My research into the history of Harwich & Parkeston Football Club is kinda on the back burner with other things going on, but I will occasionally post updates looking into bits and pieces I find along the way.
This article in the East Anglian Daily Times from November 1876 is not the earliest reference I have found to a Harwich football club, but it is one of the more substantial:
A match was played between the Woodbridge Grammar School and Harwich Football Clubs, on the Ipswich and East Suffolk ground, at Ipswich, on Wednesday last. The game was well contested throughout, and Harwich turned out victors by obtaining one goal after a good scrimmage just before time was called. The players were –
Woodbridge: Rev. G. Wood, Messrs. Daniels, J. S. Wood, F. Morley, D. Wood, A. Hewelton, R. S. Devonshire, E. Capon, C. F. Weston, F. C. Birch, E. L. Grist, D. Capon.
Harwich: Messrs. Richardson, R.N., Smyth, R.M., S. Rees, J. Brice, G. Tucker, W. Horne, J. W. Franks, H. Arnot, B. Sewell, E. Woodcock, honorary secretary, Substitute.
East Anglian Daily Times, November 13 1876
Back in those days there were two main “branches” of football, association football and rugby football, and they tended to both be referred to as simply “football”. Combine this with the fact that both were usually decided and reported on in terms of “goals”, and without context it could be difficult to determine which branch was being talked about.
From the brief description of the match, and the use of “scrimmage” in particular, it would be easy to conclude this was an example of the latter, but thanks to the journalist naming the players – 12 per side, or 11 and a substitute – we can see that this was definitely an association football match (rugby rules had recently changed to reduce the number of players from 20 to 15, but there is no suggestion they ever went as low as 12).
Thus, what we have here is fairly definitive proof that there was a Harwich association football club by 1876. However, of course, things are not that simple, as a small piece in the Chelmsford Chronicle the following year illustrates:
THE FOOTBALL CLUB. – The opening match of the Harwich Football Club was played on Saturday last, between the members.
Chelmsford Chronicle, October 12 1877
The use of “opening” feels rather unambiguous – not the opening match of a particular season, not a match to denote the opening of something, but the first match played by Harwich FC, such as it was, and surely the basis of the 1877 foundation date. It is only a tiny notice, and does not specify “association” football, but given everything we know must surely be that rather than rugby.
So, what happened? Why was the inauguration of the club in around October 1877, when it, or another club in the town, had already existed for at least a year prior? Hopefully this will come to light soon enough. Also on the list of goals is finding out exactly when the club became known as “Harwich & Parkeston” (definitely by 1889), and creating a consistent timeline between the earliest days of Harwich FC and finally becoming HPFC.
Harwicensis 