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

[eastsussexred]

Adams Weekly Courant- an early Chester Journal, was adverising Wrexham Races 'at least' as far back as January 1738, although I have not yet found evidence to confirm if these races took place on the present Racecourse Ground. Additionally, The Crispin Inn, which was mentioned in an earlier post, and which was located somewhere in Stansty, was still in existence in 1763.

Wrexham Races can now be confirmed as having taken place on Wrexham Racecourse from at least, the year 1800, but it is seeming much more likely that our Racecourse has a sporting history stretching much further back into the 18th Century. Also, it may well be that the original Turf Tavern dates back earlier than the current, confirmed date of occupation, of 1819.

[eastsussexred]

Possibly another first for the club.
While the old Hamden Park was the first stadium to be built with turnstiles in 1873, a local Jeweller presented Wrexham Football Club with moveable, counting turnstiles, in 1890. This pre-dates the new form of 'counting' turnstiles that came onto the market, and were used at other grounds from 1895.

[Sir Crispin Lane]

fantastic research on this thread, thank you so much. Apologies if I have missed it but do we know whether the course was left or right handed and was it flat only or did they have steeplechases/hurdles around the track? As I said absolutely fascinating thread; frankly you should think about publishing a book rather than letting us read all this for free!

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by Sir Crispin Lane

fantastic research on this thread, thank you so much. Apologies if I have missed it but do we know whether the course was left or right handed and was it flat only or did they have steeplechases/hurdles around the track? As I said absolutely fascinating thread; frankly you should think about publishing a book rather than letting us read all this for free!

Thanks Sir Crispin. I believe that the earliest Racecourse stretches back in history to a time, not yet determined, although, as above, Wrexham Races were definately in existence in 1738, but most likely dating back much, much further, though probably not in such an established form as was reported from the late 18th/early 19th Century, onwards, when our own Racecourse was known as 'the new course'. There is a reference from the 1840's, recalling an 'earlier time' when the races were termed 'Leather-plate races' as opposed to the silver and gold plates and cups that would later provide prizes, and so, adding weight to the idea that the later races evolved from earlier meetings. I do think that the new course was an upgraded course on the area of land which had previously been used for country pastimes and sports for many, many generations. Hopefully, if I can find evidence to confirm this, then our stadium will be the last area of land remaining, which had been used for sporting events in Wrexham, stretching far back into history, therby making The Racecourse itself even more a part of local and national heritage, and subsequently, making it more protected from the hands of any potential commercial developers in the future. Hence, I dont want financial reward, but by putting this information in the public domain, we safeguard our heritage, although when I can finalise all aspects of the research, then it will all be handed to WST Although the more research I do, the further back in time the land on which The Racecourse was built, shows up in the archives, so placing it on here also offers a reference place

As for your original question, there were hurdles on the course in the early 19th Century, with one known to have been situated just to the roadside corner, or slightly behind where the techend/Gus is today, where there was also a gate off Mold Road, which was used for the carts and carriages that brought wares onto the course during the race meetings. There were also gates at either side of the old turf tavern and a number of gates off Crispin Lane.
As for the handing; I think this must have changed, as well as the layout of the course, over time, because it is known that the finish post was located in front of the old Turf Tavern, but in the early and mid -19th Century, reports state that there was an up hill run in, which I assume would mean that horses ran from Crispin Lane and up to the finishing post outside of the turf, therby making the course right handed. Although this seems illogical to me as they would have had to turn quite sharply off Crispin Lane; though the finishing post was shown early on from being in front of the turf?
There is a plan of the course from 1819, attached to one of the earlier posts.

Incidently, I have since found that The Crispin Inn was situated just over a mile and a half from the town, in 1699, on the left hand side of the early Mold Road, so probably not too far from where B&Q is today. As attached. Fields on both side of the Mold Road had been known as Crispins fields.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

Adams Weekly Courant- an early Chester Journal, was adverising Wrexham Races 'at least' as far back as January 1738, although I have not yet found evidence to confirm if these races took place on the present Racecourse Ground. Additionally, The Crispin Inn, which was mentioned in an earlier post, and which was located somewhere in Stansty, was still in existence in 1763.

Wrexham Races can now be confirmed as having taken place on Wrexham Racecourse from at least, the year 1800, but it is seeming much more likely that our Racecourse has a sporting history stretching much further back into the 18th Century. Also, it may well be that the original Turf Tavern dates back earlier than the current, confirmed date of occupation, of 1819.

Additionally, newspaper articles also reported Wrexham Races in 1776, and in a 1990's review of The Weatherby Racing Calendar for the year 1783, it was found that The Myddleton Family, of The Chirk Castle Estate had been paying subscriptions to the racemeetings at Wrexham 'prior' to the year 1700.

This further confirms that The Wrexham Races had evolved from much earlier meetings which date back 'at least' into the 1600's, and I can find no evidence anywhere in the archives to say that they were held anywhere else, other than those fields, off Crispin Lane.
Sporting activity at our stadium may have commenced much earlier than anyone had previously considered.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

THE SHOEMAKERS

In 1620, a survey was made of the possessions of Charles- Prince of Wales, including the Lordship of Bromfield and Yale, of which, Wrexham was included.
The survey, which was compiled in Latin, was later translated and summarised in a series of books by Wrexham historian- Alfred Neobard Palmer, and which were published at the end of the 19th Century.
The Survey recorded that much of the trade in Wrexham at the begining of the 17th Century revolved around agriculture and livestock markets, with the consequential manufacture of flannel, gloves and leather goods, such as shoes and boots, which were sold in local shops, and provided much of the income of the town’s inhabitants, although there were also quite a few small-scale malt kilns in the town at that time.
The survey also recorded the street names and the names of fields in the area, and Palmer noticed that many of the fields (some of which were separated into smaller parcels of land) were named according to the crafts and trades, which historically had provided the industry of the town; - such as Butchers Field, Glovers Hollow, Receivers Field (receiver for the Lordship) and the Field of the Tenter-hooks (later known as Tenters Field) etc. Additionally, he noted, that many of these field names were listed in an earlier record ‘The Common Fields’ of Wrexham (1562) and he concluded that the field names dated back to a time when the industry of the town was being established (the leather industry in Wrexham, for example, has been dated back to the 14th Century) with traders or groups of traders gradually buying the freehold or leasehold of parcels of land, and that these ancient field names of old Medieval Wrexham had carried through to the 17th Century.
Palmer then specifically identified two parcels of land; - Shoemakers Mound, off Chester Road, and Shoemakers Hollow, near Bradley Road, and he linked both of these plots with the area of land that we know as The Racecourse.

‘On one side of Crispin Lane is a piece of land, now traversed by the Great Western Railway line, which was formerly called "Crispin field" and on the other side of the same lane was a large field (on the north side of the present Race Course) known as "Crispin croft".
The triangular croft in the apex of which Crispin Lodge has been built, and whose base forms one side of Stansty Park, is called " Crispin meadow," while a second "Crispin field" lies opposite to it on the other side of the Mold Road.
Now these several closes, or three of them, seem to have been connected with a tavern which once stood in Stansty, called “The Crispin Inn." But St. Crispin was the patron saint of shoemakers; and it may very well be that in the name of this
inn we have another indication of the former existence in Wrexham of some such incorporated society of these craftsmen as has been supposed.
Whatever be the explanation of the names which have been
cited, they are, it cannot be denied, very curious and interesting.’
A.N. Palmer

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

In summary, he concluded that as the trade of the Medieval town increased, an organistion or Guild of Shoemakers was formed and they invested their combined profits to buy parcels of land, including a number of fields which became known as Crispins Fields (after St Crispin- the Patron Saint of their organisation) and a tavern called The Crispin Inn.

The lower section of these fields would come to be known as The Racecourse.

The Crispin Inn was situated on Mold Road, possibly somewhere around where B&Q is today and was still in existence in the mid 18th Century.

I have also found that there were taverns in Wrexham called 'The Shoemakers' and 'Cordwain's Arms'.
Cordwainers were traditionally high-end tradesmen who used superior materials to make footwear. Organisations of Cordwainers in Britain were first granted ordinances in the 13th Century.
There are no records to say where these 2 Taverns were located, but the lack of information in the archives itself, suggests that these Taverns may have been of early origin.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

The Crispin Inn was situated on Mold Road, possibly somewhere around where B&Q is today and was still in existence in the mid 18th Century.

I have also found that there were taverns in Wrexham called 'The Shoemakers' and 'Cordwain's Arms'.
Cordwainers were traditionally high-end tradesmen who used superior materials to make footwear. Organisations of Cordwainers in Britain were first granted ordinances in the 13th Century.
There are no records to say where these 2 Taverns were located, but the lack of information in the archives itself, suggests that these Taverns may have been of early origin.

Cordwainers Arms was still in existence in the 1660's

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

THE SHOEMAKERS

In 1620, a survey was made of the possessions of Charles- Prince of Wales, including the Lordship of Bromfield and Yale, of which, Wrexham was included.
The survey, which was compiled in Latin, was later translated and summarised in a series of books by Wrexham historian- Alfred Neobard Palmer, and which were published at the end of the 19th Century.
The Survey recorded that much of the trade in Wrexham at the begining of the 17th Century revolved around agriculture and livestock markets, with the consequential manufacture of flannel, gloves and leather goods, such as shoes and boots, which were sold in local shops, and provided much of the income of the town’s inhabitants, although there were also quite a few small-scale malt kilns in the town at that time.
The survey also recorded the street names and the names of fields in the area, and Palmer noticed that many of the fields (some of which were separated into smaller parcels of land) were named according to the crafts and trades, which historically had provided the industry of the town; - such as Butchers Field, Glovers Hollow, Receivers Field (receiver for the Lordship) and the Field of the Tenter-hooks (later known as Tenters Field) etc. Additionally, he noted, that many of these field names were listed in an earlier record ‘The Common Fields’ of Wrexham (1562) and he concluded that the field names dated back to a time when the industry of the town was being established (the leather industry in Wrexham, for example, has been dated back to the 14th Century) with traders or groups of traders gradually buying the freehold or leasehold of parcels of land, and that these ancient field names of old Medieval Wrexham had carried through to the 17th Century.
Palmer then specifically identified two parcels of land; - Shoemakers Mound, off Chester Road, and Shoemakers Hollow, near Bradley Road, and he linked both of these plots with the area of land that we know as The Racecourse.

‘On one side of Crispin Lane is a piece of land, now traversed by the Great Western Railway line, which was formerly called "Crispin field" and on the other side of the same lane was a large field (on the north side of the present Race Course) known as "Crispin croft".
The triangular croft in the apex of which Crispin Lodge has been built, and whose base forms one side of Stansty Park, is called " Crispin meadow," while a second "Crispin field" lies opposite to it on the other side of the Mold Road.
Now these several closes, or three of them, seem to have been connected with a tavern which once stood in Stansty, called “The Crispin Inn." But St. Crispin was the patron saint of shoemakers; and it may very well be that in the name of this
inn we have another indication of the former existence in Wrexham of some such incorporated society of these craftsmen as has been supposed.
Whatever be the explanation of the names which have been
cited, they are, it cannot be denied, very curious and interesting.’
A.N. Palmer

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

In summary, he concluded that as the trade of the Medieval town increased, an organistion or Guild of Shoemakers was formed and they invested their combined profits to buy parcels of land, including a number of fields which became known as Crispins Fields (after St Crispin- the Patron Saint of their organisation) and a tavern called The Crispin Inn.

The lower section of these fields would come to be known as The Racecourse.

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

The Crispin Inn was situated on Mold Road, possibly somewhere around where B&Q is today and was still in existence in the mid 18th Century.

I have also found that there were taverns in Wrexham called 'The Shoemakers' and 'Cordwain's Arms'.
Cordwainers were traditionally high-end tradesmen who used superior materials to make footwear. Organisations of Cordwainers in Britain were first granted ordinances in the 13th Century.
There are no records to say where these 2 Taverns were located, but the lack of information in the archives itself, suggests that these Taverns may have been of early origin.

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

Cordwainers Arms was still in existence in the 1660's

In the attachment of my previous post, William Lewis is a Corvisor (another term for a cordwainer/shoemaker) who's shop was situated at the base of Town Hill, and who was associated with The Cordwainers Arms in 1666. It is also known that there were areas in Medieval Wrexham known as Shoemaker’s Mound and Shoemaker’s Hollow, and that there was another tavern in the town, known as The Shoemaker’s.
Additionally, there was a Crispin Inn at Lower Stansty (now known as Plas Coch) and Wrexham historian A.N. Palmer had hypothesized that an ancient guild of shoemakers may have been responsible for the existence of The Crispin Inn, as St Crispin was the patron Saint of Shoemakers. The Crispin Inn, which was still in existence in the mid 1700’s, also lent its name to the Crispin Field’s, on which, The Racecourse was later built. I have found no specific records relating to a date when The Crispin Inn may have been built, but it is known that Plas Coch (meaning Red Hall) was built around 1580/90 for Sir William Meredith of Stansty, who was The High Sheriff of Stansty and who was the treasurer and paymaster for the British army in the campaigns in The Netherlands, during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. In 1608, Sir William issued a contract to his brother- Edward Meredith (a draper and trader in London) to supply the uniforms and footwear for the soldiers of the army, although Sir William died later that same year and Plas Coch was passed to his family, with Edward Meredith holding the lease. Edward Meredith would also become The High Sheriff of Stansty in 1629, and it may well be, that if A.N. Palmer’s hypothesis regarding a guild of shoemakers is correct, then a possible date range for the construction of The Crispin Inn, would be the first few decades of the 1600’s, due to Edward Meredith’s trade associations. From this point, the area on which the Racecourse was later built, would become known as Crispins Fields, with Crispin Lane running through its lower boundaries.

[Corner Flag]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

Cordwainers Arms was still in existence in the 1660's

There was a pub on the Holt Road called the London Apprentice and parts of it are still there on the bank behind the now closed Greddington.