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Locke Narburgh

Locke Narburgh

Locke was born on the 28th November 1869 in Warwick.  He was baptised on the 6th January 1870.  

Attended Salt Hill Grammar School in Farnham. 

We first come across Locke in December 1885 when he played for St. John’s College, Luton against fellow local team Albany.  He also played cricket and football for the College. His team mates included other Luton players such as J.R. Benavides and G.W. Beldam.  

Locke impressed playing for the College against Luton Town in January 1888.  He was asked to play for the Straw Plaiters and made his debut on the 4th February.  He formed a good partnership on the wing with Gilbert “Tom” Small.  The Luton Reporter commented on his debut –

“At this juncture of the game Narburgh again several times exhibited a wonderful style of dribbling.”

He didn’t play again until the end of season games at  Easter.  

Locke was a regular in the first team for the 1888/89 season scoring 8 goals  including a hat trick against Chesham in the F.A. Cup.  His last game came in the dreadful 4 0 defeat to Old St. Paul’s in the F.A. Cup on the 16th October1889 .  

We lose touch with Locke until the newspapers reveal that he bought a racehorse for 300 guineas in March 1891.  Throughout 1891 he is mentioned in racing circles as the owner and seller of a number of horses and a dispute about a horse too.  He was in partnership with fellow LTFC player Ernest Lomax for a while in 1891. Suddenly the horse racing clips disappear.  In 1893 he is shown on a prospectus as a director of a company making McDonald Puncture-proof pneumatic tyre company.  However, there was an alleged breach of trademark case which went to the Court of Appeal. It appears that Locke did not lose too much money as when he married Edith Ann Fraser on the 5th March 1898 at Edgware Parish Church he is described on the marriage certificate as a “gentleman.”  Locke was 29 years old at the time.  A year later they had a son whom they named Warwick.  

By 1901 they lived at St. Andrews Mansions, Baron’s Court but the same year moved to Brighton and Locke is a Contracts manager with the Telephone company.   

In 1939, when 69 years old, he lived with his wife Edith in Brighton and is described as a retired GPO Contracts manager.  

Locke died in Hove, Sussex in early 1956.