Clarence F.C. (England)
| Full name | Clarence Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1876 | |
| Dissolved | 1883 | |
| Ground | Battersea Park[1] | |
| Secretary | Henry Morton-Carr | |
|
| ||
Clarence, sometimes referred to as The Clarence, was an English association football club from Battersea.
History[edit]
The club was founded in 1876 by Henry Morton-Carr, an Old Carthusian who later founded the Belgrave Harriers Athletic Club.[2] The club took its name from a hotel in Winstanley Road, near to Battersea Park. It was not an aristocratic club - goalkeeper Thomas Bockmaster was a stonemason,[3] and Cup goalscorer Thomas Wilmshurst a schoolteacher.[4]
The club's first recorded match was a 1–0 win at home to Trojans.[5] For its first three seasons, the club played mostly low-key matches, many of which were not reported. In 1879–80 the club entered the FA Cup for the first time, but lost 5–2 at Pilgrims F.C. in the first round; Clarence had gone 2–0 behind and pulled it back to 2–2 within the first fifreen minutes, but the second half was dominated by Pilgrims.[6] The following season, the club lost 6–0 at Marlow in the first round, having turned up to the match with only ten men,[7] and seems to have ceased operations soon afterwards; four of its players joined Morton Rangers for 1881–82 and the club was not a member of the London Football Association on the latter's foundation in 1882. Its last record is as being listed as a member of the Football Association in 1883.[8]
The club is not related to another Clarence football club, founded in 1875 as the works side for Maple & Co., which played in an all-black kit out of Willesden Green.[9]
Colours[edit]
The club played in blue with red stripes in 1876–77,[10] and changed the following season to blue and black.[11]
Ground[edit]
The club played at Battersea Park, and used The Crown on York Road for facilities.[12]
References[edit]
- ^ Alcock, Charles (1877). Football Annual. p. 146.
- ^ "1888-1890". Belgrave Harriers.
- ^ Census: Battersea, Blondel Street. London: HMSO. 1881. p. 40.
- ^ Census: Westminster, Stanford Street. London: HMSO. 1881. p. 16.
- ^ "Clarence 1-0 Trojans". The Sportsman: 4. 9 November 1876.
- ^ "The Pilgrims v Clarence". Field: 643. 8 November 1879.
- ^ "Great Marlow 6-0 Clarence". Buckinghamshire Herald: 8. 6 November 1880.
- ^ Alcock, Charles (1883). Football Annual. London: Cricket Press. p. 180.
- ^ "The Clarence Football Club". Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News: 17–19. 12 December 1891.
- ^ Alcock, Charles (1877). Football Annual. p. 146.
- ^ Alcock, Charles (1878). Football Annual. p. 149.
- ^ Alcock, Charles (1877). Football Annual. p. 146.
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