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Yorkshire Chess History |
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Contents: |
Dr. Norman Rowsell Cunningham |
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Non-Chess Life
Norman Rowsell Cunningham was a son of wine merchant Francis Bertram Cunningham (b. 1846/47, Clapham, Surrey, to Scottish-born parents Robert and Elizabeth Cunningham, married 13/06/1831, Leith) and Marian Norman Cunningham (née Rowsell, b. 1845/46, Stepney, daughter of Kensington-born Rev. Thomas James Rowsell and Marianne Rowsell née Norman). The parents Francis and Marian married on 16/11/1876 in Kensington. The children were
* who had just returned from Transvaal and was due shortly to leave for China
The 1881 census found the parents, the three children, a nurse and three other domestic servants living at 8 Durham Terrace, Westbourne Park, Paddington, which is likely to be where the three children were born.
The 1891 census found the above family living in the household of widowed Rev. Thomas James Rowsell at 20 Dean’s Yard, Westminster. The Rev. Rowsell was Canon of Westminster from 1881 to 1893, which may explain his residence at this address, which appears to have been the Deanery house of Westminster. Amongst other posts he held at the time was Deputy Clerk of the Closet to the Queen (Victoria), a post he held from 1873 to his death in 1894. Living with him were parent Francis and Marianne and their three children as above, also grandson 7-year-old S. R. Bertram, a butler, a governess and five other domestic servants.
On 14/01/1892, Norman Rowsell Cunningham was admitted to Westminster School, where he was in Rigaud house.
In July 1898 Norman left Westminster School and on 01/10/1898 he was admitted as a pensioner to Caius Coll. Cambridge.
The 1901 census found Norman’s parent were now resident at The Warren, Weighbridge, Surrey. In 1891, a Mrs. Cunningham had been resident at Fife Lodge, Weybridge which might connect with a later removal to Fife.)
In 1901, Norman graduated with a B.A., whereafter he embarked on training for a career in the medical profession.
He was added to the Medical Register in England on 09/02/1906 with the qualifications of Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (M.R.C.S.) and Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians (L.R.C.P.).
In 1906, he became a house physician at St. Thomas's Hospital, London,
In 1907, he became house surgeon at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, London
Later in 1907, he became a Captain in South African Medical Corps which took him to Transvaal in what is now South Africa, where he spent upwards of 15 years.
On 25/05/1909 he married Margaret Josephine Cooney, daughter of Thomas Cooney of King's Co., Ireland (known known better as Offaly). It’s not clear where the couple met, in South Africa or back home, nor where the wedding took place.
1913 saw the birth in Transvaal of Norman’s son Norman Michael Francis Cunningham.
Norman Cunningham’s mother, Marian Norman Cunningham died in London on 02/02/1918, her residence being 3 Merton road, Hampstead. Administration of her will was granted to Bertram Stephen Rowsell Cunningham, a major in HM army.
He left the South African Medical Corps in 1919, perhaps due to the ending of Word War I, but evidently remained in South Africa, becoming Medical Superintendent at Boksburg Hospital, Witwatersrand, Transvaal, when his address was given as the Post Office, Boksburg North, Transvaal.
In the 1921 UK census, Norman Cunningham (with him not mentioning the possibly tiresome “Rowsell”), wife Margaret Josephine Cunningham, their Transvaal-born son Norman Michael Francis Cunningham and a domestic servant are listed as visitors to this country staying at Dunmore, Combermere Road, St Leonards. Their home residence was given as Boksburg, Transvaal. Since St Leonards-on-Sea is where Francis B Cunningham died 4 year later, it seems possible 113 Marina drive (mentioned below) or somewhere nearby, was the residence of a member of the Cunningham family. Father Francis B Cunningham is not evident in the 1921 census.
Norman Cunningham’s father, Francis B Cunningham, whose home address at the time was given as 6 Albany Road, Bexhill, died aged 77 on 17/02/1925 at 113 Marina Street, St Leonards-on-Sea. Administration of his will was granted to Frances Rowsell Cunningham, secretary, and Bertram Stephen Rowsell Cunningham, solicitor.
At some time from 1921 to 1926, Norman’s family move permanently back to the UK. The reason was quite probably in the interests of the education of his son, who would be 11 years old in 1924.
Thus in 1926, Dr Norman Rowsell Cunningham was resident at 48 Ashgrove, Morley Street, Bradford. 48 Ashgrove was occupied in 1917 by Wm F Rawson, surgeon, so presumably it was a doctor’s surgery.)
The 1939 Register found Dr Cunningham still resident at 48 Ashgrove, Morley Street, Bradford.
He evidently retired as a medical practitioner in 1955, at which point he and his wife moved to live in Fife, Scotland. Given that grandparents Robert and Elizabeth Cunningham were married in Leith on the south bank of the Firth of Forth, while Fife is on the north bank, it seems likely there where family connections there.
There was a subsequent move to London, where he was resident from 1961 (and possibly earlier) onwards.
Wife Margaret Josephine Cunningham died on 29/05/1963 at Wembley Hospital, Middlesex, at which time the Cunningham residence was 11 Barn Rise, Wembley Park. Administration of her will was granted to husband Norman Rowsell Cunningham, retired medical practitioner.
Death
Norman Rowsell Cunningham died on 06/01/1972 in Brent registration district. (No obituary has been unearthed so far.)
Chess
Dr N Cunningham, seemingly preferring not to use his second initial “W”, crops up playing chess for Bradford in the YCA’s I. M. Brown Shield (8 boards) and Woodhouse Cup (10 boards) inter-town team competitions. He played for Yorkshire in over-the-board and correspondence inter-county team competitions. In county matches he tended only to feature in teams of over-average numbers of boards. He seems to have most easily accommodated correspondence play, perhaps due to professional and domestic restrictions on his time, and he seems never to have entered the Yorkshire Individual Championship which involved much travel. That said, he seems not to have entered the Yorkshire :Individual Correspondence Championship (Kitchin). His chess-playing activity after arriving in Bradford seems to have started on 18th of February 1933, but as evidently limited and sporadic. Examples of his activity or conspicuous absence are as follows, where “(N.)” denotes second initial not given in source:
1933 Counties Correspondence Championship (starting w/c 02/01/1933 over 30 boards) – conspicuous by absence 1933 absent from all of first six Woodhouse and I. M. Brown matches, but played two in February. 21/01/1933 Yorkshire v Cheshire, Manchester (22 boards) – absent – probably not strong enough 18/02/1933 Bradford II match in I. M. Brown – Dr. N. Cunningham beat B. McLoughlin of Dewsbury on board 2 25/02/1933 Bradford match in Woodhouse – Dr. (N.) Cunningham beat W. Flint of Leeds on board 8 18/03/1933 Yorkshire v Lancashire, Leeds (16 boards) – absent – again not really strong enough.
The 1933-34 season of YCA team competitions started on 14/10/1933 (I. M. Brown) and 21/10/1933 (Woodhouse), though Bradford had a bye in round 1 for each. Dr N R Cunningham played in the first two I. M. Brown matches but missed the later four matches, and didn’t play in any of the nine (including East-West play-off) Woodhouse matches (even when the team had to default a board on 24/02/1934) 28/10/1933 Bradford II match in I. M. Brown – Dr. N. Cunningham drew with B. McLoughlin of Dewsbury on board 2 11/11/1933 Bradford II match in I. M. Brown – Dr. N. Cunningham beat N. F. Morley of Leeds II on board 4 He then dropped out of Yorkshire League matches for the rest of the season. 1934 Counties Correspondence Championship (30 boards) – conspicuous by absence 03/03/1934 Yorkshire v Lancashire friendly match (23 boards) – absent.
The 1934-35 season of YCA team competitions started with an absence of Dr. N. Cunningham, who didn’t come to notice until . . . 1935 opened will the announcement of the Yorkshire correspondence teams line-up which had the doctor on board 27 against A W Guest of Cheshire whom he beat.
1935-36 saw the doctor appearing once more in the I. M. Brown, them moving into the Woodhouse team but playing in only four and missing five.: 26/10/1935 Bradford II match in I. M. Brown – Dr. N. Cunningham drew with A Kaye of Dewsbury on board 4 02/11/1935 Bradford match in Woodhouse – Dr. (N.) Cunningham beat T Caink of Wakefield on board 5 (which would preclude further games in the I. M. Brown that season) 16/11/1935 Bradford match in Woodhouse – Dr. (N.) Cunningham LOST to C North of Sheffield on board 5 (as he was playing the big boys now) 30/11/1935 Bradford match in Woodhouse – Dr. (N.) Cunningham beat S Sheard of Huddersfield on board 5 14/12/1935 Bradford match in Woodhouse – Dr. (N.) Cunningham absent and there was a default by Bradford on board 4 08/02/1936 Bradford match in Woodhouse – Dr. (N.) Cunningham LOST to J Moore of Sheffield on board 7 1936 Counties Correspondence Championship saw Dr. (N.) Cunningham on board 28 for Yorkshire drawing with J S Liddle of Northumberland 21/03/1936 Yorkshire v Lancashire match (30) – Dr Cunningham absent (though 3 other doctors in the Yorkshire team, but none medical) 10/10/1936 Yorkshire v Middlesex (12 boards) – Dr Cunningham absent – he’d never get into so small a team
For 1936-37, the doctor was elevated to the Woodhouse team. He played in four of the five matches then missed the remaining two. 24/10/1936 Bradford match in Woodhouse – Dr. (N.) Cunningham LOST to W Skipworth of Sheffield on board 5 (third loss to Sheffield!) 07/11/1936 Bradford match in Woodhouse – Dr. (N.) Cunningham beat H H A Ware of Huddersfield on board 8 23/01/1937 Bradford match in Woodhouse against Sheffield – Dr. (N.) Cunningham absent, perhaps not wishing to lose yet again 12/04/1937 Yorkshire v Lancashire friendly (30 boards) Dr, Cunningham on board 25 lost on adjudication to H G Riddell
The Yorkshire League for 1936-37 was restructured so that whereas hitherto the Woodhouse had had West and East sections with section winners playing off for the title. For 1936-37, these were merged into a single section, meaning Bradfordians would have to travel out of West Yorkshire and also encounter more strong teams. It was perhaps for this reason that Dr Cunningham did not play in the Woodhouse Cup competition in 1936-37.
Details of the Yorkshire league 1937-38 are not immediately to hand. The doctor played on board 25 of the 30-board Yorkshire team in the 1938 County & District Correspondence Chess Championship, but not in the two over-the-board county matches played.
1938-1939 was, however, Dr. Norman Rowsell Cunningham’s annus mirabilis, as he was one of the two players who on 12/12/1938 beat Alekhine when the latter gave a simultaneous display in Leeds (on which page his game with Alekhine is to be found). 1939 did not see him playing for Yorkshire in the County & District Correspondence Chess Championship.
During the ensuing world war, much friendly chess was played around England. On 07/11/1942 our man played on board 2 of a 4-board friendly match between Bradford and Halifax, beating J. Staincliffe.
The doctor was seemingly active after the war, but that is way beyond the scope of this website, however, information to hand shows 1947 saw him playing for Yorkshire in the County & District Correspondence Chess Championship beating B K Watts of Shropshire & Herefordshire on board 25 1948 probably saw him playing again in the correspondence team championship, though information is not immediately to hand 1949 saw him in the Yorkshire correspondence team beating A D Hurley of Bedfordshire on board 20. If he played similarly in 1950, that would probably be his last year in the competition before his removal to Fife. |
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Created 20/04/2025 |
Copyright © 2025 Stephen John Mann Census information is copyright of The National Archive, see UK Census Information |
Last Updated 20/04/2025 |