Fred Bonsor

Fred Bonsor
Birth name	Fernand Bonsor
Date of birth	1862
Place of birth	France
Date of death	14 April 1932 (aged 70)
Place of death	Lewisham, London, England
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Halfback
Senior career
Years	Team
	Bradford FC
–	Skipton RFC
–	Yorkshire
International career
Years	Team
1886–89	England

Fernand "Fred" Bonsor (1862-1932) was a rugby union international who represented England from 1886 to 1889, he also captained his country.^[1] At club level he played for Bradford FC,^[3] and Skipton RFC.

Early life

Fernand Bonsor was born in 1862 in France, the son of Robert and Louise Bonsor.^[4] His father was a dye manufacturer. Fernand, his elder brother Robert, younger brother Morris, and both parents, were born in France, though British subjects. The family moved to Shipley sometime after 1871 and Fernand soon became known as Fred. In his latter teens he studied for the Civil Service examination although his profession by his late twenties seemed to follow his father into industry, being a wholesale bottler and agent.^[5] During July–September 1885 he married Fannie Milnes of Halifax in Bradford district.^[6]

Rugby union career

Bonsor made his international début on Saturday 2 January 1886 at the Rectory Field, Blackheath in the England versus Wales match.^[1] Of the six matches he played for his national side he was on the winning side on 3 occasions.^[1] He played his last match for England on Saturday 16 February 1889 at Rectory Field, Blackheath in the England versus New Zealand Natives match.^[1]

Change of Code

When Bradford converted from the rugby union code to the rugby league code on Thursday 29 August 1895, Fred Bonsor would have been approximately 33 years of age. Consequently, he may have been both a rugby union and rugby league footballer for Bradford.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Statistics at en.espn.co.uk". en.espn.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
^ "The Birth And Development Of Skipton RFC 1874-1894". skiptonrugbyfootballclub at pitchero.com. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
^ Williams, Graham; Lush, Peter; Farrar, David (2009). The British Rugby League Records Book. London League. p. 178. ISBN 978-1-903659-49-6.
^ Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1881. , Class: RG11; Piece: 4474; Folio: 72; Page: 33; GSU roll: 1342071.
^ Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1891.
^ FreeBMD. England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837–1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England: General Register Office.