George William Vidal

George William Vidal (23 September 1845 – 13 October 1907) was a British lawyer who worked in the Indian Civil Services in the Bombay Presidency and contributed to natural history studies from the Konkan region, and was involved in popularizing the modern form of badminton in India and in establishing the formal rules of the game.

George William, the fifth son of Reverend Francis Vidal and the acclaimed novelist Mary Theresa, was born at Torrington, Devon.

He joined the Indian Civil Services after passing the exam in 1865, and reached India in October 1867 becoming assistant collector in Bombay.

He served in a number of positions including forest settlement officer, member of the mixed commission, Goa (1880, 85), president of the Bombay Forest Commission (1885), collector and magistrate in the Panch Mahals, political agent for Rewa Kantha, collector of salt revenue in Bombay (1888), chief secretary from 1895, and retired in 1897.

[10] Vidal married Cecilia Palmer (died 1933) daughter of Lt. William Chapman, Bombay Engineers, on 2 January 1871 in Ratnagiri.

Photograph of Vidal taken by himself
Drawing of a tall thin man wearing white with a small beard holding a badminton racket and shuttlecock.
Vidal in later life, cartoon by Charles Ambrose