About Francis Ramsay
Lived 1860 – 1947 (aged 87). Francis Ramsay was a cricketer and farmer.
Marmaduke Francis Ramsay (8 December 1860 – 31 December 1947) was an English first-class cricketer and a pastoralist in Queensland.
The son of Robert Ramsay, he was born at Cheltenham in December 1860. His father had pastoral interests in Queensland, with Ramsay travelling with his family to Australia. There he was educated at Ipswich Grammar School. Upon the families return to England in 1874, he attended Harrow School. From Harrow he went up to Trinity Hall, Cambridge. Despite being an avid cricketer, he never represented Cambridge University Cricket Club in first-class cricket, but did play minor matches for the club.
Ramsay returned to Australia in 1880 to gain pastoral experience at Wellshot Station, before proceeding to takeover the management of Eton Vale. His brother, Robert, joined him in 1883 and together the pair made a series of land acquisitions in North West Queensland. He also played minor matches for the Kent second eleven, but did not feature for the county's first eleven. Remaining in England in 1895, he met and married Alice Katherine Angélique Waterfield at Canterbury Cathedral, with the couple going on to have six children. He made a further first-class appearance for Queensland against New South Wales in 1899, As a cricketer, he was described by the Australian Dictionary of Biography as "an indifferent right-hand batsman, he proved an economical right-arm, medium-pace bowler, but his action was sometimes questioned by critics".
He retired to England in 1907, leaving his pastoral interests to his brother. In later life he bred racehorses and took up fishing and golf. He was also a justice of the peace for Kent. Ramsay lived in Canterbury at Lee Priory, dying there on New Year's Eve in 1947; he was survived by wife, four daughters and a son, with his eldest son John having died of wounds in the First World War.
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Important facts
People in Francis Ramsay's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Francis Ramsay's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Francis Ramsay?
English cricketer and pastoralist
When was Francis Ramsay born?
Francis Ramsay was born on 8 December 1860 in Cheltenham.
When did Francis Ramsay die?
Francis Ramsay died on 31 December 1947 in Canterbury, Kent.
What was Francis Ramsay's occupation?
Francis Ramsay was a cricketer and farmer.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Francis Ramsay (cricketer)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Francis Ramsay. https://biography.guide/francis-ramsay/
MLA: "Francis Ramsay." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/francis-ramsay/.
Chicago: "Francis Ramsay." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/francis-ramsay/.
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