A collection of cricket memorabilia which belonged to a former England captain who toured India and interacted with the legendary W G Grace is expected to raise about £10,000 at auction next month.
Lord Hawke, an influential captain of both Yorkshire and England, was responsible for spreading the game throughout the British Empire and also championing the rights of professionals in an era of Gentlemen and Players.
The archive is being sold by Casper Ridley, a descendant of Lord Hawke, who has played cricket for Winchester College, Durham University. He is also a playing member of the MCC.
Mr Ridley, who works for Shell, said, "Lord Hawke was my great-great uncle and a man who left a very strong imprint on the game. These things are being sold with some regret but I hope they go to a good home with people who are interested in the game."
Martin Blayden Hawke (1869-1938), the son of a clergyman, became 7th Lord Hawke on the death of his father in 1887. Cricket was his passion and he was one of the few English aristocrats to play at both county and Test level.
He played for Eton, and then in his first year at Cambridge in 1881 was invited to play for Yorkshire. At the age of only 22 he became captain of the team. It remained under his direction until 1910.
Under his leadership Yorkshire became the first county to pay its professionals throughout the winter, giving them year-round job security. They had previously been paid only for the summer months and left to their own devices to find work in the winter.
In addition to summer and winter pay he ensured that even the county scorer was retained on half-pay out of season. Benefits and pensions were introduced, and two-thirds of the receipts of a player's benefit match were held in trust so that the man had money to fall back on when he retired.
At the end of the season Lord Hawke would throw a party for the entire playing staff at his family home, Whighill Park, near Tadcaster.
One of the items in the auction is an 18-carat gold and enamel box, enamelled with the family coat of arms and inscribed "To Lord Hawke - by the professionals of his team - 1896". It is expected to fetch about £2,000.
A similar figure is expected for a nine-carat gold enamel box engraved "Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Honorary Life Member Committee 1886-1906".
A third silver box engraved with a presentation inscription "A souvenir of the Booze Club - Helmsley, 1908-1916" is less expensive at £100-£150.
Lord Hawke's reforming outlook was reflected in a campaign that secured a proper board of control for Test matches and with WG Grace and W Bainbridge formed the first Test selection committee. He played five Tests against South Africa and took touring teams to Australia, Canada, India and the West Indies.
His collection of Wisdens, starting from 1899, will be sold as well in various lots with prices ranging from £3,000 to £5,000 to £1,000 to £1,200.
A spokesman for London auctioneers Bonhams said, "W G Grace, whose career overlapped his, was more important as a player. But in the modernisation he brought to county and international cricket in different ways Lord Hawke's career was unrivalled."
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