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Yorkshire Chess History |
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John William Broadbent |
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Photo of J. W Broadbent with the Nottinghamshire Championship Trophy courtesy of great-nephew Richard Hayward
Identity of the Chess-Player
That the Sheffield chess-player “J. W. Broadbent” and the Nottinghamshire chess-player of the same name are identical is established by an article by Bill Batley in the Yorkshire Telegraph & Star of 03/06/1933.
Non-Chess Life
John William Broadbent’s parents were William Broadbent (born 1858/59, Thurgoland) and Elizabeth Broadbent (1858/59, Llanidloes, Wales) who married in 1882/83 and had the following three children, all born in the Heeley district of Sheffield:
The 1891 census found the Broadbents living at 171 Shirebrook Road (off Albert Road), Heeley, Sheffield. Father William was a wire-drawer, but was to move in time to a white-collar occupation. Children Elizabeth and John were both scholars.
The 1901 census found the family, now with three children, had moved a very short distance to 63-65 Albert Road, which presumably incorporated shop premises. Father William was now a newsagent and stationer working on his own account from home. Daughter Elizabeth was employed as a dressmaker, and son John was employed as a solicitor’s clerk.
The 1911 census found no change except that William’s wife Elizabeth and daughter Elizabeth Ann were both helping in the family business. John was described as a law clerk.
In 1912, John William Broadbent moved to 65 Carlyle Road, in the West Bridgford district of Nottingham, and was still a clerk. He was to change house in time, but appears to have remaind resident in West Bridgford for the rest of his life.
In 1913, in Worksop in north Nottinghamshire, he married Ethel Yeadon (b. 05/11/1885, Ravenfield, in Rotherham). One suspects the two met while our man was still resident in Sheffield.
At some time from 1911 to 1921, J W Broadbent had moved to West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, which seems to have been his home town for the rest of his life.
The 1921 census found out man and his wife Ethel living at 69 Carlyle Road, West Bridgeford. He was a law clerk employed by Robert Barber, solicitor, in Nottingham.
The 1939 Register found John and Ethel living at 30 Selby Road, West Bridgford. John was still a law clerk. Living with them was an unemployed gardener called Richard Yeadon who had been born on 19/07/1883 and so was very probably an older brother of Ethel.
Death
John William Broadbent died in 1970, seemingly in West Bridgford or thereabouts.
Chess
The debut of “J. W. Broadbent” in Sheffield’s Woodhouse Cup team seems to have been on 05/11/1904, when he lost on board 10 to A Thomas of Bradford. He progressively improved on this to the point where, on 27/01/1912, he defeated Bradford’s John Edmund Hall on board 1 (Sheffield were missing some players) in the Woodhouse Cup. Thereafter he usually played on board 3.
In the Sheffield league he plated latterly for Sharrow in the Davy Trophy (division1).
He seems never to have won the Sheffield or Yorkshire championships, but after moving to Nottingham he made a name for himself in Nottinghamshire.
He was one of those involved in the formation in 1922 of the Nottinghamshire Chess Association, and became that association’s first secretary, holding the post for some years.
He won the Nottinghamshire County Championship in 1926, 1927, 1928 and 1932 (possibly later as well).
By 1937 (probably before) he had become a vice-president of the Nottinghamshire Chess Association.
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Created 19/03/2015 |
Copyright © 2015-2025 Stephen John Mann Census information is copyright of The National Archive, see UK Census Information |
Last Updated 30/11/2025 |