This is a list of people who are known to have been involved in the historical development of cricket from its earliest known mention in 1598 to the opening of the original Lord's and the formation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1787. The list is by season, this being the season in which the person's name first appears in surviving sources. The first name is John Derrick, who made a legal deposition in January 1598 which includes the earliest mention of cricket on record. The last name, and the only one in 1787, is Thomas Lord whose new ground was opened at the beginning of that season; MCC was founded soon afterwards.