Major Vaughan Lee, who served in the Crimean War before being elected as the Conservative MP for West Somerset, played twice for Glamorganshire in the 1860s.
He was only son of John Lee, the MP for Wells, who lived at Dillington House in Ilminster, whilst his mother was the daughter of coal and iron magnate John Edwards Vaughan of Rheola. After leaving Eton College, Vaughan joined the 21st Royal Scots Fusiliers and served in the Crimea, where he took part in the Battles of Alma and Inkerman, in addition to the siege of Sebastopol where he was twice wounded in his right leg.
He subsequently secured a position with the Monmouthshire Militia in the Newport area and played for the town’s club, in addition to playing for the XXII of Monmouthshire against the All-England XI on Newport Marshes in 1859 and scoring 0 and 13. He also joined the South Wales Cricket Club and was on their tour to the London area in 1860 and 1862.
His Glamorganshire debut came on 23 and 24 June 1863 when he played against Carmarthenshire at the Bryn-y-Mor Field in Swansea and scored 0 and 2. Two years later, he re-appeared in the match on 28 and 29 June 1865 against Carmarthenshire at Dolgarreg but only scored a single in his second innings after being dismissed without scoring first time around.
Having got married in 1861, he and his wife Clara moved to live at Lanelay House which had previously been the home of William Fox-Talbot, widely regarded as the father of photography. Vaughan also became High Sherrif of Glamorgan in 1871 before opting to follow his father into the world of politics and being elected in 1874 as the Conservative MP for West Somerset. He duly returned with Clara to live his family’s home at Dillington House, besides changing his surname to Vaughan-Lee.
LEE, Vaughan Hanning
(from March 1874 Vaughan Hanning Vaughan-Lee)
Born: Westminster, 25 February 1835.
Died: Dillington House, Ilminster, Somerset, 7 July 1882.