BRITAIn? THEY’VE REBADGED IT, YOU FOOL
A new book by Martyn Routledge and Elspeth Wills tells the fascinating story of Britain
through the ages... all using football club badges. Are you sitting comfortably, children?CLUB nEWS
AROUnD THE
GROUnDSPREHISTORY
DUMBARTON
Who knew Dumbarton Rock was such a hotspot for
the famous? Formed merely 340 million years ago,
the future Middle Age stronghold is said to have been
visited by luminaries like Mary Queen of Scots and
Williams Wallace and Wordsworth. Far from a plush
getaway, though, it was once a volcano – ‘all’ that
remains now is its 240-foot basalt plug, worn down
in the ice ages. The rock’s shape reminded people of
an elephant, which became the town’s – and team’s- symbol. Dumbo for Dumbarton, if you will.
THE ROMANS
COLCHESTER UNITED
Colchester became the first capital of Roman Britain- not only did it boast more theatres than any other
town, it also housed the country’s only sports arena.
Chariot races were more likely than watching Caesar
pulling strings in midfield sadly, though the Romans
did play an early version of football (more like rugby)
called ‘harpastum’. Still, they left their mark on the
game – just 2,060 years later – via the U’s. The eagle
emblem held nigh-on religious importance in Roman
Britain, and first appeared on United’s crest in 1972.
THE TUDORS
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD TOWN
Henry VIII commissioned what are considered to be
the world’s first pair of boots specifically for playing
football. Costing the best part of four shillings – or
around £100 in today’s cash – the boots were made
by the king’s personal shoemaker Cornelius Johnson
in 1525, a full decade before Henry’s spousal killing
spree got underway. In 1539 the monarch granted
Hemel a weekly market, and is now honoured on the
logo of the National League South side accordingly.
What about ‘the other stuff’?THE NORMANS
DERBY COUNTY
The Derby Ram is an ancient folk song that even the
USA’s first president, George Washington, enjoyed. It
was William the Conqueror who introduced the right
to hold markets as a way of rewarding knights; Derby
had one, centuries before Henry II granted it a royal
charter in 1154. The ram has always been a symbol
of the city and football club, and became the (real)
mascot of an army regiment – Lance Corporal Derby
trots around Pride Park whenever the Battalion is in
town. Rather sheepishly these days, we presume...THE GEORGIANS
BRISTOL ROVERS
Blackbeard knew how to party. A sailor’s son who ran
away to sea, the Bristol-born anarchist resided in the
Bahamas, turning to piracy after years as a privateer.
He was captured by the Navy in 1718 – but not before
he’d wed 14 times. He’s claimed to have worn a long
black coat with six loaded pistols tucked in a belt, put
gunpowder fuses in his beard to make it smoke, and
laced his rum with gunpowder – so, the ocean Gazza.
Rovers have been ‘the Pirates’ since the 1880s, but
Blackbeard only hijacked their badge in 1997. Arrrrr.THE ANGLO-SAXONS
ALFRETON TOWN
Anglo-Saxon Britain was no age for kicking back with
a nice brew. It was a time of turf wars and dogged
defending – not least for poor Alfred the Great, who
cruelly never actually got to be called ‘great’ until
more than 600 years after his death. His showdown
against the invading Danes eventually concluded in
a land-splitting truce, but it wasn’t all bad: the town
of Alfreton he allegedly founded continues to carry
his name. The Reds’ badge was redesigned in 2015,
bringing the beleaguered ruler to the fore.‘The Beautiful History’ is out now via Pitch Publishing, priced £16.99. Illustrations: Adam ForsterW
or
ds
Jo
e^
Br
ew
in