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

[eastsussexred]

For clarity I have added bullet points which I feel are relevant to the founding and history of Wrexham AFC.
Hopefully, this information can be added to the club website to add further depth to our history.

1790’s - Sir Watkin Williams Wynn forms new cavalry and militia regiments and uses the fields that he owns at Plas Coch as cavalry and militia training grounds.

1806 - First public race meetings held during the first week of October at The Racecourse.

1831-1835 - Turf Tavern built at The Mold Road entrance to The Racecourse.

1852 - Provincial Welsh Insurance Company established.
The company would become a major employer in the town, later building new offices on The High Street, with its own gymnasium for the use of its employees.
Many of the clerks would later play for Wrexham Football Club.

1854 - First purpose-built permanent grandstand built next to The Turf Tavern.

1854/1855 - New Turf Tavern built on the town-side end of the existing Turf Tavern.

1855 - Press office and offices for racecourse officials opened in the old section of The Turf Tavern. These offices would later be used as changing rooms for the football club.

1857 - John Whittaker, landlord of The Turf Tavern, arranges the first specific public athletics and foot-race meeting at The Racecourse.
Originally intended as a pony and donkey race meeting for Whitsun holiday visitors to the town, the format of the meeting was hastily re-arranged to include athletics events, when John Whittaker was informed by the owner that taxes would payable for all betting on pony and donkey races.

1863 - Prince of Wales Volunteer Fire Brigade created.
The fire brigade would later field a team who played Wrexham Football Club in the clubs first ever game. Some of fire brigade volunteers would later become Wrexham Football Club players.

1863 - (12/10/63) First meeting of the newly formed United Volunteers Service Club takes place at The Feathers Inn. The club, consisting of volunteers of The Prince of Wales Fire Brigade and servicemen of The Denbighshire Militia and Cavalry as well as being members of The Wrexham Cricket Club was specifically formed to promote athletics as a pastime for the inhabitants of the town.
A number of these members would later become influential founding members of Wrexham Football Club.

1864 - (29/04/64) Wrexham Cricket Club renamed and amalgamated into The Denbighshire County Cricket Club.

1864 - ( 04/10/64) at the annual, end of season Denbighshire County Cricket Club dinner in The Turf Tavern, Edward Manners- Chairman, announced his intention to buy a football and called for members to attend the Racecourse field, next Saturday. The Vice-Chairman, Charles Edward Kershaw as well as other members at the meeting, were also founders of The United Volunteer Service Club.

1864 - (22/10/64) Wrexham Football Club played their first ever game; fielding a 10-man team against 10 men of The Prince of Wales Fire Brigade.
Charles Edward Kershaw, Vice Chairman of Wrexham Cricket Club and founding member of The United Volunteer Service Club, who was also a volunteer in The Prince of Wales Fire Brigade, played for The Wrexham Football Club who lost the game by 2 goals to 1.

1865 - Turf Tavern renamed The Turf Hotel

1865 - First official public athletics meeting, in conjunction with the recently formed Wrexham Football club, takes place at The Racecourse, in October.

1897 - The Wynn family estate sells one third of The Racecourse to Thomas Parry Jones, a Wrexham solicitor.
The sale included the portion of the racecourse where football, cricket and other athletic sports took place and where the stand, ring and paddock for the racing were located, - now know as The Glyndwr University Racecourse Stadium.

[eastsussexred]

[QUOTE=jonesfach;1863505]I still have the hunch that the football pitch started life on what was the horse parade ring or winners enclosure.


You can still clearly see the horse parade ring around the pitch and the radius of the rails in the attached image taken from the film of the Wales v Ireland game (1906) jonesfach.

Watch Wales v Ireland at Wrexham 1906

[jonesfach]

[QUOTE=eastsussexred;1864620]

Originally Posted by jonesfach

I still have the hunch that the football pitch started life on what was the horse parade ring or winners enclosure.

Originally Posted by jonesfach

You can still clearly see the horse parade ring around the pitch and the radius of the rails in the attached image taken from the film of the Wales v Ireland game (1906) jonesfach.

Watch Wales v Ireland at Wrexham 1906

Yes I did see those the other day/week. Look most likely barriers to keep horses in/out and not an impromptu barrier for the football.
You can see houses in the background?? But the picture seems to be pointing towards where the old clock used to be. The corner of Yale and border.
I did nt think there were houses that way. Ones that close anyway. Unless it's the old colliery houses??
The later match 1912 does seem to have some more inforced type barriers, which with the horse racing being finished, seems they have been adopted.

[eastsussexred]

Yes, I noticed that house myself. Thought it must have been a manor of some sort from the size.
The barriers seem to have been re-enforced with rakers angled into the turf inside of the ring to provide more stability against the spectators leaning against them.

Just need the details of the last 3 original players now and then I can stop researching.

[eastsussexred]

Racecourse Autumn Sports, September 1869.

Cycle racing introduced and new rails added, paddock fenced off, as well as repairs to the main stand.

'Several great improvements have been made since last year in the course. Instead of so much 'ropeing," the committee have substituted rails, and the paddock, which used to be open, is now fenced round, giving the course the appearance of a first-class meeting. The large stand has also been put in thorough repair. The attendance was very large, about five thousand persons being present, and with the tents &, shooting galleries, flying boats, and nut stalls, the course presented a very lively appearance. The large stand was well filled, the committee realising 19 guineas to the fund by that alone.'

I - - ------ - --- - - - - - - -- - -- -- -- - - --I WREXHAM AUTUMN --SPORTS.|1869-09-11|Wrexham and Denbighshire Advertiser and Cheshire Shropshire and North Wales Register - Welsh Newspapers Online

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

President of Wrexham Football Club and Vice-President of The Football Association of Wales, Sir Evan Morris- solicitor and J.P. Mayor of Wrexham (1888-89) was knighted by Queen Victoria during her visit to Wrexham in August 1889.

Sir Evan Morris 1841-1890

Evan Morris was the first President of Wrexham Football and Athletics Club from its founding in 1864, as well as being the founder of the Football Association of Wales

These gentlemen having suitably responded, Mr Aid. Smith proposed the health of the President of the Wrexham Football Club, Mr Evan Morris. (Loud cheers.) He (the speaker) had witnessed most of the important matches played in Wrexham, and he had great pleasure in congratulating the Wrexham club upon the admirable manner in which they had recently won the handsome cup from the Druids. (Applause.) They all knew Mr Morris' good qualities, and the interest he took in the game of football, and he believed Mr Morris was the founder of the Football Association of Wales. (Applause.) Mr Morris had been president of the Wrexham Football Club since its commencement, and he was sure the longer lie retained the position the more he lived in the hearts of the members of that club. (Hear, hear.) He always tried to be present at their matches, and when he was unable to attend he was admirably represented by his amiable lady. (Applause,) Mr Morris still took the same interest in the Wrexham club. id what was more he put his hand in his pocket in support of it


WREXHAM FOOTBALL CLUB. I|1883-06-02|Wrexham and Denbighshire Advertiser and Cheshire Shropshire and North Wales Register - Welsh Newspapers Online

[eastsussexred]

Whilst he did not play in the clubs first ever game, there can be few people, if any, who were more influential in the founding of Wrexham Football and Athletics Club, or The Football Association of Wales, or indeed the history of Wrexham itself.

Evan Morris

Evan Morris was born in Wrexham on July 25th 1842.
From humble beginnings, Evan rose to become a man of means, whose career and social endeavours were extraordinary.
After leaving school he trained as a solicitor, although he had many other business interests including chairmanships and directorships, and was the sole owner of a number of companies, as well as being a director of The Provincial Insurance Company. In addition, he played a major role in the expansion of the railway network in the region and he owned a considerable portfolio of properties and land, including land next to The Turf Tavern on The Racecourse.
In 1859, Evan joined The Denbighshire Rifle Volunteers, where he was later promoted to the rank of Captain, although he was also a Major in The Volunteer Brigade of The Royal Welch Fusiliers.
A member of The Denbighshire County Cricket Club Committee, Evan Morris was a founding member of The United Volunteer service Club, whose ideas gave rise to the birth of Wrexham Football and Athletics Club, a club which he played for and helped to fund. He was also elected as the clubs first President on its inception in 1864 and remained in the roll for most of his life.
Evan married Fannie Elizabeth Rowland, in Wrexham, on 17th September 1872, and the couple would have 6 daughters and one son: their family home was Rosenheath House on Rhosddu Road, which was later converted into The War Memorial Hospital.
He was elected a member of The Incorporated Law Society in 1875 and later served as a Magistrate. That same year, he was approached by Samuel Llewelyn Kenrick to help found The Football Association of Wales and subsequently, he would serve as Secretary and Vice President of the association for many years
A devout Christian who held a lifelong involvement with the church, Evan was passionate in his belief that athletics and football helped to improve moral behaviour, ease social tensions and bridge the void between the different social classes ‘football should be encouraged, for it brings men together; high and low, rich and poor, to contend on an equal platform, where one man is as good as another, and the best man wins’.
A County Counsellor for Holt, a Clerk to the Lieutenancy of the Borough, Secretary to The Denbighshire Ordnance Survey Association, Agent for local politicians and Chairman of The Finance Committee, he was also Chairman of the committee for The National Eisteddfod which was held in Wrexham in 1888. In November of the same year, Evan Morris was elected Lord Mayor of the Borough. Then, after Queen Victoria visited the town during a tour of the region, he was called to her residence at Pale Hall in Bala on 27th August 1889 and was bestowed with the honour of knighthood.
A man who was genuinely, highly regarded by the townsfolk of Wrexham, Evan Morris died at the age of 49 at The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne, while en route to France, on 18th April 1890.

Evan Morris
1842-1890

[eastsussexred]

Updated history 'The Early Years' on WST twitter and WST website

https://twitter.com/wsttweets

[eastsussexred]

Our 150th anniversary kit, last year, was taken from the earliest known Wrexham AFC kit, dated 1878
Wrexham - Historical Football Kits

Although I have found evidence that this kit dates back to 28th October 1876.

To-day (Saturday), there will be a scratch match between the Wrexham First eleven v Remainder of Club. There is every prospect of its being a well- contested game. We understand the club will play in their new colours in this match, viz. a Scarlet and black jersey and stockings, white knickerbockers and blue caps.

FOOTBALL.|1876-10-28|Wrexham Guardian - Welsh Newspapers Online

Like the majority of early teams, our original 1864 colours consisted of 'cricket whites' although teams were distinguished by wearing distinctively coloured caps, scarves or sashes, and as our 1876 kit incorporated a blue cap, it seems likely that our original colours were white (cricket whites) with a blue cap scarf or sash; colours we would use (blue and white) for much of our early history.
Thankfully, we saw sense and changed this to red and white from 1939