Francis Birley

Winchester College

Birley was born in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, the son of Thomas Hornby Birley J.P. (1815–1885) and Anne Leatham (1820–1866). His uncle was Hugh Birley, who became Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Manchester from 1868 to 1883. At the age of 13, Birley started at Winchester College where he remained until 1868. He was an all round sportsman who played for the school at both cricket and football. As a cricketer, in 1867 he took 7–73 as the college beat Eton College, and in 1868 as captain he took 4–41 and 2–25. He was also a keen athlete and was the school champion at the pole vault and high jump.

Oxford University

In 1868, he went up to University College, Oxford to study law. He was one of the first to study Law separately at Oxford (it had previously been taught as a joint honours degree with modern history). He was not a great academic, achieving only a third class Bachelor of Arts degree in 1872, although he was more successful as a sportsman. In his time at Oxford he threw the hammer against Cambridge University in 1872 and represented the university at football. As a cricketer, although he played in the fresher's match he did not get a game for the university, although he did win a University College cup in 1871 for throwing the cricket ball with a distance of 107 yds 2 ft 1 inch. In 1873 he was part of the Oxford University football team that reached the second final of the FA Cup, where they were beaten 2–0 by the…

On 1 August 1876, he married Margaret Kenrick (daughter of the Rev Jarvis Kenrick, vicar of Caterham, Surrey) in Claridges, Lingfield, Surrey. His wife's brother was fellow Wanderers player, Jarvis Kenrick. He had seven children, two of whom died as infants. His two sons who survived into adulthood, James and George, both served with distinction during the First World War. At the time of the 1881 Census he was living at Hart Hill Mansion, Pendleton in Salford, with his widower father, two sisters and his wife and daughter, Margaret. In the 1901 census, he was living at Claridges, Lingfield, Surrey. In 1910, Birley died at Dormansland, Surrey, aged 60. His sister, Caroline was a renowned geologist. He was well known as an ornithologist.

Oxford University

FA Cup winner: 1874 FA Cup finalist: 1873 Wanderers

FA Cup winners: 1876 and 1877