Frederick Stokes (rugby player)

Frederick Stokes

Full name	Frederick Stokes
Date of birth	12 July 1850
Place of birth	Greenwich
Date of death	7 February 1929
Place of death	Inhurst House, Baughurst, Berks
School	Rugby School
Occupation(s)	Solicitor
Rugby union career
Position(s) Forward Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1871–1873 England 3 (0)

Position(s)	Forward
Senior career
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
National team(s)
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
1871–1873	England	3	(0)

Frederick Stokes was the first captain of the England national rugby union team, who played for and captained the team in the first three rugby internationals, all between England and Scotland. He was also the youngest president of the Rugby Football Union.

Frederick Stokes was born on 12 July 1850 in Greenwich, the son of Henry Graham Stokes, Proctor to the Admiralty and solicitor, and his wife Elizabeth Sewell. He was one of at least nine children (six brothers and three sisters) and attended Rugby School.

Stokes played for Blackheath F.C. and was for a time captain of that side. His five brothers also played for Blackheath.

On 26 January 1871, when Stokes was 20 years old he, along with Benjamin Burns, represented Blackheath at a meeting of twenty-one rugby teams at the Pall Mall Restaurant. The outcome of the meeting was the founding of the Rugby Football Union whose Laws were to be drafted by three Old Rugbeians, Algernon Rutter, E.C.Holmes and L.J. Maton. Less than two months later, Stokes, himself an Old Rugbeian, accepted a challenge from Scotland to raise a 20-man side to take to Edinburgh to play in what was to be the first international. Burns was also in the England side and of the 20 men, 10 were former pupils of Rugby School. Stokes was chosen to captain this side, which played Scotland at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh on 27 March 1871. The laws of rugby were still far from clearly defined at the time and the Scottish and English teams used different interpretations of them, which led to what has been described as "a sometimes chaotic affair". Scotland won this first international by one goal and one try to one try.

Stokes was chosen to captain the return match in 1872 when Scotland visited the Kennington Oval on 5 February 1872. England won this match by one goal, one drop goal and two tries, to one drop goal. The teams played for a third time the following year on 3 March 1873 in Glasgow which ended scoreless. Once again, Stokes was the captain and was one of only three England players to have appeared in every match. This was Stokes's last international and he effectively retired from international rugby when he was 22. However, his involvement continued and in 1874 he became the second president of the fledgling RFU and remains the youngest man to have held the position.