Brief profile of A.J.Thornton by Don Ambrose

Player:

THORNTON, Albert James.
Amateur.
Born at Folkestone, Kent, 17th January 1856.
Died at Kensington, London, 14th June 1931.
The second son of Richard Napoleon Thornton, of 98 Portland Place, London, W., and Knowle, Sidmouth, Devon, and the brother of the Rev. Richard Thornton Thornton (Kent) and Walter Alfred Thornton (Oxford University). He was educated at Winchester College and went up to St Johns College, Oxford, but was in neither the school or university cricket eleven. He was however quite a useful all-rounder and played in 30 first-class matches, 5 of them for Sussex (1880-81) and 21 for Kent (1884-91). He also played for Devon (1874-77) and toured North America in 1885 and Portugal in 1895. Much of his cricket was for the Gentlemen of Hampshire. He was a Lieutenant in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the Sussex Regiment, and by occupation a stockjobber. In 1906 his address is given as 7 Coptall Court, London E.C
At the time of the 1881 Census he was living at 8 Parade, Heene, Sussex, aged 25, a holder of foreign stocks, with his wife Ernestina A., aged 21, born in Fermoy, Ireland. They have two daughters, Mildred A. aged 3 and Hilda M. aged 2, and a son Basil A. aged 11 months. His unmarried sister Margaret E. aged 21, holder of English stocks, is also living with them. There is a butler and five other domestic servants.