Some early male Irish lawn tennis players

[newmark401]

Hello,

I’m looking for basic biographical information on some early Irish lawn tennis players, from the late nineteenth century. I’m looking mainly for date and place of birth, and date and place of death (date and place of marriage, with wife’s name would be a help, too).

I’ve done a good deal of searching on the internet for information on these players, but with frustratingly little success, so little that I’m not even sure what county they came from.

Here are the names:

W.H.  Boyd
--

Ernest de Sylly Hamy Browne. A very unusual name, but strangely untraceable.
--

Thomas “Tom” S. Campion. Apparently this player died relatively young.
--

T.H. Griffiths. It appears that this player went to what is now Trinity College, but his first name is never mentioned in any sources.
--

A.H. Porter. This player might have come from what is now called Northern Ireland.
--

A.J. de C. Wilson. Another unusual name. First name(s) unknown.
-----

Any help would be appreciated.

Mark

[myluck!]

UNTRACEABLE did it!
With a name such as Ernest he had to be out there!

This is the 1911 census return for Ernest de Sylly Hamy Browne
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002673527/
as Ernest de S Hamilton Browne (de S on original transcribed as de L)

quote from
The county families of the United Kingdom; or,
Royal manual of the titled and untitled aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland (Volume ed.59, yr.1919). (page 50)
BROWNE, Ernest de Silly Hamilton, Esq., of Comber House, Co. Londonderry.

Seventh son of Major George Browne, of Comber House, who rf. 1887, by Susan Mary, who d. 1880, dau. of the late Thomas" Hilton, Esq., of The Polygon, Manchester; b. 1855;
m. 1885 Ellen Augusta, only dau. of Sir Alexander Ramsay, 3rd Bart., of Balmain.
Mr. Browne, who was educated at Cheltenham Coll., is a Magistrate for King's Co. — Comber House, Clandy, Co. Londonderry.
Residence: Brookfield, Tullamore, King's Co. ; Kildare Street Club, Dublin.

As he states he was born in England you may need to look there for his date of birth or in other books on aristocratic families.

[scotmum]

Good find, myluck!

[newmark401]

UNTRACEABLE did it!
With a name such as Ernest he had to be out there!

This is the 1911 census return for Ernest de Sylly Hamy Browne
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002673527/
as Ernest de S Hamilton Browne (de S on original transcribed as de L)

quote from
The county families of the United Kingdom; or,
Royal manual of the titled and untitled aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland (Volume ed.59, yr.1919). (page 50)
BROWNE, Ernest de Silly Hamilton, Esq., of Comber House, Co. Londonderry.

Seventh son of Major George Browne, of Comber House, who rf. 1887, by Susan Mary, who d. 1880, dau. of the late Thomas" Hilton, Esq., of The Polygon, Manchester; b. 1855;
m. 1885 Ellen Augusta, only dau. of Sir Alexander Ramsay, 3rd Bart., of Balmain.
Mr. Browne, who was educated at Cheltenham Coll., is a Magistrate for King's Co. — Comber House, Clandy, Co. Londonderry.
Residence: Brookfield, Tullamore, King's Co. ; Kildare Street Club, Dublin.

As he states he was born in England you may need to look there for his date of birth or in other books on aristocratic families.

Hi,

That is indeed a great find. I can now hunt up some more information on him based on what you've provided.

Thanks very much.

Mark

[DaveCol]

Have you got John Pius Boland on your list?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Pius_Boland

[avm228]

W.H.  Boyd

I think this may have been the barrister & judge Walter Herbert Boyd, 1867-1948, later 2nd Baronet Boyd of Howth House.

Just a hunch at the moment - unfortunately his Times obituary mentions no tennis exploits in his youth.

[newmark401]

Have you got John Pius Boland on your list?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Pius_Boland

Hello,

The thing about someone like John Pius Boland is that he was an Olympic tennis champion, in both singles and doubles, and later on an MP, so there is a lot to go on from the very start. This isn't the case with the players I mentioned above.

Mark

[newmark401]

W.H.  Boyd

I think this may have been the barrister & judge Walter Herbert Boyd, 1867-1948, later 2nd Baronet Boyd of Howth House.

Just a hunch at the moment - unfortunately his Times obituary mentions no tennis exploits in his youth.

Hello,

Thanks very much for your reply and that helpful information. I wonder whether W.H. Boyd might have gone either to Dublin University (now Trinity College) or to what is now UCD?

Edit: He went to Trinity College, Dublin. This makes it very likely that he is the player in question because there was a thriving tennis club in Trinity at the time.

Mark

[myluck!]

If you search the Irish Times Archives for Walter Herbert Boyd plus Tennis his obituary appears from April 1948
a trip to the library or a subscription here could confirm for you
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0jvm/

if you leave out tennis there are numerous entries