Cricket 1906

liaton,” and had a connection with Walpole. llobert Walpole (1676-1745), the great whig leader, had not yet become Lord Oxford. Moreover, he spent that summer of 1712, until Parliament was prorogued, in enforced retire­ ment in the Tower. There he was holding political levies, ;ind there also, our document states, he and the Duke and Jjord in question, besides receiving posts (from the court o f the future King George), might have been found “ any fine fternoon playing at skittles.” (With water in the moat the resent makeshift cricket pitch would be unavailable.) * harles Townshend (1674-1738) (who had the two King haries II. and James II. for godfathers) succeeded his ■ttiftr as Viscount Townshend in 1682. ±te bad been a 'Ileague of the Duke of Marlborough on various occasions, as a co-partner in his downfall—losing his captaincy o f e Yeomen of the Guard—and shared reinstatement with dipole on the accession of George 1. in 1714. The Dictionary National Biography states, “ With Sir Ropert Walpole, s junior by two years, he was educated at Eton and K ing’ s allege, Cambridge.” In 1713 he married Walpole's sister Ijorothy. Walpole’ s own son, the famous Horace (1717- lf97) seems to have obtained his name from Townshend’s Jfcther, Horatio. Walpole and Townshend, in 1712, were on tpe closest terms of personal as well as political friendship, ;uid, with Marlborough, were all three then “ in the soup ” together. Lord Townshend, therefore, seems to have been man who played cricket with one, and skittles with both, other two. so, “ the words ” prove definitely that cricket, at least boyish amusement, was played by Marlborough’ s School