and Frederick who both played Minor Counties cricket for Staffordshire.
Linking the story to the present day is not difficult for George was one of the founders of the Sessay village team although I believe the ground at this time was to the west of the railway line and not in its current spot in the centre of the village. Janet and Sue brought with them copies of a book published as a community history project, Essays from Sessay, which at just £5 is an excellent read. Not surprisingly some of its content is related to the cricket team including a section on the Till family who came to the village in the late nineteenth century and rarely has a Sessay team taken to the field without at least one Till in the XI. Three were members of the team that won at Lord's in 2010 and two when the win was repeated in 2016.
These are exciting times for Sessay after their promotion to Yorkshire Premier North and they will be looking forward to their first match at this level when on April 21st they host Driffield Town. Let's hope the weather improves by then. In my last posting I mentioned that Somerset and Gloucestershire were hoping to play a friendly at Taunton today but that match was abandoned a day or two later. Just as well given that this morning brings news of roads closed in the south west and people spending the night in temporary accommodation. There is a precedent for such weather at this time of year for on March 23rd 2013 the 9th Pennine Cricket Conference due to have been held in Huddersfield was cancelled because of heavy snow. Further friendlies are planned for later in the week but it would be wise to check before travelling.
Bristol this morning
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