William Henry Godson

Cricketing boys in Melbourne

Another puzzle to solve early this year came with an email from Ray and Vida Godson [Chart BE3]. A friend of theirs was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last Boxing Day watching England getting thrashed, and for some relief went to look round the refurbished Museum. ‘My interest was caught by an 1850’s large (approximately 8’x4’) painting of the three Godson brothers playing cricket at Eton.’ I immediately wondered if this was the same picture of which I have a very poor photocopy made when I visited Ray’s elderly Uncle Edwin back in 1976! This showed the three sons of Richard Godson MP QC posing as young cricketers – William Henry (b1828), Arthur Richard (b1830) and George St Alban (b1832) [Chart BC3]

I asked for help from a descendant of the York and Notts Godson family, Ian Heatley, a cricket fan who lives in Victoria, and in due course he was able to send me an excellent copy of the picture from a book entitled ‘Glorious Innings’. It was definitely the same picture! It was painted in 1841 by Sir Martin Archer Shee RA. I don’t have permission from the Melbourne Cricket Club or the author of the book to reproduce the image but here is my poor photocopy!

The picture was sold in 1962 in the sale of The Court, Tenbury following the death of Gerald Ernest Godson. The picture was acquired by a dealer for around £250 and sold to a cricketing enthusiast, Mr Baer, for around £850, who donated his collection to the Melbourne Cricket Club. Today it is one of the most popular paintings in the collection. The younger boys grew up to become clergymen while William Henry went into business but died unmarried at the age of 40.