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

[eastsussexred]

After re-evaluating old newspaper reports Wrexham - Historical Football Kits has agreed to change the colour of our first ever kit to all-white, rather than white top and shorts with black socks, and they have also moved the date of our scarlet and black strip, back to October 1876, rather than 1878, as well as changing the colour of the socks to scarlet and black hoops, rather than all black, as previously displayed.

[eastsussexred]

In the first ever season of the English Football League (1888) Preston North End acquired the name of ‘the invincibles’ having won the championship without losing a single game. The following year, the team adopted a 2-3-5 formation, rather than the old 1-2-7 formation of the 1870’s, and P.N.E. again experienced success by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 to lift the 1889 F.A. Cup.
The success of Preston North End persuaded other clubs to adopt the same formation and this system dominated football until the F.A. changed the off-side rule in 1925.
History of Football Tactics and Playing Formation

However, the 2-3-5 system had already been established some 11 years earlier by Wrexham Football Club, and was recorded in newspaper reports of the first ever Welsh Cup Final, which Wrexham won 1-0 against Druids on 30th March 1878, at Acton Park.
This was also later confirmed in a newspaper report regarding the death of former Wrexham and Wales player- John Pryce.
On Monday 09th December 1907, The Athletic News reported that John Pryce was said to have been ‘the first centre who ever played in a team with three half backs and five forwards- the Wrexham team that won the Welsh Cup in 1877/78.’
Breaking Down the Top 10 Most-Used Formations in World Football | Bleacher Report

[WasanActonlad]

I am sure that if you read match reports prior to welsh cup final in 1876/77 if teams are listed I'm sure I've seen positions listed, indicating the 2-3-5 formation was earlier.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by WasanActonlad

I am sure that if you read match reports prior to welsh cup final in 1876/77 if teams are listed I'm sure I've seen positions listed, indicating the 2-3-5 formation was earlier.

Yes I agree WAL.
I think that the 2-3-5 pyramid became popular, and was picked up in England, and then used around the World, mostly due to Preston North End's successes, though, as you say, the formation had been used earlier. But it would seem that it was the success of P.N.E. that caused other teams to adopt that formation, in the same way that teams would try to emulate Barcelona, for example.
Likewise, the success of Wrexham's 2-3-5 formation in the first ever Welsh Cup final, some 11 years earlier, was later picked up by sports journalists and the formation was credited to the club, as the club had won a cup final using that formation; i.e. it was deemed a winning formation.
This was still being credited to the club, when the journalist wrote the article about the death of John Price in 1907 (as previously attached) and was again picked up in the 1960's ''In Association Football, however, published by Caxton in 1960, the following appears in Vol II, page 432: "Wrexham ... the first winner of the Welsh Cup in 1877 ... for the first time certainly in Wales and probably in Britain, a team played three half-backs and five forwards ..."
The 2–3–5 was originally known as the "Pyramid", with the numerical formation being referenced retrospectively. By the 1890s, it was the standard formation in England and had spread all over the world. With some variations, it was used by most top level teams up to the 1930s.

As you say, the formation was used earlier, and by others too, but I think that it was winning a cup final with that formation, that bought the pyramid to the masses, and it wouild seem that WAFC were the first team to win a trophy of note, and so were later regarded as the team that brought the formation to the publics attention.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

After re-evaluating old newspaper reports Wrexham - Historical Football Kits has agreed to change the colour of our first ever kit to all-white, rather than white top and shorts with black socks, and they have also moved the date of our scarlet and black strip, back to October 1876, rather than 1878, as well as changing the colour of the socks to scarlet and black hoops, rather than all black, as previously displayed.

On February 2nd 1939, a letter from a Wrexham fan from Coedpoeth was published in The Liverpool Echo, wherein the fan bemoaned the poor performances of the team and the subsequent low attendances at The Racecourse.
The fan referred back to their earlier years in the Third Division, when the team wore red jerseys, which were emblematic of the Red Dragon of Wales, and which instilled a kind of national patriotism into the players and the club. He added that it was difficult to understand why the club had ever changed to its current colour blue, and further suggested that club should change its colours to say 'white or green jerseys with the Welsh emblem on the breast.
Subsequently, the supporters association presented the club with a strip of red shirts with white collars and cuffs, white shorts and red socks, in time for the opening of the 1939/40 season, and red and white has remained as the clubs primary colours, ever since.
I have since found that Wrexham played in red shorts and white socks for the 1922/23 season, and were also reported as playing in red and white around the time of the first World War too.
Red and white seems to have been an away strip for many of the seasons when the club played in blue.
There was a new, previously unknown shirt of blue and white halves intoduced during a Welsh Cup game against Bangor, at Chester, in February 1890, which I feel, may have been used as our strip through, the 1890/91 season.
Our strip for the 1902/03 season consisted of blue shirts and white shorts and our strip for the 1925/26 season was blue shirts and white shorts.
It seems likely also that our strip for the 1894/95 season consisted of black and white striped shirts with blue socks and shorts.
Wrexham - Historical Football Kits have been informed.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

On February 2nd 1939, a letter from a Wrexham fan from Coedpoeth was published in The Liverpool Echo, wherein the fan bemoaned the poor performances of the team and the subsequent low attendances at The Racecourse.
The fan referred back to their earlier years in the Third Division, when the team wore red jerseys, which were emblematic of the Red Dragon of Wales, and which instilled a kind of national patriotism into the players and the club. He added that it was difficult to understand why the club had ever changed to its current colour blue, and further suggested that club should change its colours to say 'white or green jerseys with the Welsh emblem on the breast.
Subsequently, the supporters association presented the club with a strip of red shirts with white collars and cuffs, white shorts and red socks, in time for the opening of the 1939/40 season, and red and white has remained as the clubs primary colours, ever since.
I have since found that Wrexham played in red shorts and white socks for the 1922/23 season, and were also reported as playing in red and white around the time of the first World War too.
Red and white seems to have been an away strip for many of the seasons when the club played in blue.
There was a new, previously unknown shirt of blue and white halves intoduced during a Welsh Cup game against Bangor, at Chester, in February 1890, which I feel, may have been used as our strip through, the 1890/91 season.
Our strip for the 1902/03 season consisted of blue shirts and white shorts and our strip for the 1925/26 season was blue shirts and white shorts.
It seems likely also that our strip for the 1894/95 season consisted of black and white striped shirts with blue socks and shorts.
Wrexham - Historical Football Kits have been informed.

typo- red shirts and white shorts

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

In addition to the boundary hedge alignment between Crispin Field and Crispin Meadow, which was dissected by an ancient track or road that would later become Mold Road, there is also a boundary hedge alignment between Crispin Croft and Coopers Field, just beyond the northeast boundary of The Racecourse (see attachment).
Again, the hedges of these two fields follow the same alignment, but are also dissected by Crispin Lane. I have no dates at to when the lane was built, but there is a map which seems to show that the lane was in existence in the 17th Century, though would likely have been much older.
It is possible that after the lane was built, the town-side of the field was sold off to a barrel-maker;- hence Coopers Field, but next to this field is another field called Crispin Field, and the building of Crispin Lane would also have separated this field from the rest of the field, which is now known as The Racecourse. Moreover, if The Racecourse was once a part of a field, named after Crispin, then this field itself was further dissected by another road- Plas Coch Lane, when Plas Coch Hall was built, sometime around the 1580’s or 90’s. On the tithe map (attached) I have highlighted these three roads in yellow, and you can see that there is just one other boundary hedge (in purple) which separates these fields from the other fields named Crispin Field and Crispin Meadow. This suggests to me that the hedge in purple ‘may’ have been added as a field boundary when Plas Coch was built, but otherwise all of the fields named ‘Crispin’ were joined in the very distant past.
The land at the lower ‘Racecourse end’ on the map was gifted to Valle Crucis Abbey at the beginning of the 13th Century, when the Prince of northern Powys relocated the inhabitants of Llangwestl, near Llangollen, to Stansty, prior to building the Abbey. Documents show that the Abbey held a grange in this area, which was a house for monks who administered the tithes due on the land, and the tithes were collected, in the form of crops, which were stored in barns that were attached to the grange. Early documents state that the grange was located near to a stone monument and the name ‘Stansty’ is thought to have been derived from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘stan’ meaning ‘stone’ and sti or sty, relating to a path, road or enclosure, or possibly from the Germanic word stipig, relating to the farming of pigs.
The only known monument in the immediate area was Wat’s Dyke, and so it may have been that the dyke in this area had the addition of some stone re-enforcement built into the embankment, although, no stone has ever been found.
While lower Stansty belonged to the Abbey, upper Stansty (Stansty Park) was sold or leased to David ap Meilir in 1317, although this land too would be incorporated into a manor under the jurisdiction of the Abbey. Meillir’s family continued to live on the land in upper Stansty and after Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1535, his descendants built the family seat ‘Plas Issa’ in 1577. Another descendant- a farmer by the name of John ap David ap Edward, then adopted the surname ‘Edwards’ in the 16th Century and Plas Issa, would later become known as Stansty Farm. Soon after, Sir William Meredith (a cousin to the Edwards’s) built Plas Coch Hall, most likely around the 1580’/90’s and Plas Coch stayed in the family until Sir William Meredith of Kent sold the land and its estate to Sir John Wynn in 1703.
Much of Stansty farm was destroyed by fire in the latter part of the 19th Century.

It would seem that building activity in the form of roads and houses, had dissected an area associated with Crispin over many years, most likely with Mold Road first cutting off Crispin Meadow from Crispin Field in ancient times and possibly followed by Crispin Lane separating the other end of Crispin Field from the land that we now know as The Racecourse, also at some unknown date in the very distant past, before a road built for access to Plas Coch Hall completely separated the two sides of Crispin Field, at the end of the 16th Century.
The Crispin Inn, off Mold Road, appears to have been in existence until the late 18th Century (possibly into the very early 19th Century)
Crispin Lane is now the only physical reminder of a time when the whole area would have been known due to an association with Crispin, which I believe may have been derived from the activity of the 13th Century inhabitants who made leather and shoes on the farms that were under the Jurisdiction of the Cistercians of Valle Crucis Abbey.

Just to confirm that there was an area of land around The Racecourse, which was still known as 'The Crispin' at the end of 19th Century.
From the location of roads in the surveyors report of 1884 (attached) and from the information as shown in earlier posts, it appears that 'The Crispin' was the land and fields on which, Plas Coch Hall had been built in the 1580's/90's, though the name would have related to an earlier period.

[eastsussexred]

Attached is the earliest image that I know, of land within The Racecourse boundary (at that time).
Taken at somepoint around 1880 from a small piece of land that was then known as The Turf Tavern Garden, the photo shows Wrexham General Station in the background and the white gate of Crispin Lane, which at that time, was a four foot wide footpath. The footpath in those days was a known locally as a lovers lane, and the gate was also occasionally used as an entrance onto the course for carriages, during the October race meetings.
I have attached a couple of maps from different periods showing approximately where the photo would have been taken from (highlighted by red crosses), which nowadays would be on the pavement on Mold Road, just in front of the charity shop.
In days gone by, the Turf Tavern Garden was sometimes used as a field (as in the photo) and sometimes used as a garden for growing crops and vegetables. In earlier times, this garden had probably been a part of Crispin field, and to the left of the photo would have been a house and garden with stables, which was also known as 'The Crispin'. The location of the site of this house today would be on the station side of Crispin lane, probably parrellel with the back of the charity shop. Also in the 19th Century, there would have been two rows of cottages, known as Crispin cottages, which were probably situated further along the same road but parallel with an area just past the old stand on the kop. On the photo, you can see that the road into town was of a decent size in the 1880's, having been widened by WW Wynne in the early 19th Century to provide additional space for the horses to parade from their stables, near Eagles Meadow, up to The Racecourse.
On the 1809 map, you can see that Crispin Field was also know as Bryn LLyn, which referres to a pond or lake on a hill, as can be seen on the map. In ancient times this pond was known as The Witches Pond, and therefore it is possible that it may been used in trials of any woman who was unfortunate enough to have been accused of anything that the church or townsfolk took offence to.
The Wrexham Advertiser informs us that there had also been a vicarage in the immediate area, which was demolished to make way for the station and platforms.
The field in the photo was dug up and the gate and wall were demolished in the early 20th Century when a new road junction was formed between Crispin Lane and Mold Road. By this time a part of the tavern garden (where the charity shop is today) had been bought as two plots by an individual from Liverpool (as previously posted)

[jonesfach]

Great find.