The Birth of St Marks (West Gorton) & The Early Years

Carl Friedrich Beyer, engineer, businessman and philanthropist, was born in Plauen, Saxony. He moved to live in Manchester and was the principal benefactor behind the building of three local churches. One was the Church of St Mark, West Gorton in the County of Lancashire, built on land donated by Lieutenant-Colonel William Legh Clowes.

Architect Isaac Holden, whose home was Clifton View on Butterstile Lane in Prestwich, had previously designed substantial buildings in central Manchester, Lancashire and the USA. His company was trusted with the task of planning the new church which was built in English style of brick, with white and black exterior decorated bands and stone dressings. Total costs including pews and seating for 606 persons came to £3,517 17s 0d. Building work commenced on 9th March 1864 and the foundation stone was laid on 30th April 1864 by MP and Civil Engineer Henry Robertson. He was an associate of Beyer and a founding partner in Gorton based locomotive manufacturer Beyer, Peacock & Company. Robertson, like fellow partner Richard Peacock, followed Beyer and later donated to the church. The work was completed on 3rd May 1865 and consecration by the Bishop of Manchester James Prince Lee took place on 30th November 1865. Inside, the church had a nave and aisles, a clerestory five bays long supported by cast iron pillars bearing white brick moulded arches. The roof was traditional of open construction to view its beams, cross braces and ironwork. The nave was 65 ft 7 inches long with a total interior width measuring 52 ft 9 inches. The chancel was 19 ft 2 inches long by 27 ft wide. The vestry had an underground heating chamber which housed a Haden & Sons hot air system to provide warmth. Lighting was via gas installed by Thomason & Company. Two entrance porches were located on the north and west sides. Windows were coupled with trefoil heads, the east consisting of three lights with a hood mould, the west consisting of two lights which were early geometric in design. Its first Rector was Arthur Connell, an Irish Reverend assisted by his wife Anna and in the following years by daughters Anna and Georgina. The support of community work and activities by the Reverend, his family- notably daughter Anna, and Churchwardens such as William Beastow, James Moores and Thomas Goodbehere, would prove instrumental in the years that followed. The role the Connell family played in the success of the parish has rightly been celebrated in recent times by the naming of a new educational building not too far away from modern day Clowes Street, which has been re-routed from its original path. This street, which ran adjacent to the north side of the church, took its name from the Lieutenant-Colonel who had died before the church had been built. William Street to the west side of the church was where the main entrance was located. Arthur Connell remained as St Marks Church Rector until 1897 and passed away in 1899. A stone tablet memorial was erected within the church in his memory.

Beyer is a man worthy of further reading and his input is rarely mentioned in parish history however, without his substantial donation and other benefactors which he encouraged, particularly Henry Robertson and Richard Peacock, the church may never have been built. Also, he is still the single largest donor to Manchester University, in todays money donating the equivalent of over ten million pounds. He also met the full cost of providing a day school adjacent to the church.

The church founded a cricket team and its earliest recorded match dates from 22nd June 1867, a narrow 41-37 defeat against St Barnabas, Openshaw. A second eleven/junior team was formed in June 1869. The church also had a rugby football team named St Marks Rovers (West Gorton), who played home games at the same venue as the cricket and association football teams. Many of the 1870s cricket committee and squad went on to establish, manage and appear for the church association football team which played its first match on 13th November 1880 at home against an experienced Baptists team from Macclesfield. Home is known as the Clowes Street ground, which was fallow land a stone’s throw away on Thomas Street (now known as Wenlock Way). This grass plot was undeveloped land belonging to the adjacent Samuel Brooks Union Iron Works, and was also the venue for wrestling and boxing matches.

Factual accounts of cricket and association football games were recorded in detail by the teams first secretary Frederick Hopkinson, and he is one reason why we can recount so much of the early history of the club today, including details of the first ever match. No record or report of any association rules football match played by the church team prior to 13th November 1880 has ever been discovered, and Frederick would certainly have noted if one had ever taken place. The timing is also right as cricket was often played close to the end of October, and the previous weekend Rovers played in a rugby match at Clowes Street, so the first available Saturday would have been the 13th. It has been suggested that no other local association matches took place that day, but that is incorrect, as football was being played elsewhere in Lancashire. For example, Accrington played Eagley and won by two goals to nil at their Thorneyholme Road ground. Twelve FA Challenge Cup First Round matches were played on the 13th November, including nearby Darwen beating Brigg by eight goals to nil. This competition was established prior to the 1871/72 season, with inaugural winners being Wanderers FC. Another cup competition known as the Lancashire County FA Cup, was initiated prior to 1879/80, with success for Darwen beating rivals Blackburn Rovers in the final. League football did not commence until the creation of the Football League at a meeting on 17th April 1888 at the Royal Hotel, Manchester. The first season being 1888/89 with Preston North End ending the season as champions.

To start with players would have paid any subscriptions and expenses themselves and the business side would have been kept informal with accounts overseen by the church. The result of that first association rules game was St Marks (West Gorton) 1 Baptist Church (Macclesfield) 2. St Marks had performed well against a side who had at least two years playing experience, and several players were acknowledged of this in a Cheshire County News report of the match. It was an encouraging performance which laid the foundations to build a team that would last. Both sides were made up of twelve players, which was certainly not unusual at the time and two Umpires were used, A.B. Haughton and W. Hardy. The historic first twelve St Marks (West Gorton) players were all aged between 16 and 21 years old, and they were:

Charles Beastow Born in 1862 and a clerk at the Union Iron Works. He lived on Clowes Street and was a stepson of William Henry Beastow. Charles played in the team for three years and in one match was referred to under his previous surname of Cooper.

William Sumner (Captain) Born in Barton upon Irwell and aged just nineteen, William Sumner was instrumental in the founding of the football team and its first ever captain. See below for a more detailed description.

Frederick Hopkinson Born in West Gorton and played in defence. Frederick made twenty-four appearances for the team. See below for a more detailed description.

Walter Chew Sixteen year old Walter was a warehouse clerk who lived in West Gorton. He made a total of thirty-eight appearances over several years including one for Ardwick AFC. See below for a more detailed description.

Henry Heggs Born in Gloucestershire, a mechanic fitter who lived in Ardwick. Henry made three appearances during the first season.

William Downing A clerk from Bramhall who lived in West Gorton. William played at half-back, forward and goalkeeper during his three seasons in the team.

Richard Hopkinson Lived on Clowes Street and was the elder brother of Frederick. He succeeded his father as church organist earning a salary of £14 per annum. In total Richard made fifteen appearances for the team.

John Beastow Born in 1862 and employed as an engine fitter. He was a son of William Henry Beastow and lived with the family on Clowes Street.

James Collinge Aged just eighteen and scorer of the first ever goal. James was born in Heywood and was a warehouseman living in West Gorton. He played for the team for two years and in 1882 he scored five goals in a match against Haughton Dale.

John Pilkington Lived in Gorton, a forward. John played for the team a total of twelve times over three seasons.

Edward Kitchen Versatile Edward played in several positions for the team including goalkeeper. In total he made thirty-eight appearances. See below for a more detailed description.

Arthur McDonald Played as a forward, Arthur made thirteen appearances over three seasons, another who lived locally in Gorton.

The Baptists team consisted of the following twelve players: F. Shipley, W. Robinson, A. Bennett, W. Potts (Captain), H. Cooper, T. Taylor, A. Moss, J. Radforth, K. Hornby, T. Wallworth, J. Bickerstaff, C. Rothwell.

The Macclesfield Baptists would have been plausible opponents for the first game. Travelling the twenty plus miles distance would have been easy for the time, via the London & North Western railway line which was opened between Macclesfield and Manchester in 1849. They were an experienced team having been formed at least two years earlier, and also had a Second XI. Macclesfield was home to at least two chapels, the original being built by Protestant dissenters between 1822 and 1823 and the other in 1873. It is possible these two chapels amalgamated to play sporting matches, and away fixtures may have included a visit to a local house of worship. There was a chapel on Clowes Street and others were located nearby. It is also worth noting that Baptists are Protestant Christians who share the basic beliefs of most Protestants, so links with St Marks Church may have already been well established.

The first season is always a learning curve for any new sporting team and St Marks (West Gorton) was no exception. All nine games played that first football season (the length of which was determined by the finish of the 1880 cricket season and start of the new one in 1881) were done so on a Saturday, and only three were played at Clowes Street. The nine included 1 win and 3 draws, with 5 goals scored and 23 conceded. Each match is detailed on our ‘Records’ page, but one match worthy of a mention here- in addition to the first ever, was the last game of the season played in windy conditions on 19th March 1881 away against Stalybridge Clarence. Losing at half-time by a goal to nil, two goals by Richard Hopkinson- one directly from a corner, and a ‘splendid’ third scored by James Collinge sealed a weather assisted victory. St Marks had triumphed with a second-half comeback on the final day to win… now where have we heard that before?

Team selection was made by a committee and this continued for years after the club had become known as Ardwick AFC. It is believed the first football committee comprised of William Sumner (captain), Frederick Hopkinson (secretary), aided by Walter Chew and Edward Kitchen. Sumner was instrumental in the founding of the St Marks football team and he had prior knowledge of the association game, unlike most others around St Marks at the time. He left the club in December 1882 to successfully complete his degree. William later joined Manchester Association FC and played in an FA Cup tie at Hampden Park in Glasgow. Hopkinson and Kitchen continued on the committee (apart from Frederick having a break when the team merged with Belle Vue Rangers) via the new venues, name changes and mergers, right through almost to the founding of Ardwick AFC in 1887. Walter Chew was a major link right through to Ardwick AFC until it became more linked to local businesses in the early 1890s. Lawrence Furniss joined in 1884 and following his playing career retirement due to a serious knee injury in 1886, he began to take a more influential role in the running of the club. The committee had other non-football members who assisted with organisation and fund raising, most notably William Henry Beastow and James Moores, and there were others who came and went during those earliest times. When the team became known as Gorton AFC in October 1884, it began to formalise its structure. Although still some way from becoming a professional outfit, the club did progress and it was once said that ‘all that was required for the success of the club was a good ground’, which was probably correct as the team had known five home venues before settling at Hyde Road in 1887.

The Union Iron Works was founded in 1859 by Samuel Brooks and in 1892 it became known as ‘Brooks & Doxey’ when R.A. Doxey joined as a partner, some six years after Samuel had died. His executors had continued the business after Samuels death until 1891 when his son S.H. Brooks, ran the company until Doxey died in 1895. Following this, F.G. Goodbehere was admitted into the partnership and the company was incorporated into a limited company in 1898. The importance of the role of this company in the formation of the church’s sporting teams cannot be underestimated as many of the personnel involved were employed here and either had roles within the church or attended services and meetings. Management allowed home matches to be played on their land and the firm was a financial benefactor on more than one occasion. A week before the association football team played its first ever match, St Marks Rovers (West Gorton) entertained a team called ‘Lawn’ at the Clowes Street Ground playing by rugby football rules, and were victorious via 2 tries, 1 touchdown, 1 touch-in-goal and 1 dead ball with Lawn replying with a solitary touch-in-goal only.

Rugby was a popular winter sport played around England during the 1860s and 1870s and as mentioned St Marks Church West Gorton did have its own rugby team before the association team was established. However, association football was generally seen as a nicer pastime with less emphasis on brute force and this may have been a reason why many cricketers preferred to play it in an effort to keep fit with less risk of injury during the winter months. Manchester was home to several well established rugby clubs whereas association football had generally gained popularity in Lancashire. Gorton was part of Lancashire, and a small part of the township was included into the City of Manchester in 1890, but the urban district was not fully incorporated into Manchester until 1909. Gorton means ‘dirty farmstead’ and it was certainly not picturesque in West Gorton as the nineteenth century progressed. Heavy industry and rows of terraced houses on muddy roads was the typical local landscape, certainly no farms were in the vicinity of Clowes Street in the late 1870s and 1880s. Locomotive factories, Iron Works and Cotton Mills were the major employers, those lucky enough to find employment locally worked a minimum of five and a half days, and usually six days a week. Nearby Gorton Gaol was located adjacent to Hyde Road close to Clowes Street. This Prison, operated between 1850 to 1888, held separated short term male and female prisoners. Inmates would hear the dramatic firework displays and even howls of animals from Belle Vue Zoological Gardens, which was located to the east of Hunters Lane. Gorton Gaol was notorious for appalling prisoner living conditions and was demolished around 1890 after being declared unsafe due to damage to the foundations caused by mining. Some of its stone was subsequently used in the construction of new animal enclosures within the zoological gardens. Belle Vue continued to provide a wonderful leisure facility for families up until the 1980s. Respect was earnt and not a given in districts such as West Gorton, and this built a strong community spirit and individual dignity.

Sadly no evidence of any kit, colours or badging has ever been traced to the initial football matches, although its possible that the same colours and home made wool or cotton jerseys (later becoming known as shirts) were worn by both cricket and association football teams which were known as St Marks (West Gorton), and maybe even worn by Rovers, the church rugby football team. Cricket teams of the time, as the illustration shows, usually consisted of players wearing jerseys of various colours, as white and cream only gained popularity as the 1880s progressed. Therefore, teams wore many colours and were distinguished by their pattern, be it stripes, spots, hoops or plain jerseys sometimes with a coloured sash or ribbon. Vertical stripes became more popular as the decade progressed as earlier looms were only capable of producing stripes running horizontally, which meant early vertically striped jerseys had to be cut against the grain (weave) and hand sewn. Sometimes a team would wear the same head caps to distinguish themselves from the opposition. Lancashire County Cricket Club founded in 1864, have displayed within its cricket museum the oldest county cricket cap in existence. A single red rose upon the centre panel was enough for team identification, and the wearer was all-rounder Reverend Vernon Royle. The cap dates from around 1870.

The association football team played under the original name for a over a season, even when following the cricket team and moving home to nearby Kirkmanshulme Cricket Club on Redgate Lane during autumn 1881. This was the first enclosed home ground, although would not be considered as such by todays standards. The team was referred to under its original name in newspaper reports in late 1882, even though it had long since shuffled its title, and the links to the church remained strong.

In addition to the vital contribution that Carl Freidrich Beyer and the Connell family made for the success of St Marks Church West Gorton, its community work and sporting activities, William Sumner had the most prominent role in the establishment of the team, its actual playing, rules and tactical side. Despite past claims and myths to the contrary, no research has ever revealed that any of the Connell family were directly responsible for the founding of the association football team. They did provide official church support and recognition, which was essential for the success of activities provided for local men of the parish. The following six persons (four of whom played in the first match) are known to have been instrumental in its founding and development:

William Sumner
William Sumner was born on 21st December 1860 in Barton Upon Irwell, Eccles, Lancashire. His father was an Attorneys Clerk and he was one of three children. William was well educated, learnt strict physical training and the rules of cricket, rugby and association football during his years at school.

Aged 18, he came to live in lodgings during October 1879 at 122 Clowes Street, West Gorton, whilst he studied for an engineering degree at Owens College, which became part of the University of Manchester.

William began to play cricket for St Marks during the 1880 summer season, and got to know the fellow players and elders who organised matches and had influence at St Marks Church and the Union Iron Works, who owned the land where the cricket team used as a home ground. Social events were organised and William would have soon got to know many people within the area.

The cricket season ended in late October and players had expressed a desire to keep fit during the winter months, so both a rugby team and association rules football team were formed to begin playing from early November. The rugby team was named St Marks Rovers so as not to confuse with the football team, and their first ever fixture was a week before the football team played its first match.

William was the first captain of the football team and introduced players to the rules and intricacies of the game. He was an excellent full back and was mentioned in many newspaper reports right from the very first game. A report of the second match against Arcadians mentions ‘the St Marks players played very well together, which was the result of considerable practise’. This is significant for it shows the players were being coached and taught combined play, which involved passing and movement, as opposed to running and dribbling, which novices tended to do initially. Only William Sumner at St Marks would have had the knowledge to teach this, as no other person connected to the team would have had such experience of the game. In fact, many of the players would probably not have known the rules of the game at all as rugby was the main sport in Manchester and its closely attached districts.

The position of captain and William being the best player, would have enable him to earn the respect required to lead the team, take practice sessions, teach the rules of the game and encourage players to play as a team instead of as a group of individuals. It is also probable he had the greatest influence over others involved when picking the team.

In December 1882, William left St Marks and joined Manchester Association, which at that time was the biggest football club in the area. A newspaper report stated ‘he would add greatly to the strength of the club’, and he did play very well for them. Two notable matches in particular that he appeared were FA Cup games against Stoke and Queens Park (Glasgow), the latter of which was played at Hampden Park. Queens Park was at that time generally regarded as one of the best association teams, instrumental in the progression of combination play.

William was successful in his studies at Owens College achieving honours. He was certificated and soon offered a scholarship, a much sought after honour only offered to the best. After being later elected an Associate of the College, he resumed his studies and became a Master in 1885. He subsequently moved to London and worked as an Assistant Examiner within the Patient Office.

During his three seasons with St Marks, he made twenty-one appearances. The team struggled after he left in December 1882 when several other players also decided to leave and it took some time for the club to recover and progress. He proved an inspirational captain, who was popular, skilful and intelligent. William was without doubt the leading person within the founding fathers of the club and without him association football would never have been established during 1880 at St Marks.

Walter Chew
Born in Hulme on Saturday 27th August 1864 to Thomas and Sarah Ann, the family moved to live in the Gorton area, eventually residing at 12 Elizabeth Street. This house was some years later used by Walter as a correspondence address for the football team in which he played such a major part in establishing.

Walter was one of four children, older brother William Henry and younger brother Thomas born in 1867 who sadly died aged just seventeen months old. Elizabeth Ann, the only girl, was born in 1872.

William Henry was employed as a warehouse clerk and Walter followed his brothers footsteps into work. In 1879 he was playing cricket for the St Marks Church junior team and subsequently became one of the originals who played in the first match involving St Marks (West Gorton) on 13th November 1880, when he was aged just sixteen. William Henry made his debut later in the season on 22nd January 1881, and some years later became club treasurer.

Walter’s commitment to football was for life. He continued to play and organise games and in January 1882 he and team mate Edward Bower became members of the newly formed Belle Vue Rangers team. Chew and Bower continued their involvement with both sides, in fact Walter by this time was captain of of the West Gorton side formerly known as St Marks, after William Sumner left. Prior to the start of the 1883/84 season, Belle Vue Rangers and West Gorton merged, although this merger did not work for more than a year, and the former St Marks players and officials including Chew and Bower left to form Gorton AFC in autumn 1884.

Gorton AFC initially played at Pink Bank Lane and this team was run on a far more formal basis. Walter was a committee member as well as a regular player. He is believed to be on the famous 1884/85 team photograph, second from left at the back. Two years later when the team was based at Reddish Lane, he was appointed secretary and played an instrumental role in the 1887 move to Hyde Road and the eventual construction of an enclosed ground. With this move came another change of name to Ardwick AFC and Walter remained heavily involved, now officially listed as match secretary. This role was one he continued as AAFC became established, then in 1889 he was succeeded by Lawrence Furniss.

His full playing record consisted of a total of 39 games played across all of the first eight seasons when the team had been known by five different names and played at six different homes from Clowes Street to Hyde Road.

In December 1890 Walter married Dinah Smith and later set up home in Levenshulme. The couple did not have children.

As the influence of business (in particular Chesters Brewery) became greater within the Ardwick club, plus its strive towards professionalism, Walter’s influence diminished even though he remained a committee member until November 1890. He regularly attended matches even decades later at Maine Road, and always remained a firm supporter of the club. He also served for many years on the Manchester County FA and Manchester & District Referees & Lineman Association.

Dinah passed away in May 1925 and he subsequently moved to 9 Redthorn Avenue, Burnage. On 30th August 1948 aged 84, he passed away whilst staying in North Wales.

Walter has been described as the ‘father of the club’. His involvement was immense and his loyalty, determination and foresight ensured the club survived those difficult early years. He is buried with Dinah in Southern Cemetery, Manchester.

William Henry Beastow
Born in 1835, William lived at 178 Clowes Street with his wife and family. This property was close to St Marks Church and also the Union Iron Works where William was employed as an engineer by Samuel Brooks. He progressed into management and worked there for thirty years until retiring in 1899 aged 64.

William served as a member of the Gorton Local Board of Health and was an overseer of the poor for the West Gorton district for twenty-five years. Elected to Manchester City Council in 1897 as Conservative representative for St Marks Ward, he retained his seat for ten years until he moved to live in Chorlton-cum-Hardy with his daughter and her husband.

Appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1902, William was also president of the National Friendly Society and being a freemason, is believed to have been a member of the nearby Ashbury Masonic Lodge.

His involvement with St Marks Church was considerable. He was a very well respected and widely known figure with many contacts. A trusted employee and churchwarden for years, his close friendship with James Moores saw them both involved in many similar ventures.

William was definitely a main figure in providing encouragement and support initially for the cricket team, then also for the football team and continuing its links with the church as time went on, particularly when fundraising and influencing the Reverend Arthur Connell, his family, church officials and local businessmen in the importance of sporting links and men’s clubs associated with St Marks.

He was not a person who involved himself in the day-to-day running or football team affairs. William probably knew very little or nothing at all about association rules football, but he was involved from the outset and later with the forming of Gorton AFC in 1884. His work behind the scenes in raising the profile of the club was considerable. He would undoubtedly have had influence- like other committee members, with the selection of the first badge. He attended and was vice-chairman during the clubs first annual dinner in April 1885. On the iconic first photograph of the team and officials, he is believed to be the figure stood far right.

William Henry Beastow had a son named John and a stepson called Charles who both played in the first match against Baptist Church (Macclesfield) on 13th November 1880. A road in West Gorton is today named after him, it follows the original path of Clowes Street before it was rerouted. He passed away on 16th November 1912 aged 77 years.

Edward Kitchen
Born in Woods Moor, Bramhall, on Sunday 13th July 1862. Edward was employed as a clerk and played in the first ever match against the Macclesfield Baptists when he was aged eighteen, after previously appearing for St Marks at cricket. A versatile player who was positioned goalkeeper, midfield and forward in his seven years with the club. He also made at least one appearance for Belle Vue Rangers.

During the early 1880s Edward lived with his parents and siblings at 4 Tank Row, which were cottage style terraced houses overlooking the teams second home at Kirkmanshulme Cricket Club.

Initially offering assistance to Frederick Hopkinson, the football teams first secretary, he took responsibility for the position himself in autumn 1884 and Frederick subsequently became treasurer. In 1886, Edward relinquished the secretarial role and Walter Chew succeeded him.

In total Edward played at least 38 times over the first seven seasons the club existed, probably playing several more matches which we have not been able to trace the team in. He witnessed all the early name changes and home grounds on which the team played. Edward provided vital administration support for the running of the club throughout this period and completed the paperwork which enabled the club to join the Manchester FA in 1884. In a report dated 25th October 1884, it states that ‘Mr E. Kitchen, Railway Cottages, Longsight, is secretary and responsible for organising matches for both first and second teams and he wishes for fixtures with teams within a reasonable distance’.

Without doubt Edward helped steady the ship after the turbulent seasons of 1883 and 1884 during the failed merger with Belle Vue Rangers. When Gorton AFC was formed, Edward was one of its original five committee members. Home matches were played until the end of 1884/85 season at Pink Bank Lane. He eventually left the club prior to the move from Reddish Lane to Hyde Road and the name change to Ardwick AFC in August 1887.

Edward is believed to be on the famous 1884/85 photograph in black kit, seated in the middle row, second left.

Frederick William Hopkinson
Born 22nd September 1862, Frederick’s parents were living at 18 Queen Street, Gorton, where his older brother Richard- named after his father, was born on 20th February 1859. Both brothers were players in the first match and both had been brought up in the church, with Richard succeeding his father as organist at St Marks during late 1880.

Frederick was playing for St Marks Second XI/Juniors cricket team with his first known game taking place on 10th May 1879, a 31 run defeat against Gorton Baptists Second XI. Eight of his team mates from that match later played for the church football team. Despite his youth, Frederick was secretary of the cricket club, a job he obviously enjoyed and this association continued for many years.

Employed as a clerk, he had moved with his father and brother to 71 Clowes Street, West Gorton, and he continued to be prominent in activities of the church, which was now located close-by. It is thought his mother had passed away before the move.

When the St Marks football team was established in November 1880 containing mainly cricketers, it was natural Frederick would become its first secretary and like his cricket club duties he kept detailed match records, corresponded with other clubs to arrange fixtures, published match reports via local newspapers and assisted in the day-to-day running. All this and playing both cricket and football for the church teams and holding down a full-time job.

Frederick remained secretary of the football team until the end of the 1882/83 season, just prior to the merger with Belle Vue Rangers. Later, during autumn 1884, he became treasurer when the club was reformed as Gorton AFC following a split, as the merger had not worked. From this point a more formal approach was required for the club to progress and be permitted to join the Manchester Football Association. As treasurer, he was in post until 1886 when he was succeeded by William Henry Chew, Walter Chew’s elder brother. Frederick had made at least 24 appearances mainly as full back over the first six seasons of the club. He probably completed many more, as records kept when he was not secretary are sketchy and incomplete.

During the clubs first annual dinner held at the Justice Birch Hotel on Hyde Road on Monday 20th April 1885, it was Frederick who read the annual report and announced the club had made considerable progress, with the balance sheet showing monies in hand totalling £1  8s  8d.

Frederick is believed to be on the famous 1884/85 season photograph of the team in black shirts with the white cross pattee badge. He is thought to be sat on the ground, front row, first left. There is no doubt of his family association with the church or the large amount of work he did behind the scenes during the earliest years of the football team. He was a reliable, trusted and important figure at the club.

James Moores
Possibly the least credited and written about when telling the story of the founding six fathers is James Moores. Born around 1839, he lived at Denton House, Gorton Lane, West Gorton, and had a long association with St Marks Church where he was initially a sidesman, then later becoming a trusted churchwarden.

James liked to diverse. He enjoyed politics and was an active member of Belle Vue Conservative Club. He served as president of the West Gorton Bowling Club and was also a director of the Gorton, Openshaw and Bradford Billposting Company Limited. A popular figure who was well known throughout the district, who also served on the Gorton Local Board of Health. James used this platform to encourage participation in sports for the wellbeing of the community.

He and his friend William Henry Beastow, did much to support the formation of sporting teams at St Marks Church. Both were involved in the cricket committee as well as from the outset with the football team, although James does not seem to have involved himself in the day-to-day running, more in an official, promoting and support role. He was always one to assist or appear at a function, make a speech and encourage participation or to raise funds for the teams.

Like Beastow, in private he was a mason, believed to be a member of the Ashbury Masonic Lodge. In at least one event held there, James made a speech praising the cricket and football teams at St Marks Church in order to raise support and finance for their benefit. A function like this would not have been unusual as many lodges hired out rooms for various meetings or events to be held within their buildings, and this still applies today.

During autumn 1884 at the establishing of Gorton AFC, James became a vital committee member and he did much work raising the profile of the club. He used his contacts to encourage links with businessmen such as Richard Peacock, joint founder of the Beyer Peacock works on Gorton Lane. His long term friendship with Beastow is believed to be the major link between the church and football team. This relationship was cemented with the selection of the white cross pattee badge for first team jerseys from the 1884/85 season. A lasting reminder of the teams origins when it began playing under the name of the church. Moores, like other committee members, would have had influence on the selection of this first badge, which has been found to have historical attachment to the church itself.

On 20th April 1885, James presided over the clubs first annual dinner at the Justice Birch Hotel, Hyde Road. He continued his involvement with Gorton AFC until 1886 when he and Beastow left the committee. Sadly, James Moores passed away aged 52 on 27th May 1891. He is believed to be on the 1884/85 season photograph of the team, sat to the left of the middle row wearing a light coloured suit.

Some confusion has arisen over the years regarding the earliest known colours worn by the football team. The first known kit dates from 1883 when the team was named West Gorton FC and it played in a shade of scarlet and black. We are currently working on new information and evidence regarding this and what identified the players prior to it. We will reveal more during 2026 but can already say, we are convinced the scarlet and black kit displays strong links to the church.

A photograph taken during the 1884/85 season of Gorton AFC (another later name of the team) shows players wearing the first known team kit made up of black jerseys and white knickers and socks. The badge, a white cross pattee shown in the same photograph, is the first known team badge. These colours and the badge were worn for approximately three seasons before being replaced for royal blue and white under the name of Ardwick AFC in 1887.

The cross pattee was a very popular symbol in the mid to late nineteenth century and it should not be confused with the Maltese cross as these symbols are different. The cross pattee appears in various forms on public school badges, several coat of arms, military medals, Victorian jewellery and various precious items in the collection of the crown jewels as well as other uses here and abroad, including Freemasonry. It symbolised several things including ‘knightly virtues’, something that sporting teams of the time liked to associate themselves with. Blackburn Rovers and Wolverhampton Wanderers are just two examples of old English football clubs who used a cross pattee as an early symbol of recognition, but there were others and teams in other sports such as rugby also used it, so it is certainly not unique to Gorton AFC. In Brazil, Club de Regatas Vasco de Gama, a team founded in 1898,  proudly displays on its badge a red cross pattee upon the sail of a ship to symbolise the Christian faith. One Lancashire club who had a similar style kit to Gorton AFC during 1884 was Earlestown AFC, except jerseys were white with a red cross pattee on the right breast. Earlestown is approximately halfway between Manchester and Liverpool adjacent to Newton-le-Willows. Like Gorton AFC, Earlestown AFC had no known official masonic links- in fact they were a club founded by railway workers. The only meeting between the two teams was when they would have both been wearing these kits, it was the first match of the 1885/86 season played at the new Reddish Lane ground on Saturday 3rd October 1885, ending in a 1-1 draw. Over time several historians have attempted to guess the significance of Gorton AFCs white on black cross pattee. Our detailed research enables us to state with certainty that the St Marks football team was never initiated by Freemasonry in 1880. The Gorton AFC white cross pattee badge does not represent an affiliation with that organisation, even if officials of the church or the football committee were themselves members of a local masonic lodge. We go into much greater detail on the subject of the original badge and reveal its connections with St Marks Church on page 4 of this website.

From its birth the team had a somewhat nomadic existence until it found vacant land to develop into its first purpose built football ground at Hyde Road in 1887. The club based itself in the adjacent Hyde Road Hotel, where players changed on matchdays. This move was a major step forward which coincided with the formation of Ardwick AFC from Gorton AFC, who became founder members of Football League Division Two in 1892. Two victories in the 1890s which established records are the highest win of 12-0 against Stanley FC in the FA Challenge Cup on 4th October 1890, and the highest league win of 11-3 against Lincoln City on 23rd March 1895.

By 1905, just twenty-five years after the first match played by St Marks (West Gorton) on a grass plot near to Clowes Street, Manchester City Football Club inaugurated in 1894, had become established nationally. It had won the FA Challenge Cup in 1904, being League Runners-Up the same year, also League Division Two Champions in 1898/99 and 1902/03, Runners-Up in 1895/96.

The Manchester Cup had been won on four occasions by 1905 (once jointly with Bury FC), the first of these in 1891 against Newton Heath LYR at Brooks Bar in front of an attendance of 10,000. This was the first trophy success by the club, and to date it has been won on fifteen occasions. Hyde Road had been developed into a 40,000 capacity ground with cover for 35,000, and it was chosen to host the 1905 FA Challenge Cup Semi-Final between Newcastle United and The Wednesday. The City team was captained by the superstar of the era in Billy Meredith, who by bizarre coincidence lived on Clowes Street for a time and was married at St Marks Church West Gorton in 1901.

The Hyde Road ground was situated adjacent to Bennett Street in Ardwick, which continued past the north west rear corner of Brooks Union Iron Works in West Gorton. It is recorded that in 1914 ‘City’s matches at Hyde Road continued to attract big crowds, among the most loyal supporters being the engineers working for Armstrong-Whitworth’s, Beyer-Peacock and other companies in the east of the city’. This shows that even though the team had moved home several times, and even in the first decades of its existence when the club had suffered hardship, setbacks and the wrath of the establishment for being successful, local hardcore support had always remained loyal. The same can also be said for later eras in the history of the club.

Lawrence Wain Furniss

Born on 18th January 1862 in Cromford near Matlock, Derbyshire, Lawrence worked as a railway clerk and his career progressed later to becoming an accountant. His father Edwin was a local station master. Lawrence used his mother Sarah’s maiden name of ‘Wain’ as a middle name and he was one of four children, with sister Sarah and brothers Alfred and Charles.

Joshua Parlby

Stephen Chesters Thompson (& Chesters Brewery)

Not far from Ardwick AFC’s Hyde Road ground was the location of Chesters Brewery, a company who also owned the Hyde Road Hotel which was a public house adjacent to the clubs home. Thomas Chesters had began brewing in Manchester around 1830, and the football club immediately began to form a close business relationship when moving from Reddish Lane during the summer of 1887. It was one which was hoped would be of benefit to both parties.

Ardwick is a Manchester suburb which had grown from a Saxon farm then a lively Tudor village. It was said to have had previous problems with ‘wild women, disorderly houses, children playing giddy-gaddy and too many dung hills in the road’. Giddy-gaddy was a childrens game also known as cats pallet, and originated from Manchester. It involved striking one end of a sharpened piece of wood, causing it to rise and then driving it some distance with a stick. The object was to hit it as far as possible. The game caused much disruption and damage in areas such as Ardwick. Things didn’t improve with the industrialisation of the area with dye works, chemical works, brick works, boiler works, dairies, breweries and rubber works in addition to the mills. Nearby Ardwick Green was however, rather more upmarket with plusher housing and a more spacious feel to its streets.

St Marks Church was sadly demolished in 1974 after the terraced houses around it had already gone during the vast Victorian property clearances of the sixties and seventies. The bellcote on the west facade had become dangerous and its stonework was leaning backwards, in danger of falling into the nave via the roof. Following inspection, the church was locked shut and parishioners were denied entry on safety grounds, never to return for prayer. Demolition followed, and this type of work was carried out in many areas of the UK at the time without any thought of preservation. Thankfully, hard-working church officials and parishioners did salvage many treasured fixtures and fittings which still exist and can be seen at today. We detail these artefacts with photographs on page 4 of this website and how you can arrange to view them yourself. Sadly, the beautiful stained glass windows of the chancel were not amongst them (architects draft drawings are shown below left). Today, this building would almost certainly be saved, although following renovation it would maybe have been given a new use, as many other Victorian buildings have over the last few decades.

Emmanuel Parish Church, Gorton had its foundation stone laid on 23rd September 1973 on the site of another Carl Friedrich Beyer funded church called All Saints, which was sadly destroyed by fire in 1964. It continues to represent both St Marks and All Saints after they were unified into one parish, and contains many artefacts which were originally housed within these two churches. Emmanuel’s location is adjacent to the football teams third home ground, then known as Queens Road and now named Gorton Park. Queens Road originally ran along the eastern edge of the park on a similar route to where Queensland Road now runs, but now just a short length of the original route.

When taken in context, quite how this church football team grew from its founding by cricketers playing on rented and open fields, to building a substantial enclosed ground and becoming a football league club just twelve years later in 1892, then becoming a ‘new’ club known as Manchester City FC in 1894, winning the FA Challenge Cup in 1904, finishing league runners-up and commanding home crowds of 40,000 is quite bewildering. Several of todays major rivals were lucky enough to either have established grounds provided for them (Chelsea and Liverpool) or funding and land provided to build a ground upon (Manchester United). Not one had the many complications that the original team known as St Marks (West Gorton) faced.

During 1977, several newly constructed streets and walkways close to the clubs then Maine Road ground, were named after former City players from various eras commencing with the 1890s. The players commemorated were: Horace Barnes, Eric Brook, Tommy Browell, Sam Cookson, Sam Cowan, Tommy Johnson, Jimmy McMullen, Billy Meredith, Frank Swift, Fred Tilson and Max Woosnam. Sadly, not all of these streets and walkways have survived redevelopment. 1956 cup final hero Bert Trautmann is commemorated on the site of the former Maine Road ground with a street named in his memory. Outside of the Manchester City Council boundaries, former City manager Joe Mercer is remembered with a blue plaque on the Civic Hall of the town of his birth in Ellesmere Port. Former City players Matt Busby and Denis Law are both celebrated with statues outside Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground for their contribution whilst at United. Law also has two statues in Scotland, as does former City manager and Celtic legend Billy McNeill. A road adjacent to the Trafford ground is also named after their former manager Matt Busby. Both Denis Law and Matt Busby played in Wembley finals for City and have always remained much respected by City supporters. The Etihad Stadium is home to many unique statues, mosaics and tributes to various persons who have made substantial contributions to the club.

As for Manchester City FC, the club has had its share of great teams, star players, memorable matches and many ups and downs over the years. Even when down the team has always attempted to win by playing attractive football, and has never had a ‘win at all costs’ attitude. Generations of supporters have followed the team at home and abroad, and are famed for their unique sense of humour and loyalty. The club has always welcomed persons of all creeds, cultures and colour, and once boasted the worlds largest junior supporters club. A hugely successful Women’s team (MCWFC) was established in 1988, which continues to uphold the clubs values and traditions whilst imposing its own style and personality.

Today, Manchester City is at the centre of ‘City Football Group’ (CFG), a British-based holding company that administers association football clubs around the world in the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, China, England, France, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, Turkey, Uruguay and USA. CFG is reported as being majority owned by Newton Investment & Development LLC (NI&D), with a significant minority shareholding held by USA based technology firm Silver Lake. NI&D is a company registered in Abu Dhabi and wholly owned by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

City’s home matches are played in an ultra modern 53,500 capacity stadium, which is only part of a huge 2014 built dedicated campus which includes club/community offices and headquarters, numerous training pitches and state-of-the-art facilities, a 7,000 capacity Academy Stadium, educational buildings and other sports amenities. A 23,500 capacity arena is also on the campus adjacent to the north end of main stadium. This is the largest indoor arena in the UK, with its main purpose for concerts, although the club could see this as an opportunity for new Manchester City teams in sports such as basketball, netball and volleyball. The stadium is currently being expanded to a capacity exceeding 60,000 in a major project focusing on the North Stand to include a 400+ bed hotel, bars, restaurants, an indoor 3,000 capacity fan zone, museum, shops plus a stadium roof walk. This incredible campus is just a short distance away from where it all began in a church on Clowes Street, West Gorton.

Early Rivalries

Several association football teams had been formed in and around Manchester as the 1860s and 1870s progressed. Teams such as Birch, Hulme Athenaeum and Manchester Wanderers, who became Manchester Association in September 1882. It was Manchester Association who became the premier Manchester football club of the mid 1880s. Manchester however, was not a stronghold of the association game in the early 1880s. As detailed above, rugby was well established in the locality with the association game being more popular in and around the Lancashire mill towns.

The term ‘local derby’ is attributed to football matches between neighbouring clubs from the same city. These matches are played with fierce partisanship and City v United is a prime example. It is a fixture which has become eagerly anticipated around the world, nowhere more so than by both sets of supporters in Manchester itself. This rivalry did not happen overnight, it took many years before both clubs had left all other local teams behind them, as they established themselves as Manchester’s two elite football clubs.

During the period 1880 to 1887, the pre Ardwick days for the club, six local sides provided regular opposition for the team who began life as St Marks (West Gorton), although not one of these opponents was played against every season during those first seven years. To date, ninety-six matches are known to have been played during these first seven seasons, against at least forty different opponents. Some opponents changed their name or amalgamated with another team, as St Marks did several times. We are certain there were other matches we have not yet been able to substantiate. Results should not be looked at too closely as these were mostly friendly matches with a few cup games entering the fixture list as time went on. Often, one team would have several more players than the other as injury, illness, transport issues or work commitments would hinder team selections. Males on the side lines were sometimes offered a chance to play to make the numbers up, and many match reports list an unknown player or two in games. The main priority was that the team survived these early days and progressed both on and off the pitch by finding better quality, local and reliable players, ensuring club finances were kept sound and the locating of a good pitch on which to play upon. None of these were easy in a working class area so heavily built upon with factory workplaces such as West Gorton.

Five matches were played against Harpurhey based Manchester Arcadians whose pitch was on Moston Lane. Two goalless draws during 1880/81 season were followed by a one goal away win and a 1-1 draw at home during 1881/82. This fixture did not take place again until 1883/84 when a 2-0 victory at Queens Road was witnessed by a crowd of 100.

Hurst from nearby Ashton-under-Lyne, was a familiar opponent during the first three seasons. Formed in the late 1870s and still going strong in non-league football today, now known as Ashton United FC. This team was already a well established outfit by the early 1880s and they subsequently became the first ever winners of the Manchester Cup in 1885. Four games were played against Hurst and all these matches were lost, our best showing being a 3-0 away defeat in 1880.

Located between nearby Denton and Hyde was Haughton Dale, who became regular opponents with six matches played between the 1881/82 and 1885/86 seasons. Three games were won with one draw and two defeats. In one of these victories played at Kirkmanshulme Cricket Club, James Collinge scored 5 goals in a 8-1 victory.

To the west of Manchester in Old Trafford was Manchester Clifford, formed in 1884. This team provided the opposition for six matches from 1885 to 1887 prior to the Ardwick name change, and subsequent move to the Hyde Road ground. Five of these matches resulted in victory with just one drawn goalless game. In total we scored 17 goals without reply against this opponent. Clifford is today the name of an electoral ward within the Trafford district.

Closer to home was Gorton Villa, formed in 1883. A total of seven games took place between the two sides during the following four seasons. Of these seven matches, four resulted in wins, one was drawn and two were defeats. One of the losses was controversial, an Ashton & District Charity Cup match which took place at Reddish Lane on 26th March 1887. After losing the game by three goals to one, a complaint was lodged by management and the result was overturned. Gorton Villa played home games at the Reddish Lane ground before and after it was used by ourselves from October 1885, so as time progressed matches were played in very familiar surroundings to both teams, and they would often attract crowds of several hundred spectators.

Our first games against Newton Heath LYR (Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company) took place during the 1881/82 season with a 3-0 defeat at the Heathens original North Road ground, and a 2-1 victory at Kirkmanshulme Cricket Club. North Road was home to Newton Heath until 1893, and was a piece of spare land adjacent to railway sidings off Oldham Road where cricket was previously being played. Over time improvements saw the capacity rise to around 15,000 but it is reported that this figure was only reached on one occasion during the years this ground was in use. Strangely, we only seem to have met Newton Heath LYR on three more occasions before the 1887 name change from Gorton AFC to Ardwick AFC. Newton Heath dropped the LYR from the title some time around the early 1890s.

Rivalry between the two clubs we now know as City and United would not have begun to be established until the 1890s at the very earliest. Both Ardwick and Newton Heath were making serious progress towards league football and matches were becoming more competitive. The Manchester Cup Final of 1891 at Brooks Bar was watched by a crowd of 10,000 and this match could have been the catalyst, this was City’s first ever success when still under the name of Ardwick Association Football Club. The following season saw both sides competing in the Alliance League prior to being admitted to an expanded Football League for the 1892/93 season. It is probable the rivalry became more intense a little later during the early to mid 1900s, after both clubs had adopted the Manchester name, and City had become the first of the two to win major silverware by winning the FA Cup in 1904.

Unlike City, the early history of Manchester United is unclear. A match report in the Manchester Courier dated 29th September 1884, describes the Heathens as a ‘four year old organisation’. This information was given by then club secretary J.E. Elliott and appears to contradict claims that the team was established in 1878. This report does seem to have credibility as the club played its first known game on 20th November 1880, a six goal defeat away against a Bolton Wanderers Second XI. It is probable that the railway workers had practice matches between themselves before this date at North Road. What is certain is that they were playing cricket and rugby regularly, so maybe these sporting connections is where the founding year of 1878 comes from? The long held belief that Manchester United is the oldest professional football club in Manchester is questionable to say the least, and certainly not proven beyond doubt.

Newton Heath LYR did have something of a head start on St Marks as the vast employee base of the local railway gave it a large pool of potential players to choose from. This and the ready for use adjoining field to play matches on at North Road should have propelled it into possible contenders as founder members of the Football League in 1888, but the club was not prepared and instead joined a lesser league which was ultimately wound up due to confusion called the Combination. The lack of regular, high quality opponents, their relatively poor ground (no facilities were available and players had to change in a local pub called The Three Crowns several hundred yards away on Oldham Road) and the need for broader association game knowledge and experience, will have contributed to holding it back. Newton Heath dropped LYR from its title sometime around the early 1890s and then became Manchester United FC on 24th April 1902, after the club was served with a winding up order for debts totalling £2,670 whilst playing at its second home on Bank Street, Clayton.

When Ardwick AFC was formed in 1887, any advantage the Heathens had was surpassed within just a few years both on and off the pitch, and Ardwick paved the way for Manchester City FC to be the dominant force in Manchester football in almost all seasons until the late 1940s. This swift progress had such an affect on established clubs with influence such as Aston Villa, that it is believed the club encouraged an FA investigation into City’s affairs which resulted in 1906 of serious judgements being made against the Blues. Ultimately, seventeen City players were banned and Billy Meredith, who was at the centre of the scandal, was encouraged by the FA to join Manchester United without City even receiving a fee. The manager, chairman and several directors were suspended, some for life. City was on the brink of extinction but as history shows, supporters remained loyal as they always have and the club soon regained its status as a major force within the game.

There have been periods of success and failure for both clubs, most notably the 36 barren seasons United suffered between 1911 and 1948 when it won no major trophies. Many memorable matches have taken place between the two close rivals since those early Victorian days. During the 1930s, when City were regularly playing to large crowds and achieving both league and cup success, United were in dire straights and losing league games at a barren Old Trafford in front of crowds totalling less than 4,000. Certainly football did not begin with the advent of the Premier League in 1992, like supporters of some teams seem to think it was, and it is always wise to remember that any sustained period of success for a club is never going to last forever.

‘Derby’ home games have been played at Maine Road for both City and United, the latter when it was using the stadium as a temporary home whilst Old Trafford was rebuilt after bomb damage during the 1940s. Two thrilling FA Cup finals were staged at Wembley during 2023 and 2024 along with previously held semi-finals at Wembley and Bramall Lane, and many other vital matches at Hyde Road, Old Trafford, the Etihad and not forgetting Bank Street. City v United is a fierce, historic local rivalry, and long may it continue.

This detailed history of St Marks (West Gorton) is updated only with substantiated information. It offers the most accurate record of the background, birth and early years of the football team without misinformation or poorly researched opinionated beliefs, written by individuals who often have not researched it themselves, have an agenda and/or no affinity to it whatsoever. Even so, there has been research conducted in the past which deserves our respect, and we would like to thank those persons here. The early years is a unique period for anyone with an allegiance to Manchester City Football Club to be very proud of, and we are convinced there are further discoveries to made in the future. We feel it is unacceptable for anyone to embellish, erase or attempt to dismiss the past, but instead it is wise to learn from it and if possible, embrace the truth. By telling this story we hope to ensure the men and women who made it happen are not forgotten. The football club that was originally known as St Marks (West Gorton) would not exist without them.