Thomas Lord was born in Thirsk, Yorkshire in 1755. Thomas Lord’s father was a Roman Catholic Yeoman, who had his lands sequestered for supporting the jacobite rising in 1745 and afterwards had to work as a labourer. The family later moved to Norfolk, where Thomas Lord was brought up. Lord was a good cricket player and found his way to London as a young man in search of Cricket Glory.
Thomas was an accomplished bowler and was selected to play for clubs in and around London. In White Conduit Club, he was employed not only as a bowler but also as general attendant at the grounds. In 1786 George Finch, the ninth Earl of Winchilsea, and Charles Lennox, later fourth Duke of Richmond, persuaded Lord to start his own private ground. The Duke promised to prop up Lord if he lost money in it.
In May 1787 Lord snapped up the lease on 2.8 square kilometres of mud and grass just off Dorset Square- just in time for the beginning of the season. And it was here that the Marylebone Cricket Club played its home matches. The lease was due to run out in 1810. But by 1809 Thomas Lord had already made his money on it, so was able to plan ahead. He took his venture to two fields in St. John’s Wood – the ‘Brick’ and the ‘Green Fields’. Here the John’s Wood Club and the MCC joined forces. In 1814 the Lord’s ground was established at the St John’s Wood site as we know today.
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