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

[WasanActonlad]

What you are doing is more than applaudable....
Maybe I'm showing my age and era re our high tech era.

At least there should be a revised edition of the club history book ... accounting for the previous unrecorded (what you have now done) period 1864-1872.

Oh for someone to stumble upon within their attic of unknown minutes of agm's during the first 20 years....
Really curious to understand why reporting of club events is sketchy in local press till about 1872...

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by WasanActonlad

What you are doing is more than applaudable....
Maybe I'm showing my age and era re our high tech era.

At least there should be a revised edition of the club history book ... accounting for the previous unrecorded (what you have now done) period 1864-1872.

Oh for someone to stumble upon within their attic of unknown minutes of agm's during the first 20 years....
Really curious to understand why reporting of club events is sketchy in local press till about 1872...

Thanks WAL, it is a case of the more I research, the more I want to know and so it has become a bit of a fixation of mine, although, the more I home in on little details, the more history keeps unfurling.
Initially it would seem that the history of The Racecourse began when Sir Watkin Williams Wynn raised a local militia and Cavalry regiment at the end of the 1790's although I have just found an article which takes that back earlier in the 1790's, although the family had raised militia earlier too and so the military aspect of The Racecourse could go back earlier than first thought. Additionally, it may have been used as part of the fox hunt and possibly an area for hare coarsing, and so there are always additional little bits to find. The Turf Tavern may have been earlier too.
I can add links of the early AGM's in the form of press reports from the first few years, end and start of season, club meetings, although the reporting is mostly about the cricket ( I will try to add a post consisting of only these meetings in the future). I think that in the first few years the football was seen by some members of the club, just as an additional form of athletics to compliment the cricket; Edward Manners, for example, seems to have been far more concerned with cricket, whereas the likes of Evan Morris and Charles Edward Kershaw focused a bit more on the football side of things, although, the first few seasons cricket was much more the most popular sport and so the press were more focussed on Cricket.
There are also a couple of years that are not scanned into the Newspaper archives for some reason and as the football club wasn't really recorded in other areas, then it is hard to find out what happened during those seasons.
In time, I will update what I can on to the clubs website, but as there is still information coming to light, then it may be a gradual process.
I do like your idea of writing a book about the history, and as Ive said before, if you want to do so, then I will help out with links and references, or any other way that I can.
Personally, I am hoping that adding additional depth to our history will bring its own rewards by raising the profile of the club.

[eastsussexred]

The Racecourse had originally been created after Sir Watkin Williams Wynn donated three of the fields that he owned, for the purpose of military training for the local cavalry and militia regiments, which he had raised in the mid 1790's. However, In 1873, the British government had tried to secure a 99 year lease on The Racecourse as part of The Cardwell Reforms, which were intended to centralise the power of The War Office, and to take tighter control of the reserve forces stationed in Britain.
The Racecourse, at this time, was allready being used as an encampment base for both local and visiting military regiments and had its own military buildings, such as an officers mess and arms houses, which were situated near to the boundary of Crispin Lane. But the Wynn family refused to lease the land, and as Wrexham had been designated as a Miltary Centre, plans were then drawn up to build a Military Barracks at Hightown (completed in 1877).
WREXHAM. 4J|1873-01-03|The Cambrian News and Merionethshire Standard - Welsh Newspapers Online.

Then, after airshows were introduced to The Racecourse in 1912, and flying ace, Gustav Hammel, is reported to have crashed into railings on the course, Wrexham Council discussed turning The Racecourse into a municipal Airport, although this was rejected and so fields at Boras Lodge were used, initially as a municipal aerodrome, but later as a training school for The Royal Flying Corps.

http://www.gutenberg.us/articles/raf_wrexham

[eastsussexred]

In the Clwyd Names registry there is an entry under the name of Foulkes (Wrexham) for the baptism of a son, named Joseph, to parents Joseph and Margaret Foulkes (publicans) at The Turf Tavern

'27 Sep 1819 bap/o Joseph s/o Joseph (publican) & Margaret, Turf Tavern'

R

This takes the exisence of The Turf Tavern back much closer to the creation of The Racecourse itself, with the first public horse races being held in 1806.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

In the Clwyd Names registry there is an entry under the name of Foulkes (Wrexham) for the baptism of a son, named Joseph, to parents Joseph and Margaret Foulkes (publicans) at The Turf Tavern

'27 Sep 1819 bap/o Joseph s/o Joseph (publican) & Margaret, Turf Tavern'

R

This takes the exisence of The Turf Tavern back much closer to the creation of The Racecourse itself, with the first public horse races being held in 1806.

I believe that this makes the Turf Hotel (previously The Turf Tavern) the oldest public house at any sport stadium in the World, taking over from The Tavern pub at Lords cricket ground which was demolished in 1967.

[Mr Wonderful]

The Turf? Nearly 200 yrs old. If those walls could speak...

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by Mr Wonderful

The Turf? Nearly 200 yrs old. If those walls could speak...

I think it could be even older; From the Clwyd names registry, we know that it was allready in existence in 1819, and so I have a feeling that it may have been built soon after the Racecourse was opened to the public in 1806 to serve the huge crowds who used to flock there, although as Mold Road was an existing thouroughfare, there could have even been an earlier tavern on the site. Just havent found anything to back this up though. Just from my own perspective, the architecture of the old Turf Tavern side of the pub looks more 18th century than 19th century.

[onelegged harry]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

I think it could be even older; From the Clwyd names registry, we know that it was allready in existence in 1819, and so I have a feeling that it may have been built soon after the Racecourse was opened to the public in 1806 to serve the huge crowds who used to flock there, although as Mold Road was an existing thouroughfare, there could have even been an earlier tavern on the site. Just havent found anything to back this up though. Just from my own perspective, the architecture of the old Turf Tavern side of the pub looks more 18th century than 19th century.

Well done eastsussex for your diligent and revealing research.Just a suggestion have you looked at the Soames family and business interest, latterly Border Breweries
My father in law (deceased) born 1900 always said that old Maj Soames always said that the Turf was the family favourite, as it was the oldest and most profitable.
Trust this may help!
Posted via mobile theme

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by onelegged harry

Well done eastsussex for your diligent and revealing research.Just a suggestion have you looked at the Soames family and business interest, latterly Border Breweries
My father in law (deceased) born 1900 always said that old Maj Soames always said that the Turf was the family favourite, as it was the oldest and most profitable.
Trust this may help!
Posted via mobile theme

thanks olh,
I was aware that FW Soames bought The Nags Head Brewery in 1879 (later to become Border Brewery) and also later owned The Racecourse, presumably, including The Turf Tavern/Hotel (although he could have bought just the pub earlier?), but believed that this was in the latter stages of the 19th Century. I believe that until this time The Wynn Family Estate owned the pub and the whole of The Racecourse until
1897, when The Wynn family estate sold 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. I am not sure of the precise date that FW Soames bought the land after 1897, but believe that he was involved in football prior to taking ownereship as the Soames Charity Cup appears in the archives from around 1894.

incidently, I found a few items relating to FW Soames's sons in The Wrexham Advertiser, which may be of interest to your family/in laws.

FUNERAL OF CAPTAIN SOAMES I I|1915-07-16|The North Wales Chronicle and Advertiser for the Principality - Welsh Newspapers Online

MR. JULIAN A. SOAMES. ,J|1914-09-25|The North Wales Chronicle and Advertiser for the Principality - Welsh Newspapers Online


iThe Late Lieut. Noel Soames.|1916-05-26|Llangollen Advertiser Denbighshire Merionethshire and North Wales Journal - Welsh Newspapers Online

I understand that his son, Noel Soames was also director of Wrexham AFC.

Appeciate you letting me know olh, and if you find any additional information, please let me know, so we can add further depth to our history.