England Football Online
Goalkeepers Index Page Last Updated
20 October 2021
 
 
Reginald Birkett Clapham Rovers FC

1 appearance, 4 goals against

P 1 W 1 D 0 L 0 F 5: A 4
100% successful

1879


captain:
none
minutes played:
90

Timeline

  Reginald Halsey Birkett
Birth Wednesday, 28 March 1849, at 2 Broad Street Buildings, in the City of London, London.
registered in the City of London April-June 1849
"On the 28th ult., at No, 2, Broad-street-buildings, City, the lady of John Birkett, Esq., of a son;" - London Morning Post, Monday, 2 April 1849.
Baptism 31 May 1849, at St. Botolph Bishopsgate Parish Church
  According to the 1851 census, Reginald Halsey is the second youngest of four children to John and Lucy Matilda (née Janson). They live with four servants at 6 Wellington Street in Southwark. His father is a Fellow at the Royal College of Surgeons.
  According to the 1861 census, Reginald H. is a pupil at John Bentley's boarding school, Silver Street, in Calne, Wiltshire.
  According to the 1871 census, Reginald H. is the eldest of the four children (Perceval, Evelyn and Louis are the others) now living with their parents in Green Street, Westminster, along with three servants. Reginald is a commercial clerk.
  According to the 1881 census, Reginald H. is a hide brokers clerk, visiting the Crumden's (one of the daughters will be his wife in one to four months, so he is presumably engaged to her). They live at 5 Marlborough Place in Brighton. They have four servants.
Marriage to Lisette Crunden, on Wednesday, 15 June 1881 at St. John's Church, Lower Church Road, Burgess Hill, Sussex
registered in Cuckfield April-June 1881
"BIRKETT―CRUNDEN―At St. John's, Burgess Hill, Reginald H., Birkett, of Cambridge-villas, Park-road, Richmond, son of Mr. John Birkett, F.R.C.S., of Green-street, Grosvenor-square, to Lisette, daughter of Mr. Thomas Crunden, of Burgess Hill, Sussex, June 15." - Pall Mall Gazette, Thursday, 16 June 1881.
St John's Church in Burgess Hill, the scene of both Birkett's wedding and funeral service"MARRIAGE OF MISS CRUNDEN.
"On Wednesday last the marriage of Mr. Reginald Halsey Birkett (of London), with Miss Lizette Crunden, took place at the Church of St. John
[left]. The weather was all that could be wished for. The ceremony took place soon after eleven, and for an hour before that time could be seen hundreds of the inhabitants, dressed in holiday costume, on their way to the church; it was, to all intents in purposes, a general holiday, as the bride is very popular in the neighbourhood, and by the time of the arrival of the wedding party the church was literally crammed, there not being even standing room. The altar, altar rails, reading desk, choir pews, &c., had been most beautifully decorated with flowers by ladies of the district. The bride leaning on the arm of her father, looked beautiful, and was most magnificently attired in a white satin and broche dress, orange blossoms, and Honiton lace veil. The bridesmaids were eight in number...The officiating clergymen were the Rev. F. Arnold (curate-in-charge), Rev. Theodore H. Janson (curate of St. Clement's, Bournemouth,) cousin of the bridegroom, who performed the marriage ceremony, and Dr. Savage. The service was fully choral...On emerging from the sacred edifice, the happy couple were received with a perfect shower of flowers, rice, &c. An adjournment was then made to the residence of the father of the bride, Oak Hall, where about 50 sat down to breakfast. The newly-married couple shortly after left, amid a shower of old slippers, &c;, for Henfield, and from thence to the Garden of England, viz., the Isle of Wight, to spend the honeymoon." - The Horsham Advertiser, 18 June 1881.
Children Reginald and Lisette Birkett had two sons together. Gerald Halsey (b.17 January 1883) and John Guy Giborne (b.27 December 1884)
"BIRTHS. ―On December 27, at Richmond, Surrey, the wife of Reginald Halsey Birkett, of a son;" - Thursday, 1 January 1885, The Sportsman.
  According to the 1891 census, Reginald H. is a colonial broker, and is now married to Lisette, with their two children, Gerald and John, and two servants, they all live at 18 Park Road in Richmond, London.
(His mother died toward the end of 1893)
Death Thursday evening, 30 June 1898, in Grangeside, Wimbledon, Surrey
aged 49 years 94 days registered in Kingston July-September 1898

Obituary

"DISTRESSING DEATH OF MR. BIRKETT.―
"We record in our obituary column, with the deepest regret, the death of a gentleman well known in Burgess Hill as a periodical visitor, and more especially as a son-in-law of Mrs. Crunden, of Oak Hall, to whom, and to whose family, we are sure, the widest sympathy will be extended. We refer to Mr. Reginald Halsey Birkett, of Grangeside, Wimbledon, formerly noted in the football world, who died on Thursday under exceptionally distressing circumstances. Deceased had been suffering from diphtheria, and had rambled in his mind. Towards the close of Wednesday he got more restless, and talked a good deal. Later he got out of bed, and pulled the window curtains to one side. His nurse told him to go back to bed, and having exclaimed 'Oh, this is the wrong entrance,' he did so. Subsequently he again got out, but the nurse induced him to take his dressing-gown off, and got him towards the bed. Just then he wrenched himself from her, put his hands together as if to dive, and jumped through the curtains and the thick plate-glass of the window, falling a distance of 18ft. or 20 ft. onto the area outside. Mr. Birkett was picked up unconscious, in a pool of blood, and expired in a few hours from a fractured skull. Deceased, who was of a most genial disposition, leaves a widow and two sons."
-
The Mid-Sussex Times, Tuesday, 5 July 1898.
Funeral: Thursday, 7 July 1898, at St. John's Church, Burgess Hill
"The funeral is to take place on Thursday at St. John's Church, Burgess Hill, wherein deceased's marriage came off about seventeen years ago." - Tuesday, 5 July 1898, The Mid-Sussex Times
According to the 1901 census, both John Guy Giborne and Gerald Halsey were pupils in Hailbury College in Ware. Their mother, Lisette, was living in Glendale Road in Burgess Hill, Cuckfield. She is a widow with one servant.
"BIRKETT Reginald Halsey of "Grangeside" Wimbledon Surrey died 30 June 1898 Administration London 2 August to Lisette Birkett widow.
Effects £7488 7s. 8d." [2019 equivalent: £980,584]
  Lisette Birkett died 6 January 1941
Source Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &
Playing Career
Club(s) Attended Lancing College, playing football 1866-67, before joining Lancing Old Boys AFC, then Clapham Rovers FC, where he became the captain for many seasons;
Club honours FA Cup runners-up 1878-79; winners 1879-80;
Individual honours Surrey FA
Height/Weight not known
Source Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].
England Career
Player number One of eight who became the 62nd players (62) to appear for England.
Position(s) Goalkeeper; Tenth goalkeeper to appear.
Only match No. 9, 5 April 1879, England 5 Scotland 4, a friendly match at The Surrey Cricket Ground, The Oval, Kennington, London, aged 30 years 8 days;
Individual honours The South (postponed, January 1879)

Distinctions
Reginald Birkett was a member of the original RFU Committee when he was with Clapham Rovers, and played for England (four times) at Rugby Union also.  His brother Louis played rugby for England with Reginald - against Scotland and Ireland. Reginald's son, John Birkett, played as England centre from 1902-07.  He was an England appearance record holder, and served in World War One as a captain in the R.F.A., where he was mentioned in dispatches and was also decorated with the Order of the Crown, 5th Class.
Beyond England
Birkett was a Hide & Skin Brokers Clerk in the City. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.34/FindMyPast.com


The Numbers
parties Appearances minutes Goals
Against
GA ave.min clean sheets captain
1 1 90 4 23 min none none
The minutes here given can only ever be a guideline and cannot therefore be accurate, only an approximation.
P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
1 1 0 0 5 4 +1 0 0 5 4 100 +1
His only match was a friendly match played at a home venue

Match History
 
 Club: Clapham Rovers F.C. - one full appearance (90 min) 4ᵍᵃ F.A. Committee - one full appearance (90 min) 4ᵍᵃx

apps match match details comp res. rundown pos

Age 30 trial  
postponed - The North vs. The South, 4/25 January 1879

pp 1 March 1879 - England vs. Scotland, The Surrey Cricket Ground, Kennington Fr postponed - frost gk
1 9 5 April 1879 - England 5 Scotland 4
The Surrey Cricket Ground, Kennington
Fr HW 4ᵍᵃ
cs: 25min
cs rec: 49min
gk
ᵍᵃinc. backheel, foot & kick
  

one of eight who became the 62nd (62) players to appear for England
one of three who became the eighth (eight) player from Clapham Rovers to represent England
the tenth goalkeeper to play for England - oldest since 1873

  

 
cg