The massive Wrexham AFC history thread (The sad case of a founding members and player of Wrexham...)

[eastsussexred]

Sergeant William Tootell was born the son of a cork cutter John Tootell in 1831. He followed in his fathers footsteps and worked as a cork cutter but later became a Musketeer instructor in the Royal Denbigh Rifle Militia, in which he was promoted to sergeant. He was also a drill instructor in the 5th Denbighshire (Gwersylt) rifle volunteers.
He was married to Elizabeth Roberts at St Giles Church on 15 September 1855 and they had 4 children
Sergeant Tootell played Cricket for the Denbighshire County Cricket Club and he attended the after-dinner event, after he had played in the last cricket match of the season on 04th October 1864.
During this event, the chairman, Edward Manners, announced that after consultation with the Mayor, he was going to purchase a football in the course of the week, with the intention of starting a new Athletic Club in Wrexham and stated that he expected a good many down on the field next Saturday.
Sergeant William Tootell was 1 of the 10 founding players who would play in their first ever match on 15th October 1864, against the 10 men of The Prince of Wales Fire Brigade; a game in which they lost 2-1
DCCC had very strong links with the military and this link would extend well beyond the founding of the Football Club.
A fellow volunteer in the Royal Denbigh Rifles, Sergeant Major Heath, also played in that opening game and each of these are referenced frequently, in The Wrexham Advertiser and other newspapers throughout the 1860’s, and Sergeant Tootell in particular: although the connections between the founding members and the military is easily found in the archives
Sergeant Tootells record of marriage is also available in the National registry of Births /Marriages and Deaths.

Wrexham Advertiser Clwyd, Wales
1 Oct 1864
militia staff
4 - - 23 »» Phoenix .10 - 9 . 0-19 Welsh . .8 - - 0-10 138 Corporal Jones . K*IW. Sergeant-Major Heath. 13 . ?. * S Ensign Clark . . *1 * Lees .11 ‘lt ' ? ' 21 Corporal Rowland .13 ‘ ‘ 22 Private . . {2 . ‘ * ' 2S * 4-23 <« «W 4« 182

William Tootell died aged just 35, after a fortnights illness on 30/09/1866 and was buried with full Military honours at Ruthin Road Cemetery on 03/10/1866; less than 2 years after he played in the clubs first ever game
DEATH OF SERGEANT WILLIAM TOOTELL.— MILITARY FUNERAL. We regret to record the death, on Monday last, 01 Sergeant William Tootell, after a fortnight's illness. The deceased, who was musketry instructor and staff sergeant of the Royal Denbigh Militia and drill instructor of the 5th Denbighshire (Gwersyllt) Rifle Volunteers, was interred in the New Burial Ground, Ruthin-road, Wrexham, with military honours, on Wednesday. About four o'clock nearly all the members of the Gwersyllt company of volunteers, the militia staff, members of…
• Wrexham and Denbighshire Advertiser and Cheshire…
• 6th October 1866 Welsh Newspapers Online - Search - ''[0]=1860&page=40563
For reference, please search at Welsh Newspapers Online - Search - ''
Most articles can be found under Wrexham Advertiser.

[jonesfach]

Sad story indeed.

Thanks for finding that and we moan at the price of chips..

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by jonesfach

Sad story indeed.

Thanks for finding that and we moan at the price of chips..

Yes. They were very different days. I'm not sure how he died. I did see one reference to Cholera, which I believe spread to Wrexham in 1866, but my laptop crashed as I was trying to edit and load all the references, links and newspaper articles to RP, so I lost a great deal of information.

[ABd]

I believe the second ever game of the new Wrexham Football Club was against Braintree in December 1864. However the game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, despite the Great Braintree Drought of 1863/64.

[Mr Wonderful]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

Sergeant William Tootell was born the son of a cork cutter John Tootell in 1831. He followed in his fathers footsteps and worked as a cork cutter but later became a Musketeer instructor in the Royal Denbigh Rifle Militia, in which he was promoted to sergeant. He was also a drill instructor in the 5th Denbighshire (Gwersylt) rifle volunteers.
He was married to Elizabeth Roberts at St Giles Church on 15 September 1855 and they had 4 children
Sergeant Tootell played Cricket for the Denbighshire County Cricket Club and he attended the after-dinner event, after he had played in the last cricket match of the season on 04th October 1864.
During this event, the chairman, Edward Manners, announced that after consultation with the Mayor, he was going to purchase a football in the course of the week, with the intention of starting a new Athletic Club in Wrexham and stated that he expected a good many down on the field next Saturday.
Sergeant William Tootell was 1 of the 10 founding players who would play in their first ever match on 15th October 1864, against the 10 men of The Prince of Wales Fire Brigade; a game in which they lost 2-1
DCCC had very strong links with the military and this link would extend well beyond the founding of the Football Club.
A fellow volunteer in the Royal Denbigh Rifles, Sergeant Major Heath, also played in that opening game and each of these are referenced frequently, in The Wrexham Advertiser and other newspapers throughout the 1860’s, and Sergeant Tootell in particular: although the connections between the founding members and the military is easily found in the archives
Sergeant Tootells record of marriage is also available in the National registry of Births /Marriages and Deaths.

Wrexham Advertiser Clwyd, Wales
1 Oct 1864
militia staff
4 - - 23 »» Phoenix .10 - 9 . 0-19 Welsh . .8 - - 0-10 138 Corporal Jones . K*IW. Sergeant-Major Heath. 13 . ?. * S Ensign Clark . . *1 * Lees .11 ‘lt ' ? ' 21 Corporal Rowland .13 ‘ ‘ 22 Private . . {2 . ‘ * ' 2S * 4-23 <« «W 4« 182

William Tootell died aged just 35, after a fortnights illness on 30/09/1866 and was buried with full Military honours at Ruthin Road Cemetery on 03/10/1866; less than 2 years after he played in the clubs first ever game
DEATH OF SERGEANT WILLIAM TOOTELL.— MILITARY FUNERAL. We regret to record the death, on Monday last, 01 Sergeant William Tootell, after a fortnight's illness. The deceased, who was musketry instructor and staff sergeant of the Royal Denbigh Militia and drill instructor of the 5th Denbighshire (Gwersyllt) Rifle Volunteers, was interred in the New Burial Ground, Ruthin-road, Wrexham, with military honours, on Wednesday. About four o'clock nearly all the members of the Gwersyllt company of volunteers, the militia staff, members of…
• Wrexham and Denbighshire Advertiser and Cheshire…
• 6th October 1866 Welsh Newspapers Online - Search - ''[0]=1860&page=40563
For reference, please search at Welsh Newspapers Online - Search - ''
Most articles can be found under Wrexham Advertiser.

Good story on one of our founders, could be commemorated as a symbolic nod of thanks & rememberance to all who started this great club. Maybe name the player of the year award the Tootell Shield, but I'm probably being too sentimental.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by Mr Wonderful

Good story on one of our founders, could be commemorated as a symbolic nod of thanks & rememberance to all who started this great club. Maybe name the player of the year award the Tootell Shield, but I'm probably being too sentimental.

That's a good idea. I was going to look for his grave in the Ruthin Road Cemetery, the next time I'm in Wrexham and lay a scarf on the headstone as a sign of respect, though I understand that the cemetery has been closed for a while.

[panda23]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

That's a good idea. I was going to look for his grave in the Ruthin Road Cemetery, the next time I'm in Wrexham and lay a scarf on the headstone as a sign of respect, though I understand that the cemetery has been closed for a while.

The former Ruthin Road Cemetery, fell into disuse in the early 20th century and then became derelict, it was only acquired from the Diocese by the Council in the 1950’s and re-landscaped into a Memorial Garden and public open space.
It is believed that many of the memorial stones are placed against the boundary walls of the land, but the majority are illegible. The land now forms part of Victoria Road Infants & Junior School.

[Mr Wonderful]

Some of the headstones are in a terrible state due to their age. He is registered in the death records (ref:WM/022/63) but not in the burial records which only start in 1876.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by Mr Wonderful

Some of the headstones are in a terrible state due to their age. He is registered in the death records (ref:WM/022/63) but not in the burial records which only start in 1876.

Thanks, as I have said, I lost much of the information, when my laptop crashed as I was trying to upload details, and so I had to summarise from memory But I also found certain records missing too, such as the names of his children. I think 3 were named in one genealogy search, but 1 of his 4 children , a boy, was not.
I think I might have misquoted the date of Sergeant Tootell's marriage, which I think would have been 1851 and not 1855 as stated, with 1855 being the date of birth of his un-named son. There was a reference to William Tootell being a minor in the marriage records, which merely meant that he was under 21 when he married, and so the date of the marriage must have been 1851.