White was educated at Bury St Edmunds Grammar School and at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he was a Rustat Scholar, taking advantage of a fund for the sons of deceased clergy.
[3] He played cricket as a middle- or lower-order batsman, though it is not known whether he was right- or left-handed.
He top-scored with an unbeaten 28 for Cambridge in the match against Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) preceding the 1851 University Match against Oxford University, but failed to be picked for his Blue.
[4] The following season, despite being unsuccessful in other matches, he was picked for the University Match, where he made scores of 5 and 7 in a heavy defeat for his side, which played one man short (10 players against Oxford's 11).
[3] He served as curate at Watton, Norfolk and as priest-in-charge of St Matthew's Church, Thorpe, Norwich before settling as vicar of Tunstead and Sco-Ruston in 1858.