Lives in Cricket No 3 - George Duckworth

George Duckworth’s mother was Elizabeth Wright, herself the child of another large family of eight, living in the Mersey Street area of Warrington. Her mother, George’s maternal granny, could not read or write, but she was patently adept in the third ‘R’ of ‘rithmetic. She liked a bet on the horses, and she was the local moneylender, with a slate behind the door to keep track of the debtors. Elizabeth drove the cows from their overnight accommodation at the farm behind Mersey Street for their daily grazing at Apsley Meadows, and also delivered milk. The fourpence a day she earned both helped the family and paid for her own schooling. Apart from the cameo of agricultural practice so close to the industrial heart of Warrington, it paints another miniature portrait of Victorian self-help. This little girl fought to better herself and to remain at school until she was twelve. Thereafter she lived in as the servant of a neighbouring pawnbroker. Then she married Arthur Duckworth and they settled initially in Cartwright Street. It is of import to the story of George Duckworth to recognise that both his parents were hard-working and enthused by genuine hopes for any putative family. Childhood George Duckworth was born on 9 May, 1901 at the family home, then 17 Selby Street, Warrington. Around 1910 they all moved to 88 Hume Street, Dalton Bank, quite close to Arthur Duckworth’s workplace. In 1912 he inherited a share of his father’s estate, and – and at a time when less than 10% of the nation’s housing units were owner occupied – he bought a three bedroomed house, 56 Gorsey Lane. It had a front garden and a backyard with an outside toilet. Again, one must pause to reflect on the exceptional nature of this upward-looking family. In the interim, George, of course, had started elementary school, where he is reported to have scored a century, playing cricket there. He has been described as ‘a bright and fearless pupil’, and one might believe that those glowing adjectives could serve for the rest of his busy life as well. His mother’s family helped in this regard. They offered him space away from what one relative has called the necessary ‘chaos’ of a large family in a small house. His maternal uncles, George, Bill and Tommy Wright, who all lived in the Mersey Street area, were keen sportsmen, who played football as well as cricket with young George and took him fishing, an The Background 7