Charles Bishop was the leading figure with cricket in Carmarthenshire during the 1860s as well as being one of the leading members in the early years of the South Wales Cricket Club. Indeed, the son of Judge Charles Arthur Bishop of Dolgarreg featured in the Club’s inaugural match in Wales, against Clifton CC at Newport in August 1859.
Educated in Shropshire at Bridgnorth School, the young attorney found plenty of time to take part in the activities of the Club and, as a forceful batter, he went on their London tour every year from 1861 until 1865. Through his cricketing and social contacts, he also linked up with JTD Llewelyn, the squire of Penllergaer, and organised matches between 1863 and 1865 between a Carmarthenshire county XI and a similar team representing Glamorgan.
In the match against Glamorgan at Bryn-y-Mor Field in Swansea in 1863 Charles made his highest known score of 65 opening the batting before later that summer scoring 42 for the South Wales CC against the MCC as well as 48 against I Zingari, with both games taking place at Lord’s. He was in decent form as well the following summer with Charles top-scoring for Carmarthenshire with 43 against Glamorgan at Neath. By this time, he had also been instrumental in the creation of a properly constituted county club and, following a meeting at the Ivy Bush Hotel in Carmarthen, a list of well-to-do subscribers was drawn up with Charles acting as the Honorary Secretary of the new organisation – a role he also played with the county’s archery club.
For the next few years he oversaw the activities of the county organisation, besides playing for both for them and the South Wales CC. In July 1866 he also opened the batting with JTD Llewelyn for the Swansea and District XXII against the United England Eleven at Brunswick Field, with Charles scoring 0 and 7. The following summer he and John Lloyd of Brecon, another leading figure with the South Wales club organised a match at Wrexham against a North Wales XI. Charles duly top-scored with 30 in a match which was curtailed because of disputes over the fact that the North Wales side had, in modern parlance, a couple of ringers and, after heated conversations over their lack of residential qualification, the South Wales gentlemen refused to continue with the game.
It was a sad end to the game, and also Charles’ own playing career, as the match at Wrexham proved to be his final match of note. Indeed, he subsequently scaled down his activities with Carmarthenshire after getting married on 29 April 1868 to Helen Carnegie of Redhall, Kincardineshire. The couple initially lived at Myddfai before Judge Bishop helped to finance the creation of a new home for them on his land at Cwmrhuddan, around a mile to the south of Llandovery. It was at the Grade Two Listed building that Charles and Helen raised their four daughters.
Two of Charles’ brothers were also decent cricketers – John, who had been born in Llandeilo during November 1828 and educated at Caius College, Cambridge, had played alongside Charles in the
Carmarthenshire side of 1860 before becoming a Barrister and serving as a Magistrate for Merthyr from 1876 until 1886. Their younger brother Rhys was also a leading light with the Cardiganshire county team in the 1860s and 1870s. Born in Carmarthen during 1844, he had attended Corpus Christi, Cambridge and had played alongside Charles for Carmarthenshire in 1864 and 1865 as well as in the match in 1866 between a Swansea and District XXII and the United All-England XI. He subsequently became Rector of Ashton Keynes in Wiltshire as well as Setton in Herefordshire.
BISHOP, Charles Campbell
Born – Llandovery, 18 September 1832.
Died – Cheltenham, 21 January 1927.