[WEDNESBURY PAPERS Contents] ~ [F.W. Hackwood] ~ [Alice's Autographs] ~ [Home] ~ [Feedback]
X.
IN all manly sports, and in all physical exercises and games of skill, especially those requiring a combination of sound nerve and strong muscle, the Wednesbury man still sustains the reputation of his Anglo-Saxon forefather. A century or so back, when all "sport" was more or less brutalised, the name of Wedgbury was a bye-word. But we were, in those days, no worse than our neighbours ; one could then as easily have found a cock-fighting parson in Wiltshire as have met a collier of the "Newton" and "Scroggins" fraternity in Wednesbury. In the course of the current century, however, much progress has been made and bull-baiting has long since disappeared from amongst us, the last baiting having been an attempted revival of the "sport" in 1848. Cock-fighting, *(*In Pierce Egan's Book of Sports will be found a modified version of the old ballad "Wedgebury Cockin.'" The language of the original text, which dates back to the middle of the last century, is much too coarse for publication.) too, has gone with it ; although it is yet suspected that among a certain set of the old cockers a main is surreptitiously fought even now - occasionally and quietly, of course. Rat-killing matches still take place, and even badger-drawing occasionally ; that is, when a badger can be obtained. Mr. B. C. Knowles, of this town, is among the most enthusiastic of breeders and exhibitors of sporting dogs. Mr. M. Lowe has also a noted kennel. Mr. Knowles' pack of beagles was at one time a very good lot ; and at the present time his kennel includes a famous bloodhound (Oscar II) ; a dog that has taken prizes at most of the shows which have been held in England during the past two years.
How different is this kind of thing to the treatment of dumb animals which prevailed in this town half a century ago ! Certainly in those times the colliers were careful of their bull-dogs ; and at bull-baiting, when the prowess of each dog was carefully tested, the owner's solicitude (for the dog - not the bull) manifested itself in many ways. A lot of rough and hardened workmen might have been seen skipping about, and dodging around the baited beast, with their little aprons held wide open to catch their precious dogs after they have been tossed high into the air by the infuriated bull. Their tender solicitude would not permit the good dog to fall thwack upon the hard ground ; and besides, he might have another "go" at the bull, and get his full money's worth of sport ; for every man who entered his dog at a bull-bait paid to the proprietors of the bull a certain fixed entrance-fee. These fees, together with the proceeds of the sale of the baited beef afterwards, made the "baiting" a profitable undertaking - sometimes. Occasionally a proprietary was established, for the purchase of a bull, among the poorer classes of the town, especially at Wake time ; members contributed about half a sovereign each, and hopefully calculated their chances of re-imbursement and profit, by anticipating the popularity of the baiting, and the goodly number of the dogs entered. But at the present day thee is scarcely a thorough-bred bull-dog to be met with in the town ; the modern Wednesbury sportsman seems to lavish his fondness for animals upon a shivering "whippet," which he trains for the now popular rabbit-coursing matches.
Pugilism has been one of the latest survivals in the town, and till recently flourished to a considerable extent. Although we have never produced any great pugilist of indigenous growth like the "Tipton Slasher," we once possessed in a townsman - the late George Rowley - a man who took a prominent position in all matters relating to the Prize Ring. Twenty or thirty years ago, when he kept the "Horse and Jockey Inn" on the High Bullen, his house was the resort of many celebrities connected with the "P.R." After the great fight for the championship of the world between Tom Sayers and Heenan in 1860, Rowley acquired the right of selling a print representing the encounter, which was extensively published throughout England and America by an enterprising London firm. Rowley's popularity among the fraternity on both sides of the Atlantic ensured the success of the publication ; and his long journeys in the far west undertaken for the sale of the picture, formed the theme of many stirring and adventurous anecdotes with which he was once wont to entertain his friends. Soon after Rowley's return from America, Sayers came to Wednesbury, and a banquet in honour of the latter was given at the "Horse and Jockey." Many tales are told of the docility and gentleness of the great pugilist, who at that time seemed to be entirely under the control of a young relative who accompanied him. One result of this connection of Rowley's was the training of his son Bob as a "feather-weight." Another exponent of the noble art of self defence who often made Wednesbury his headquarters was Joe Goss. This was because another of our sporting celebrities, the late Ben Hawkins, * (* In the annals of Fast Trotting also, the name of Ben Hawkins is famous. A celebrated Trotting Pony was "Snowball," the property of Mr. Joseph Palmer of this town : on one occasion it was backed to trot a triple match of 16, 17, and 18 miles per hour.) than whom no man was better known or more respected for miles round, was one of Goss' principal backers, and generally his stakeholder, in all his important engagements. Considering the pursuits of many of its frequenters, Ben Hawkins' house, the noted "Crown and Cushion Inn," on the High Bullen, was wonderfully well conducted ; and all of the years it flourished very little can be reaped up against it. Certainly Jem Mace, just prior to any of his big fights, would perhaps turn up and take a "benefit boxing match" there ; but old Ben was too true a sportsman to allow anything shady or unfair on his premises. Then, there was Jimmy Shaw ; at irregular intervals he would turn up in the town and make his home alternately at George Rowley's and Ben Hawkins'. This man was not only the best judge of fighting-dogs and game-cocks, but was known to either possess, or to be "fly to," the best-bred and best-trained of both. The last public appearance in Wednesbury of any of this fraternity was in 1876, when George Rooke, the champion middle-weight of America took a benefit in the Theatre Royal ; on which occasion a grand sparring entertainment was got up, the chief attraction of which was a set-to between the beneficiare and Bob Rowley. Since that date these relics of a byegone form of "sport" seem to have been completely down-trodden by the march of civilization. Their old home knows them no more.
Pedestrianism has ever been a favourite form of amusement among us. For many years, till within a generation of the present time, it was a regular and time-honoured custom, as sure as every "Saint Monday" came round, to get up impromptu footraces along the streets and lanes of the town ; for this purpose some localities were affected, more than others, for various reasons. The suitability of the path for instance, or the contiguity of a public-house kept by a landlord of congenial tastes, ensured the establishment of a running ground. There was then a "Ten Score Lane" across the Old Field admirably suited to two hundred yards races ; as regards the public-house element, that has since developed into Harding's Recreations Grounds. In the records of professional pedestrianism, the name of Edward Whittaker, of Wednesbury, takes a prominent place. This runner, who was commonly known by the name of "Butcher," and who found a generous patron in the late Mr. James Hunt, won Sheffield Handicaps in 1867 and 1871, always accomplishing the distance "inside of even time." When Amateur Athletic Meetings took such a firm hold on the public fancy some nine years ago, Wednesbury was amongst the first of the towns of this neighbourhood to hold one of these gatherings. It was got up by the original Town Football Club and was held at Crankhall Lane Grounds, in September, 1875 ; and had the weather been propitious it would have been highly successful. From that time to the present, amateur runners of exceptional abilities have been forthcoming, and amongst those who have made the name of the town famous on the "cinder path" may be mentioned the well-known sprinters George Nicholls, Samuel Powis, and G.H. Jones. The long-distance men of the town have formed the "Wednesbury Harriers Club," and in the contests of Cross-country-Paper-chasing already distinguished themselves. The amateur runners alluded to, and nearly all others of the same class, were brought out in connection with one or other of the various football clubs of the town.
But to write the history of football in Wednesbury is not within the scope of this article. It would be to chronicle the rise and growth of the popular "Association" game, not only in the Midlands, but throughout the country ; for till the formation of the two Wednesbury clubs in 1872 the "Association" game of football was played desultorily in the Sheffield and Metropolitan districts, and entirely without that enthusiasm and spirit of emulation which in the Midlands has since developed the Birmingham and District Football Association, the Wednesbury Charity Football Association, and the numerous other associations of a similar nature throughout the length and breadth of the country. Of late years Cricket seems to have been on the decline in Wednesbury. The rivalry of the Football Clubs may possibly have had some effect upon the Cricket Clubs. Any way, before Football was introduced, the Wednesbury Cricket Club at one time rose to considerable eminence under the management of that veteran cricketer, Superintendent Holland. Elwell's Cricket Club was once able to put a very good team in the field, and the OVAL, at Wood Green, was partly laid out in its present elaborate style for their benefit. The last time this town shone forth in the cricket field was tow years ago, when the Wednesbury Club played in the final for the Birmingham Cricket Association Challenge Cup. However, our townsmen did not win the trophy, and this display seems to have been their final flicker.
Before football was introduced to beguile the tedium of the winter months, the only resource of the young and vigorous was the incidental occurrence of hard and continued frosts ; then, and only then, was afforded to our young people an opportunity for the outlet of their superabundant stores of physical energy. At these times, occurring at uncertain intervals, Elwell's Pools presented an animated scene, when skaters and sliders moved about incessantly and in all directions across the field of view. Some of the finest skaters between here and the Fens have been produced in Wednesbury. In 1857 there was a very severe frost, and the Pools were then en fete for a lengthened period. To celebrate this event a kind of Winter Carnival was got up, including skating, sliding, hockey, pigeon-shooting, racing on the ice, and - of course - a "feed." As these Pools have been largely the means of providing us with sport of various kinds, a few words relative to them may not be out of place in this connection. The Old Pool, near to Bescot, was made in 1804, and the New Pool on the New Town side, was made in 1855. When water-power was of greater importance to manufacturing interests, these pools were extremely valuable ; and the owners, Messrs. Elwell, have long possessed water-rights in both the Willenhall Brook and in Ryder's Brook. The pools are well stocked with fish ; but a few years back, before the streams which feed them were polluted, the fishing was really valuable. At that time they were carefully preserved, and contained plenty of good sized fish - there were pike weighing over 20lbs, and eels of 3 and 4 pounds each. The smaller fish were roach, perch, and tench. Messrs. Elwell than maintained a number of regular keepers, between whom and the poachers, who frequently attempted to net a pool in the night time, many desperate affrays have taken place. However, since sewage and mineral matters have been poured into the pools, the fishing has deteriorated till it is now no longer necessary to maintain keepers. The last encounter between keepers and poachers was in 1868, when the latter were taken and imprisoned. A few years ago the right of fishing was let to Mr. William Byatt who placed a number of pleasure boats on the New Pool, but boating did not long hold the popular fancy ; perhaps the water was not sweet enough, nor the range of distance far enough. In September 1875, there was a two days' fete on the pools ; boat races and angling contests were then the attraction.
When the public baths were first opened a very influential and successful Swimming Club was established. Carvill, the Channel Swimmer often performed there, and some good aquatic sports were organised by the club. Internal dissensions, however, broke the institution up after it had existed only two years. When the bicycle first came into general vogue about 1869, and when the wheels were made of hickory-wood, they were used in this town very extensively, and Mr. Job Edwards set up a manufactory of their production. Now, both tricycles and bicycles of the spider-wheel patterns, are in common request amongst us, and a Bicycle Club is established in the town. This club organises an enjoyable run of 30 or 50 miles for each Saturday in the summer season. [For information respecting indoor amusements see WEDNESBURY PAPER NO. 6, which appeared in The Midland Advertiser of March 10th, 1883, under the heading of "An Old-fashioned Game." This was chiefly a description of a Tip-it match for £50, and the championship, played between a Wednesbury set and some Londoners, at Northampton. Wednesbury Chess Club has been lately revised under the auspices of the Rev. R. B. Stoney, Rector of St. John's, and several other influential gentlemen. In numbers and prospects it is more flourishing than ever it was.]
|
