Local History Group

Report on February 2010 Meeting

Sport & Scandal at Sheffield Park

For our February meeting we were delighted to have a return visit from Roger Packham. His talk this time was entitled “Sport and Scandal at Sheffield Park”. The Park was home to three Lord Sheffields the first of whom rebuilt the house in the then fashionable “Gothick” style.
The third Lord Sheffield was born in 1832, inherited the title in 1876 and died in 1909. Educated at Eton he joined the diplomatic service and went on to become MP for East Sussex. His main interest however was sport in general and cricket in particular. Although he played once for Sussex his main claim to fame is that he largely financed Sussex cricket leading to its revival. The cricket pitch at the Park was laid out by him and in 1884 the first match between England and Australia took place there, the Australians winning by an innings! He also financed England’s tour to Australia in 1891 and although Captained by W G Grace the team lost the series. Whilst there he put up the money for the Sheffield Shield the Australian Inter State competition. Cricket continued to be played at a local level on the Park until the Second World War when it was occupied by Canadian troops. Luckily the National Trust has recently relaid the pitch a match took place there last year between Old England and Old Australia, the Australians again winning!
Although he died a bachelor Lord Sheffield is alleged to have led a rather spicy private life. Rumours are that had fathered a child, he was possibly gay and another that he was emasculated. What is certain is that in 1894 he adopted the local vicar’s daughter Mabel Attenborough who subsequently organised many of the events at the Park and it was she who nursed him in his final years.

Steve Harms

This page last modified on: 09 March 2010