Clifton Rugby Football Club History
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George Turnavine Budd

 
 
 

Born 3rd November 1855 at 22 Park Street. Bristol the son of Dr. William Budd and Caroline Mary (nee Hilton).

Above the birthplace of George Turnavine Budd 22 Park Street, now numbered 89 and home to Jaimie's Italian (Jaimie Oliver) and Blackwell's Bookshop. Photo taken pre WW2. Home of the Budd family, from 1853 to 1859

Above the Bristol Mercury entry for the birth of George Budd.

He was christened on the 11th December 1855 at St. Marks Church, Easton, Bristol.

Above St. Marks Church, Easton. Closed in 1984 and now converted into housing.

Above George's father, William Budd.

During the 1861 census the Budd family lived at 13 Lansdown Place and were

Name Relation Age Occupation Where born
William Budd Head 49 MD University Edinburgh North Tawton, Devon
Caroline May Budd Wife 33 Preston, Kent
Mary Georgina Budd Daug 11 Scholar St. Augustines, Bristol
Arthur Budd Son 7 Scholar St. Augustines, Bristol
George Turnavine Budd Son 5 Scholar Clifton
Caroline Ethel Budd Daug 3 Scholar St. Augustines, Bristol
Frances Ellen Budd Daug 2 Scholar Clifton
Maria Teresa Budd Daug 6 months Clifton
Mary Peacock Servant 27 Housemaid Kelston, Somerset
Eliza Peacock Servant 15 Housemaid Kelston, Somerset
Ann Rogers Servant 25 Parlour Maid Chew Magna
Eliza Thomas Servant 25 Cook Beer, Devon
Mary Ann Quick Servant 24 Housemaid Tiverton, Devon
Harriet Foster Servant 16 Housemaid Banwell, Somerset

Above 13 Lansdown Place, Clifton.

George was educated at Clifton College from 1864-1872

In 1866 William Budd and his family then went to live at the Manor House in Clifton.

Above front of The Manor House. Photo taken pre WW2.

Above the Manor House, York Place, Clifton. Now part of Bristol University's Manor Halls of Residence. Budd lived there until 1873.

During the 1871 census the Budd family lived at the Manor House and were

Name Relation Age Occupation Where born
William Budd Head 59 Physician. Doctor of Medicine (University Edinburgh) North Tawton, Devon
Caroline M. Budd Wife 42   Preston, Kent
Mary G. Budd Daug 21 St. Augustines, Bristol
Alice M Budd Daug 20 St. Augustines, Bristol
Arthur Budd Son 17 Scholar St. George's, Bristol
George T. Budd Son 15 Scholar St. George's, Bristol
Caroline E. H. Budd Daug 13 Scholar St. George's, Bristol
Frances E. Budd Daug 12 Scholar Clifton, Bristol
Maria T. Budd Daug 10   Clifton, Bristol
George Priest Servant 34 Butler Axminster, Devon
Harriet Edwards Servant 19 Kitchen Maid Bicknollar, Somerset
Herbert H. Ward Servant 18 Footman Budleigh Salterton, Somerset
Lydia Tutton Servant 26 Lady's Maid Othery, Somerset
Lavinia Ridgeway Servant 24 Housemaid Ashbritle, Somerset
Jane Hopkins Servant 16 Housemaid North Tawton, Devon

He joined Clifton RFC in 1873-74 and featured regularly in the first team in 1874-75 and 1875-1876 before he went to Edinburgh University.

Back Row (L-R): E.Townsend, F.Allen, W.Strachan, J.G.Thomson, E.Phillips, J.H.Powell, W.R.Webb, A.H.Allen, W.S.Paul, G.T.Budd, W.R.Gribble, A.K.Butterworth. Sitting: E.J.Taylor, M.M.Curtis, C.Strachan, A.C.St.Paul, J.A.Bush. On Ground: F.Morris, C.Chamberlain, J.Curtis, J.D.Miller.

Above Clifton Football Club in the 1874-75 season. George Budd standing third from the right

Above Newspaper report of the Frome v Clifton match played on 18th December 1875 with both the Budd brothers.

Above Newspaper report of the Exeter v Clifton match played on 15th January 1876 with the Budd brothers.

Back Row (L-R): ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, George Turnavine Budd, ?. Front Row: ?, C.Villar, James R. Reid, Edward Innes Pocock, ?, ?. On Ground: ?, ?.

Above the Edinburgh Wanderers side of 1876-1877 with George Budd. At the time the Wanderers ground was at the Grange cricket field, just off Raeburn Place in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, which is next to the Edinburgh Academicals ground where the first England v Scotland international took place. George Turnavine Budd, became captain of Edinburgh Wanderers in 1879-80.

George was captain of Edinburgh Wanderers between 1879 and 1880. His brother Arthur had been captain between 1877 and 1878. Above captains board at the present day Murrayfield Wanderers.

George was initially selected to play in a Scotland trial for Edinburgh v East. Above extract from the Dundee Courier. Saturday 13th January 1877 but for some reason he didn't play.

It was at Edinburgh University that George Budd befriended Arthur Conan Doyle. They were taught by Dr. Joseph Bell who would be Conan Doyles inspiration for Sherlock Holmes.

There is a match report of the season 1879-80 when a try scored by Institution F.P. was disputed by Edinburgh Wanderers. After an argument the Edinburgh Wanderers Captain (presumably George Budd) took the ball from the Institution captain to prevent the kicking of the goal and marched his team off the field. In this season of his captaincy Wanderers won 3 games and lost 5. Conan Doyle sometimes attended these games and observed that George Budd was "somewhat ahndicapped by the fury with which he played".

In August 1880 he was awarded a First Class Bachelor's degree in Medicine and a Masters degree in Surgery from Edinburgh University.

He moved back to Bristol in order to take up his fathers practice. His father had died earlier in the year. Unfortunateley the practice had sunk too low to be revived and before long he was deep in debt.

At the beginning of 1881 he had moved to East Stonehouse in Devon and took on Conan Doyle as a Junior Partner between April and June 1882.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about the Budd brothers, Arthur and George, in his 1924 autobiography entitled Memories and Adventures:

In my last year of study at Edinburgh I formed a friendship with this remarkable student [George]. He came of a famous medical family, his father [William] having been a great authority upon zymotic disease. He came also of a famous athletic stock, and was a great rugby forward himself, though rather handicapped by the Berserk fury with which he would play. He was up to international form, and his younger brother [Arthur] was reckoned by good judges to be about the best forward who ever donned the rose-embroidered jersey of England.

Back Row (L-R): A.Budd, F.S.Ireland, A.S.Marsden, Aub. Spurling, G.Stokes, H.C.Harrison, P.Brunskill, N.Smith. Seated: W.H.White, W.J.Penny, H.D.Bateson, L.Stokes, G.W.Burton, A.Poland, G.Budd. On Ground: O.Richardson, G.Spurling, A.H.Jackson, R.Cuff, A.R.Layman.

Blackheath 1st XV 1878-79 with ex Clifton RFC players George Budd and his brother Arthur Budd and future Clifton RFC player William Penny. Captained by Len Stokes who had first met the Budd Brothers while he was captain of Sydney College, Bath. It is claimed that Stokes was the inspiration for the Conan Doyle character Dr. Watson.

Above match report of a Charity Rugby match played on 5th October 1878 with the Budd Brothers playing for Blackheath against Fifteen Gentlemen of Kent.

George Budd died on 28th February 1889 in 1 Durnford Street, East Stonehouse, Plymouth, Devon, aged 34.

He left in his will £565 5s gross, £186 18s 1d net..

He was buried at Ford Park Cemtery Plymouth in the same grave as his son William who had died aged only five days the previous year.