About William Goldwin
Lived 1682 – 1747 (aged 64–65). William Goldwin was a teacher and writer.
William Goldwin (c.1682 – 1747 at Bristol) was an English schoolteacher and vicar who left his mark on cricket by creating the sport's earliest known work of literature. Goldwin, whose name is sometimes spelt "Goldwyn", wrote a poem of 95 competent and sometimes graceful lines of Latin hexameters on a rural cricket match. It was called In Certamen Pilae (On a Ball Game) and it was published in his Musae Juveniles in March 1706.
Little is known of Goldwin himself. He attended Eton and then graduated to King's College, Cambridge in 1700. He subsequently became a Master of Bristol Grammar School and was Vicar of St Nicholas' Church in Bristol until his death in 1747.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped William Goldwin's
Frequently asked questions
Who was William Goldwin?
English cricketer and schoolteacher
When was William Goldwin born?
William Goldwin was born in 1682.
When did William Goldwin die?
William Goldwin died in 1747.
What was William Goldwin's occupation?
William Goldwin was a teacher and writer.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). William Goldwin. https://biography.guide/william-goldwin/
MLA: "William Goldwin." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/william-goldwin/.
Chicago: "William Goldwin." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/william-goldwin/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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