William McCrum

Born on 7 February 1865 in Ballynahone Beg townland, outside Milford, County Armagh, William was the son of the linen millionaire Robert Garmany McCrum, JP, DL (1829–1915), and his wife, Anne Eliza Riddall (1840–1869), who was from Limavady, County Londonderry. His father created the famous linen manufacturing firm of McCrum, Watson and Mercer and was the builder of the Victorian era model village of Milford. William studied at The Royal School, Armagh, and then Trinity College Dublin, where he was university champion. He lived at Milford House with his father and later worked for the family business, including a time as London representative and one of the managing directors. William was not a success at running the family business and lacked the business acumen and innovation of his father. He was High Sheriff of Armagh in 1888. He played for many years as goalkeeper for Milford Football Club, including in the first season of the Irish Football League (1890–1891). Milford finished bottom of the league with 0 points from 14 games, having conceded 62 goals and scored only 10. "Master Willie" as he was known to the villagers also spent his spare time taking part in amateur theatrics in the Milford village hall, called the McCrum Institute. When not travelling the world, he spent a large proportion of his life living in Milford where he was a justice of the peace and representative of many sporting clubs and committees including Milford FC, Milford and Armagh cricket clubs,…

His great-great-grandson Jake Lush McCrum was CEO of the Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals between 2021 and 2025.

Milford House became Manor House School Northern Ireland’s only Country House Residential School for girls. In 1966, it became Manor House Special Care Hospital. Since 1994, Milford House has been derelict and is today one of the top ten listed buildings at most serious risk in Northern Ireland.

The British writer and former literary editor of The Observer, Robert McCrum, is his grandson, and wrote about William McCrum:Shut out of the family business as a lightweight, eventually deserted by a faithless wife and coldly ignored by his father, Master Willie travelled the world, lived high on the hog and was well-known as a gambler. Another grandson, Mark McCrum, an English journalist and travel writer, made references to William McCrum in his book, The Craic – A Journey through Ireland. Today, William McCrum and the Milford House are famously known as the home of the penalty kick, and appear in some form of media in the world every five minutes.