Richard Napoleon Lee (1833 – 28 May 1876) was an English cricketer active in first-class cricket in 1852.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Richard Napoleon Lee | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 1833 Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 28 May 1876 (aged 42/43) Sidmouth, Devon, England | ||||||||||||||
| Relations | Richard Thornton (father) Rev. Richard Thornton (son) Albert Thornton (son) Walter Thornton (son) | ||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 29 September 2018 | |||||||||||||||
The illegitimate son of Richard Thornton and his housekeeper Alice Lee, he was born at Clerkenwell, Middlesex, in 1833.[1] He attended St John's College, Oxford, where he studied law.[2] Lee made what would be his only appearance in first-class cricket in 1852, when he played for the Surrey Club against the Marylebone Cricket Club at The Oval.[3] He was a barrister at the Middle Temple by 1861.[2]
Lee later moved to Sidmouth, Devon, where he was appointed the Income Tax Commissioner for Devon.[4] He died at Sidmouth on 28 May 1876, having changed his name to Richard Napoleon Thornton in 1865 as a condition laid down in his father's will.[5][6] At some point he married Margaret James, who predeceased him.[7] The couple had four children,[7] with their three sons Richard, Albert and Walter all playing first-class cricket.