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

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

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.

From historical reports and newspaper articles, I have highlighted an area (in black) attached, which, at one time or another, may have been known as 'The Crispin'.
Certainly, from the mid to the end of the 19th Century, the area around the townside of The Racecourse, and the fields on the Stansty side of The Racecourse were still known as ' The Crispin' and it would seem that The Crispin Inn was built sometime prior to 1675 (though may have been much older) as an Inn, on 'The Crispin'. The name 'The Crispin' does not appear in any landowner documents that I can find, but rather in newspaper reports, which suggests to me that it was a localised name, but as you can see, would have covered a large area, including The Racecourse.

[eastsussexred]

Crispin Lane appears to have been an ancient trackway, which was 4 feet wide in the late 19th century, when its owner- John Foulkes paid for a gravel surface to be laid. At this time, the lane was a trackway, bordered on both sides with high hedges, and was known locally as a lovers lane, and which in the 19th Century, stretched from the corner of a garden, known as The turf Tavern Garden, immediately off Mold Road, to The Plas Coch Toll Gate, also on Mold Road, though originally it may have been part of a trackway which continued across Mold Road, where the NCP car park is today.
The lane seems to have taken its name as a trackway which served an ancient farm, called The Crispin, which was located where the embankment for the Connah’s Quay railway line is now situated, opposite a position, about half way along where the kop is today.
In 1867, The Crispin was described as a cottage with a stable that was owned by the railway company, and was leased to a locomotive driver, although it is likely that it had belonged to the Foulkes family previously. The cottage at this time formed a part of the railway station and no longer had a garden, which had been removed when the railway line was first excavated, but prior to this, it had been a more substantial property, with outbuildings, a yard, a cow-house, a stable, a large garden, and also, previously had its own fish pond; the footprint of which, was recorded on an ordinance survey map (attached) dated 1819- before the railway station was built. At this time, The Crispin, which was not named on the map, was located in a field called Bryn Llyn, which relates to a pond on hill, and which can also be seen on the OS map. When the map was first drawn, the pond was known locally, as ‘the fishpond’ but in ancient times, it was known as Witches Pond, and Bryn Llyn had previously been known as Crispin Field. Nearby, on the opposite side of Crispin Lane (on the northside of The Racecourse) was a field known as ‘Crispin Croft’, and on the opposite side of The Racecourse, past Plas Coch, was another field called ‘Crispin Field’. Opposite to this, on the other side of Mold Road, and at the base of Stansty Park, was a field called ‘Crispin Meadow’; moreover, in the 17th Century, at least, it is known that there was also an inn called ‘The Crispin Inn’, which was situated on its own land, within the footprint of Stansty Park, at the side of Mold Road.
Stansty Park was an ancient estate that was owned by a family, known as the Edwards’s of Stansty, and who built their family seat, in the park, called ‘Plas Issa’ (later known as Stansty Farm) in 1577. Soon after, a cousin of the Edwards family- William Meredith, also built Plas Coch Hall, within its own estate, sometime between the 1580’s and 90’s. However, it seems most unlikely that fields, named after ‘The Crispin’ would have been bought, independently, on both of these estates after the estates were established, as Crispin Field and Crispin Meadow have field boundaries, which are aligned with each other, but are separated by the Mold Road; thereby, strongly suggesting that they were previously both a part of the same field. It is also very unlikely that the Edwards family would have sold a small parcel of land within their own estate to allow someone else to build an Inn (The Crispin Inn) which was named after another house in the area. Additionally, if the fields were bought after both estates had been established, then a bill of sale would likely have been recorded, as the land named after The Crispin occupied such a large area; but there are no known records of any sales. Another curiosity is- why was there a Crispin Meadow and a Crispin Field on the town side of The Racecourse, and a Crispin Meadow, which formed part of a larger field, known as Crispin Field, on the Stansty side of The Racecourse? Having two fields of the same name makes no sense, as no-one would know as to which field was being referred to; unless, that is, they were all originally connected as one field.
It seems logical to suppose then, that in the distant past ‘The Crispin’ was originally a farm, surrounded by a very large field, possibly for grazing sheep, called ‘Crispin Field’ which occupied much of Stansty including most, if not all of Stansty Park, Plas Coch and the land that The Racecourse was later built on.
The farm would have pre-dated the Stansty Park and Plas Coch estates, and it is possible that it may have dated back to the farms governed by the Cistercians of Valle Crucis Abbey, from the 13th Century, hence the name ‘The Crispin’ which related to the patron saint of shoemakers and leathermaking- St Crispin. As a mere farmhouse, the history of ‘The Crispin’ would not have been recorded in the same way that any of the stately homes of the landed gentry of the area were recorded, and would not, therefore, have been identified as a significant building on older maps. But the extent of the namesake land and the fact that it required its own lane, which still exists today, suggests that the cottage must have been a part of a farm of a considerable size at some time in its past. The lands and fields that the farm occupied, collectively, later became known locally as ‘The Crispin’ and the house of the same name was eventually demolished sometime after 1867, when the railway surveyor of the time referred to the property as being an old cottage.

[eastsussexred]

As above

[eastsussexred]

A more accurate location for The Crispin.
Taken from a tithe map which was drawn in 1842, the location of The Crispin is shown on the attachment with a modern googlemap overlay.
As you can see, the overlay is out by about 5 mtrs, but shows that The Crispin would have been located directly opposite where the student flats are today. The Witches Pond occupied an area where the aptly named spring gardens are today.
I believe that The Crispin gave rise to the name of Crispin Lane and the surrounding namesake fields and cottages in the area, as well as The Crispin Inn, in Stansty. The fact that there was a Crispin Inn still in existence in 1675, and that there were fields named after Crispin on both the Stansty Park estate and the Plas Coch estate, strongly suggests that The Crispin was originally a farm which predated both estates, and so would have been pre-16th Century, at least, though the original farm is likely to have been much earlier.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

Crispin Lane appears to have been an ancient trackway, which was 4 feet wide in the late 19th century, when its owner- John Foulkes paid for a gravel surface to be laid. At this time, the lane was a trackway, bordered on both sides with high hedges, and was known locally as a lovers lane, and which in the 19th Century, stretched from the corner of a garden, known as The turf Tavern Garden, immediately off Mold Road, to The Plas Coch Toll Gate, also on Mold Road, though originally it may have been part of a trackway which continued across Mold Road, where the NCP car park is today.
The lane seems to have taken its name as a trackway which served an ancient farm, called The Crispin, which was located where the embankment for the Connah’s Quay railway line is now situated, opposite a position, about half way along where the kop is today.
In 1867, The Crispin was described as a cottage with a stable that was owned by the railway company, and was leased to a locomotive driver, although it is likely that it had belonged to the Foulkes family previously. The cottage at this time formed a part of the railway station and no longer had a garden, which had been removed when the railway line was first excavated, but prior to this, it had been a more substantial property, with outbuildings, a yard, a cow-house, a stable, a large garden, and also, previously had its own fish pond; the footprint of which, was recorded on an ordinance survey map (attached) dated 1819- before the railway station was built. At this time, The Crispin, which was not named on the map, was located in a field called Bryn Llyn, which relates to a pond on hill, and which can also be seen on the OS map. When the map was first drawn, the pond was known locally, as ‘the fishpond’ but in ancient times, it was known as Witches Pond, and Bryn Llyn had previously been known as Crispin Field. Nearby, on the opposite side of Crispin Lane (on the northside of The Racecourse) was a field known as ‘Crispin Croft’, and on the opposite side of The Racecourse, past Plas Coch, was another field called ‘Crispin Field’. Opposite to this, on the other side of Mold Road, and at the base of Stansty Park, was a field called ‘Crispin Meadow’; moreover, in the 17th Century, at least, it is known that there was also an inn called ‘The Crispin Inn’, which was situated on its own land, within the footprint of Stansty Park, at the side of Mold Road.
Stansty Park was an ancient estate that was owned by a family, known as the Edwards’s of Stansty, and who built their family seat, in the park, called ‘Plas Issa’ (later known as Stansty Farm) in 1577. Soon after, a cousin of the Edwards family- William Meredith, also built Plas Coch Hall, within its own estate, sometime between the 1580’s and 90’s. However, it seems most unlikely that fields, named after ‘The Crispin’ would have been bought, independently, on both of these estates after the estates were established, as Crispin Field and Crispin Meadow have field boundaries, which are aligned with each other, but are separated by the Mold Road; thereby, strongly suggesting that they were previously both a part of the same field. It is also very unlikely that the Edwards family would have sold a small parcel of land within their own estate to allow someone else to build an Inn (The Crispin Inn) which was named after another house in the area. Additionally, if the fields were bought after both estates had been established, then a bill of sale would likely have been recorded, as the land named after The Crispin occupied such a large area; but there are no known records of any sales. Another curiosity is- why was there a Crispin Meadow and a Crispin Field on the town side of The Racecourse, and a Crispin Meadow, which formed part of a larger field, known as Crispin Field, on the Stansty side of The Racecourse? Having two fields of the same name makes no sense, as no-one would know as to which field was being referred to; unless, that is, they were all originally connected as one field.
It seems logical to suppose then, that in the distant past ‘The Crispin’ was originally a farm, surrounded by a very large field, possibly for grazing sheep, called ‘Crispin Field’ which occupied much of Stansty including most, if not all of Stansty Park, Plas Coch and the land that The Racecourse was later built on.
The farm would have pre-dated the Stansty Park and Plas Coch estates, and it is possible that it may have dated back to the farms governed by the Cistercians of Valle Crucis Abbey, from the 13th Century, hence the name ‘The Crispin’ which related to the patron saint of shoemakers and leathermaking- St Crispin. As a mere farmhouse, the history of ‘The Crispin’ would not have been recorded in the same way that any of the stately homes of the landed gentry of the area were recorded, and would not, therefore, have been identified as a significant building on older maps. But the extent of the namesake land and the fact that it required its own lane, which still exists today, suggests that the cottage must have been a part of a farm of a considerable size at some time in its past. The lands and fields that the farm occupied, collectively, later became known locally as ‘The Crispin’ and the house of the same name was eventually demolished sometime after 1867, when the railway surveyor of the time referred to the property as being an old cottage.

There is another curiosity in the archives, which appears to confirm that the The Crispin was a substantial house, which was already in existence in the 17th Century.
Ogilby’s Road Map of 1675 (attached) shows a large un-named house in an area, which he calls ‘Stansty’ just 4 furlongs (half-a-mile) outside of the town of Wrexham. The actual printed survey of the roads, which was published in 1699 (attached) states that Stansty was situated on the right-hand side of Mold Road, 4 furlongs outside of the town. This fits in with the idea that the original township of Stansty, which was gifted to the Cistercians of Valle Crucis Abbey, was centred close to Wat’s Dyke in lower Stansty (where The Racecourse is today) rather than at Northcroft or Higher Stansty, where the Edwards family established their family seat at Stansty Park, in 1577. The road map shows a large un-named house at Stansty (where The Racecourse is today) and both the map and the survey identify that Plas Coch was situated another 4 furlongs, or half-a-mile, further along Mold Road. The tavern, known as The Crispin Inn was located another 6 furlangs past Plas Coch. Of course, these early maps are not as accurate as modern maps, and they do sometimes have errors, but I have checked the distances of other landmarks on Ogilby’s map in the area and the map seems reasonably accurate. Current Ordinance Survey maps show that the junction from Crispin Lane onto Mold Road is approximately half a mile from the junction/roundabout from Plas Coch Road onto Mold Road.
Unless Ogilby’s survey was wrong, then there was a substantial house, half-a-mile to the east of Plas Coch, in the immediate area of where a farm or house known as The Crispin was later shown to be located. I have also attached a side by side image of an 1842 tithe map and a current OS map to show how the location of The Crispin corresponds with the house in the 1675 survey.

[eastsussexred]

The yellow away shirt seems to have been a popular choice this season, but I have found that our first season in yellow was in the form of a previously unknown yellow and blue shirt that the team were reported as wearing for the 1893/94 season.
Without photo's it is not possible to know for sure the design of the shirt, but the article seems to suggest that it was primarily yellow.

[eastsussexred]

On 16th January 1937 Wrexham played Manchester City in an F.A.Cup tie at The Racecourse.
Wrexham had changed their strip for that game to red shirts with white collars and cuffs due to a colour clash with the City strip.
At that time Man City played in light blue and it would seem that for the 1937/38 season, Wrexham had started the season playing in light blue shirts, white shorts and light blue and white banded socks.
There is a photo of the 1937/38 team at the bottom of page 96 in the book 'Wrexham FC 1872-1950' (Images of Sport: GM Davies & P Jones), which seems to confirm the lighter blue strip, rather than dark blue, and at the top of the page is another team photo from the same season which appears to show a darker shirt (possibly red?) and black shorts with banded socks.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

On 16th January 1937 Wrexham played Manchester City in an F.A.Cup tie at The Racecourse.
Wrexham had changed their strip for that game to red shirts with white collars and cuffs due to a colour clash with the City strip.
At that time Man City played in light blue and it would seem that for the 1937/38 season, Wrexham had started the season playing in light blue shirts, white shorts and light blue and white banded socks.
There is a photo of the 1937/38 team at the bottom of page 96 in the book 'Wrexham FC 1872-1950' (Images of Sport: GM Davies & P Jones), which seems to confirm the lighter blue strip, rather than dark blue, and at the top of the page is another team photo from the same season which appears to show a darker shirt (possibly red?) and black shorts with banded socks.

I have been informed by historical kits.com that the photo mentioned above was over exposed and that Wrexham changed their strip from a mid blue shirt, which might have clashed with Man City’s light blue shirts. In reference to my earlier post regarding Wrexham wearing a yellow and blue shirt, it seems that there is a photo of a Wrexham player in an early football book which seems to confirm this

[Cymru_Am_Byth_WXM]

Some fascinating research there EastSussexRed. If you happen to stumble across the colours of other Wrexham area teams during your research could you let me know please? Teams like Wrexham Victoria, Brymbo Victoria and Broughton United all played in the Combination at some point, so you'd think there colours would be listed somewhere. I'm yet to find them though.