The Cross Pattee, St Marks & Emmanuel Church

The links between original badge, team and the church

The term cross pattee is French, it translates as ‘footed cross’ and the origins of the white cross pattee on the black team kit worn for no more than three seasons from 1884/85 has been debated for decades. St Marks had entered into a merger, changed names and grounds several times since playing its first match on Saturday 13th November 1880, and was known as Gorton AFC by the time those iconic black jerseys were first adorned. It has been suggested elsewhere that ties to the church by this time had been severed. This is not true and is a very important actuality as to why the cross pattee was chosen as the team badge.

A team emblem or club badge was not chosen lightly in Victorian times. It was a symbol of recognition and like today, final decisions were made with much consideration and thought, although decision makers are always capable of making embarrassing errors. Modern badging includes marketing and design considerations. In Victorian England, an emblem with an historical attachment was seen as the priority. For example, symbols representing the place of origin or a local landmark may be considered, or alternatively a reference to a relevant coat of arms may be displayed. Furthermore, to understand why the cross pattee was chosen as the first badge, we have to understand its place within the religious setting of St Marks Church, where it was one of several variants of the traditional Christian cross on display. We also must understand its popularity, meanings and importance in Victorian England at that time.

The traditional cross is an accepted symbol for Christianity. It symbolises sacrifice, salvation and resurrection, and Christian crosses fall into two main categories, Greek and Latin. The cross pattee falls into the Greek category as its four arms are of similar length. There are many different variants of the traditional cross, and more variations of the variations, so things can be confusing. The reason for so many different crosses is heraldry. The traditional cross is visible in churches throughout the world, but variants are not as commonly seen. St Marks openly displayed at least three variants and they are the cross pattee, the cross patonce and the celtic cross. It is also worth noting that the cross pattee was in vogue in Victorian England, a popular symbol which amongst other things expressed friendship and good sportsmanship towards opponents.

Within this section we detail many of the items that were saved from St Marks Church prior to demolition, with special emphasis of course, on the items which have relevance to the football team and the badge, or the persons who assisted the team during its development. All of the artefacts mentioned here are genuine and originate from St Marks Church.

The church supported community involvement and always encouraged its parishioners to gather for religious and social functions. Sports such as cricket, football and rugby were provided for young men to participate in on a local level. This continued long after the original St Marks football team had become MCFC and established themselves as Manchester’s elite club, subsequently enjoying national acclaim when winning the 1904 FA Cup final at Crystal Palace. For example, this photograph dated 1914 is of the church cricket club, the original of which played its first matches in 1867. The location of this photograph is sadly unknown. No badge is displayed probably due to the whites, but one team member is wearing a cardigan with what appears to be a distinctive tri-band sash across the chest. The colouring of this sash is important but sadly at this point we cannot verify it. We do feel however that it could display a link with the church and also the first known colours of the team- which were a shade of scarlet and black. Also known that a church bible class formed a football team during the late 1880s to early 1890s, and played matches locally. At this time the original St Marks team had progressed to being known as Ardwick AFC and were playing home matches less than a mile away from Clowes Street at Hyde Road. Of the original St Marks football team who played in the first match on 13th November 1880, eleven of those twelve players are known to have played for the church cricket team beforehand.

It is always important for historians to establish the facts and to discourage opinionated beliefs leading to misinformation. For example, we show here photos of various teams who were either called St Marks or displayed a badge strikingly similar to our cross pattee. All of these photographs are known to be well over 100 years old. None of these English sides who all played amateur football, have ever had any known association with St Marks Church West Gorton or its sporting teams. There are numerous churches, schools and colleges called St Marks in the UK, so making a clear distinction between ourselves and the rest can be difficult at times, but the outcome is vital to ensure all information is provided as accurately as possible. Our thanks to everyone who has contacted us, asked us to verify photographs or answer queries over the last few years, many from across the UK and some as far away as China and USA.

When St Marks Church was awaiting demolition during the 1970s, hard-working church officials and parishioners salvaged whatever they could from the interior before the wreckers moved in. The church had been locked shut following an inspection which deemed the bellcote unsafe. The drawings shown here are a selection of the original architects sketches from the early 1860s. The full collection is available to be viewed at Manchester Central Library Archives Section. Other drawings include plans for a south aisle extension, which also shows the locations of the infants and junior schools to the south side of the church. Various church ledgers can also be perused, all upon prior appointment.

This sketch is based on a photograph of St Marks, it is framed and available to view at Emmanuel. It shows the main entrance with the bellcote above it fronting onto William Street, and the north side of the church which ran adjacent to Clowes Street. St Marks had two stone cross finials on its exterior, and both were celtic in style. One was to the nave gable and one to the chancel gable both, as is traditional, towards the eastern side of the church. The artist of the sketch is unknown.

Photographs taken just before the church was demolished, show the original pattern work on the decorative black and white brick or tiled banding which was in place in various areas on the exterior of the church. Sadly the photographs are not of great quality especially when enlarged, but they do show that the banding was decorated with a variant of the traditional cross.

This information has been verified by a former member of the congregation at St Marks, although she could not confirm if the pattern contained several variants or just the cross pattee itself. The banding on the entrance porch may even display letters or wording. On one of the photographs, the crosses look Greek in style and could be cross pattees but it is impossible for us to say more until clearer images are discovered.

The recovered items from St Marks are displayed within Emmanuel Church and many are still used during services. Emmanuel represents the unified parishes of two former churches, St Marks and All Saints. A foundation stone located externally adjacent to the entrance was laid by the Bishop Suffragan of Hulme Kenneth Venner Ramsey on 23rd September 1973.

The oak alter and reredos photographed here at Emmanuel, are both believed to be later additions to the 1865 consecrated St Marks Church. This alter has an inscription stating it was gifted at Whitsuntide 1932, and the beautifully carved reredos has wording to the side which mentions John Bird Stopford, Rector of St Johns College, Cambridge, where this item may have previously been located. Stopford, later a Canon, was Rector at St Marks for several years from 1912. The style of the reredos points to it being crafted during the second half of the nineteenth century.

This fine brass lectern is engraved and has relevance to the early years of the football team. The engraving is worn due to over 120 years of polishing, but is still decipherable.

It reads: ‘To the Glory of God. Presented by Mr. Thomas Goodbehere to St. Mark’s Church, West Gorton. Advent 1897’.

Thomas Goodbehere was a St Marks churchwarden and like William Henry Beastow and James Moores, he assisted Reverend Arthur Connell and his family in their promoting of community work and local activities in West Gorton during early years of the church and onwards. This support for such activities aided formation of the church cricket, rugby and football teams. Although no evidence has been uncovered of Thomas being directly involved in the running of the football team, he was a active supporter of church activities and therefore would have been an important ally to the team in terms of fundraising and support. He and other members of the Goodbehere family were employed at Samuel Brooks Union Iron Works, a company who did provide financial support on more than one occasion. They also allowed the use of their land where the church’s sporting teams initially played home matches, and where many individuals worked who played in the early football fixtures.

The central engraving shows a Christian inscription in latin. The letters IHS stand for ‘Iesus Hominum Salvator’ which translates as ‘Jesus Saviour of Humankind’. This monogram is often used within churches on worship furnishings.

St Marks brass offering plate. The wording reads: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works’.

This beautiful brass offering plate in excellent condition, is of great interest due to the two styles of crosses which are displayed upon it. The large central cross and four smaller crosses upon crowns are in the shape of a cross patonce. In its Christian form, the three petals represent the holy trinity, with the twelve petals in total representing the disciples.

Between the beginning and end of the wording towards the rim, is a cross pattee. It is exactly the same as the one displayed in white upon the left breast of the black team jerseys in 1884. The cross pattee in its Christian form dates back as far as the seventh century, and has been widely used all over the world as a variant of the traditional Christian cross. Thankfully, this beautiful plate from St Marks has been preserved and cared for, and it provides tangible evidence that the cross pattee was seen at St Marks Church. Also important is the fact that several traditional Christian cross variants were openly displayed there as a symbol of Christianity.

As mentioned within our history section, during the Victorian era the cross pattee was a very popular symbol and several teams of the time used it to promote themselves as good sportsmen with knightly virtues, namely qualities such as bravery, honour, loyalty and courtesy. It made sense therefore for clubs to replicate this cross on team jerseys if it also had an association with its birth. Blackburn Rovers FC used a royal blue on white version of it to respect two of their founding fathers who were educated at Shrewsbury School, where it is a symbol still used and displayed upon a crown. Wolverhampton Wanderers FC initially used the then town coat of arms as a club badge, where the cross pattee can be seen as a central symbol coloured gold upon a shield.

The beautiful offering plate is proof that the cross pattee was displayed within St Marks. Other variants of Christian crosses were also displayed, and may well be from the earliest decades of the church. Thankfully these items have survived, and the lectern still displays its 1897 dated inscription.

Emmanuel silk processional banner, previously St Marks, possibly dating from the 1920s. This Mothers Union banner was lovingly restored over 45 years ago. The title line to the top originally read St Marks, wording which has been replaced with Emmanuel. This work was carried out during its restoration after unification of the parishes. This beautiful silk banner may be much older than the 100 years its age has been estimated to be.

The outline of the St Marks title is still visible beneath the more recent embroidery. The wooden banner holder is topped by a brass cross patonce and two embroidered crosses to the sides of the title are celtic. The celtic cross is said to possibly originate from Ireland as early as the ninth century. The first Rector of St Marks was Irishman Arthur Connell, and it was Georgina, one of his daughters, who initially set up mothers meetings at St Marks as early as 1877. The Mothers Union was founded as a regional organisation in 1876 by Mary Elizabeth Sumner, who was born in Swinton, near Manchester in 1828. The logo displays the letter ‘M’ in very similar format to the one seen on the banner embroidery. This style of ‘M’ was initially seen on the fine stonework of the St Marks Church bellcote. A close-up of the architects sketch- which is displayed above, shows this clearly as a symbol of St Marks Church. An interesting question is whether the ‘M’ design on the bellcote had any influence with the later Mothers Union logo? We have briefly carried out some research relating to this and come to the conclusion that there is no link, but like anything, new information is always very welcome.

The beautiful silk banner is a work of art. It also assists us in proving that traditional Christian cross variants were publicly used by the church and its organisations. In the same way as displaying the cross variant on the football jersey, this banner and its cross variants would have signified St Marks Church, which in addition it also named, and it would have been held proudly aloft on church walks. The football team had progressed by 1884/85 and this naturally brought with it new opponents from a wider area, by then as far away as Crewe. Only individuals involved with the club and those who knew the roots of the football team lay with the church, would have known the true meaning of the cross pattee badge on the black jerseys.

This St Marks brass vase is undated, and is one of two displayed. The photograph shows a celtic cross. The other vase is of similar design but has no engraving. Both are still used regularly for flower displays at Emmanuel. There are also two beautiful oak and silver topped churchwarden staffs on display which are from St Marks. These staffs do not have any additional markings so are completely original. Many players and committee members who were involved with both the football team and officially with the church would have handled these during services. William Henry Beastow, James Moores and Lawrence Furniss for certain would have used them in their duties at various times.

The ornamental fall shown is displaying the traditional Christian cross. This beautiful silk fall was designed and manufactured by Thomas Brown & Son of 31 Princess Street, Manchester for St Marks. This company was established in the early 1870s and is described as Church Furnishers/Embroiderers, Ecclesiastical Designers and Silk Manufacturers. Two other ornamental falls in use at Emmanuel were originally part of the furnishings at All Saints.

Thomas Brown & Son is responsible for hundreds of ecclesiastical designs, many of which can be seen on items in churches across the UK today. These designs include widely used Christian cross variants such as the cross pattee. Was it one of these designs by Thomas Brown & Son which inspired the white symbol on the 1884/85 black Gorton AFC jerseys? A cross pattee is shown at top right of these embroidery designs by Thomas Brown. Also sketched here is the eight pointed, tapered Maltese cross shown at the bottom right. The Maltese cross has its origins in the era of the Crusades and is named after the Mediterranean island which came to be the home of the Knights of St John. The beautiful Co-Cathedral of St John in Valletta, Malta, is a gem of Baroque art with numerous depictions of this cross in various colours throughout the building. It was the conventional church of the Order of the Knights of St John during the sixteenth century. The cross is also a symbol of the St Johns Ambulance charity organisation and American Fire Fighters also wear it as a symbol of protection. The eight points have a number of different symbolic interpretations. Note these points and the distinctively different details of the Maltese cross to the cross pattee.

Variants of crosses on items originally of St Marks Church, only add to the debate of the origins of the cross pattee on the 1884/85 jersey. We know that the football team did have links to the church in terms of playing staff and officials, these links were especially strong during all the years of amateurism and the name change to Ardwick AFC in 1887.

It has been previously stated that the team moved away from its Clowes Street ground in 1881 because links to the church were not so strong and the team was looking for players from elsewhere. In fact, the football team actually followed the church cricket team to a new home at Kirkmanshulme Cricket Club. This was due to the Union Iron Works wanting to expand and build on their adjacent land, which was the football pitch as well as being used for other sports. The Gorton area prior to the 1850s was mainly farmland but it expanded rapidly and when Samuel Brooks founded the Union Iron Works on Thomas Street during 1859, this patch of land was previously part of a farm or estate. It was levelled to a degree but undeveloped and used for various sports and pastimes until the decision was made to expand the works onto it during 1881. There were certainly no working farms around the Clowes Street area in 1880.

Many of the St Marks players were church attendees, played for more than one of the churches sporting teams and lived locally. Of course, new and better players were always sought after, but we can confirm, links to the church were still very strong for many years after the team moved away from the Clowes Street Ground. Samuel Brooks, owner of the Iron Works and the land the team originally played on, was employer to many of these church attending players, and he continued financial support for the team by way of donations for many years after the side had left to play elsewhere. Kirkmanshulme Cricket Club was located close to the original St Marks Church Rectory which was at 17 North Road, now renamed Northmoor Road, a rectory which has long since gone. In later years, the rectory was situated behind the church hall adjacent to Slack & Cox Bottle Works on Hyde Road, built on the site of the Gorton Gaol. This was a large property with at least four bedrooms and in the 1960s provided a home to the St Marks Curate and his family, until the later redevelopment of the area.

During the 1890s the club was progressing at a pace, and new players had been signed from across the UK. Associations which began after the move to Hyde Road were strengthened with private businesses such as Chesters Brewery and Galloways Boiler Works, both of Ardwick. Lawrence Furniss was a St Marks Church sidesperson who went on to play, captain, become an influential committee member and even become President of Manchester City Football Club in 1931. Walter Chew, as mentioned previously, had a long involvement with the club from its establishment during 1880. No less than six players appeared for the team at various stages from the very earliest times through to when Gorton AFC became Ardwick AFC in 1887, plus others who assisted administratively in the running of the club.

This photograph is of the interior of St Marks Church. At least one variant of the traditional cross can be seen within, and attention is drawn to what looks like two cross pattee symbols on the rear (east) wall. They are located to the sides of the chancel windows, but this image is not clear and they could well be another variant or even fleur-de-lys. The celtic cross is displayed and can be seen centrally in the photograph on the light coloured alter fall. The celtic cross is reputed to be a variant form of the cross pattee.

The photographs on this page and the latest discoveries do prove that the cross pattee did have associations with St Marks Church, and it was displayed within it during its lifespan, along with other variants of the traditional Christian cross. Also in the past, several researchers have mistakenly identified the 1884 badge as being Maltese, which as seen illustrated above, is a distinctly different symbol.

The suggestion regarding a masonic link has born no evidence whatsoever, and seems to be based on a guess as to where the cross could have come from, fuelled by the possibility that privately, several church officials had leanings towards freemasonry. The colour of the jerseys and cross may also have initially influenced this suggestion. However, we have found that many different colours are important within freemasonry, not just black and white, but also blue, purple, yellow, red and green all have special meaning and are commonly used, some more so than others. So the colours of the kit are certainly not to be viewed as having a masonic influence. It is also worth stating again that prior to the 1884/85 kit, the team are known to have played in a shade of scarlet and black. We are working on possible evidence of this original kit, its design and if it displayed a badge. Certainly no masonic influence has ever been associated with it.

Popular freemasonry symbols include the square and compass, the all-seeing eye or eye of providence as it is also known, but there are many others including the obelisk, swastika and beehive. The beehive symbol is said to represent the industriousness of the lodge and the men within being as busy as bees. There are also numerous masonic versions of the traditional cross. The one which most resembles our white cross pattee in shape, being known as the knights templar or templar cross, and this cross is commonly depicted in red or black. The Knights Templar, whose motto ‘Sigillum Militum Xpisti’ translates as ‘Seal of the Soldiers of Christ’, was a secretive Catholic fighting force of the medieval period, so any link to that organisation would be total fantasy. No masonic symbol has ever had any connection to the football club at any time in its history, with the 1884/85 badge never being referred to as a templar cross.

All the information above adds to the argument that the 1884/85 badge was inspired by the teams religious roots, especially when proof exists that St Marks Church did during its history display the cross pattee and other variants. Another red herring regarding the cross having masonic links, was that it was influenced by at least two of the football teams founding fathers who are believed to have been freemasons. No evidence has ever been uncovered that freemasonry had any official influence with regards to the football or other sporting teams originating from St Marks Church.

Summary

1. The links between church and football team were always strong throughout the 1880s and beyond. Associations continued between players, club officials and St Marks Church as the team progressed to joining the Manchester FA (where all member teams had to have designated kit and colours) and entered into its cup competition. These links were directly maintained most notably via Lawrence Furniss and Walter Chew for many years, but others such as church officials William Henry Beastow and James Moores for example, continued with their support for the team.

Just to add, many important club influences of the late 1880s and beyond such as John Allison, Stephen Chesters Thompson, Sam Ormerod and Joshua Parlby, came and went at different times after Lawrence Furniss and Walter Chew were already well established figures. None of these individuals who joined the club during the late 1880s and beyond had any allegiance to St Marks Church and maybe that is one reason why the cross was never to be seen again in relation to the football team and its badges.

2. An engraved brass lectern was presented to the church in 1897 by Thomas Goodbehere, a churchwarden who provided assistance to the St Marks sporting teams. He was still involved at the church for years after the original football team had moved on to be known by several new names and playing at various new home venues. William Henry Beastow and James Moores, both churchwardens, were also actively involved with the team for many years from the outset, as already mentioned. Philanthropists such as Richard Peacock, who initially donated to the church also made donations to the football team after it had changed names and moved grounds. These are but a few of the individuals who provided links between the church and the team.

3. St Marks Church had many variants of the traditional Christian cross on display both inside and outside the building during its lifespan, and this is a most important point. Some were on furnishings, some on service items used during worship, and others depicted on the building itself either in stone or on the patterned decorative exterior. It proves the church had no issues with openly displaying any of these crosses as symbols of Christianity, even if they were used by other faiths or organisations.

4. No official association between the football team and freemasonry has been uncovered at any time during the many years of our research, and as far as we are aware, no evidence exists to substantiate claims it did. We are therefore able to dismiss written accounts which state the team, the colours of its kit and importantly the cross pattee badge, had any masonic influences whatsoever.

It has also been suggested in recent times, usually by individuals who know little about the club’s history or the true story of the cross pattee, that the symbol is Germanic and identical to the Iron Cross, which once again, is totally incorrect. The Iron Cross was military and used for decoration within the Kingdom of Prussia, then later in Germany. It is a black cross with a double border of white and black, and not at all the same, having no links whatsoever to our badge. To confirm, any other colour of cross pattee other than white has no association with the original ‘St Marks badge’.

5. It would have been totally logical when the team was first looking for an emblem or badge during the 1880s, to look to its birthplace just a few years before, especially when so many church officials and patrons were so influential. A variant of the Christian cross would have made sense and been instantly recognisable, the cross pattee being a perfect choice. Vogue in Victorian England, a symbol of knightly virtues, including bravery, honour, loyalty and courtesy. It displayed sportsmanship and friendship towards opponents, and was strongly linked to St Marks who were displaying variants of the Christian cross themselves. Lastly but still importantly, there was no possibility it would cause offence to other teams or persons of other faiths.

St Marks artefacts are used lovingly at Emmanuel Church services during every week of the year and always have been. We were surprised upon contacting Emmanuel officials, that we were the first persons exploring the relationship of the church to the original football team, to discover the relevance of the items which were recovered, and request as much information as possible prior to documenting their history. We entered with an open mind and were thrilled so many items from St Marks are still on view and used today. Our research has been conducted with the full co-operation of Emmanuel Parish Church officials, and it seems that these church artefacts are possibly the oldest existing original items with any direct connection to the football team known as St Marks (West Gorton), and they have been residing relatively unknown in the area for all this time.

We have no doubts that the 1884/85 badge was a direct reference to St Marks Church, the birthplace of the club. We were fortunate during our research that one extremely helpful official from Emmanuel regularly attended St Marks, recalled its historical artefacts, and was willing to share their knowledge of them and the church, providing much background information. A huge thank you from us to everyone at Emmanuel Parish Church.

The cross pattee has always signified the formative pre 1894 years to many supporters. It is the teams first known badge and has its history firmly embedded in the very roots of where it was established at St Marks Church, Clowes Street, West Gorton. We are proud to do our best to protect it and act as guardians, with the knowledge and backing of officials at Emmanuel Church, West Gorton.

If you wish to attend Emmanuel Parish Church you will always be made welcome. For information on services and events please see contact details in ‘Links’ on page one. Over the years, some City supporters have referred to the club as ‘God’s own team’… maybe they were closer to the truth than they realised!

These St Marks Church WWI memorial plaques in oak are beautifully carved and now displayed on the walls within the foyer at Emmanuel Parish Church.

After the Cross Pattee

The white cross pattee on the left breast of the black team jerseys was worn for no more than three years from 1884/85, until Gorton AFC became Ardwick AFC during August 1887. At some point after this a new symbol of recognition was devised, and this shield badge has become known as AAFCs representation for the years 1887 to 1894. These are the years immediately prior to the club becoming known as Manchester City FC during April 1894, the year the club has always officially recognised as its founding year.

Ardwick takes its name from King Aethelred II, ‘Ard’ being a shortened form of his name, and ‘Wic’ meaning dwelling, farm or village. Ardwick or Atherdwic- another corruption of the king’s name, began as a farm and developed into a village by Tudor times.

King Aethelred II, also known as ‘Ethelred the Unready’, was born around 966 and died in London on 23rd April 1016. A Saxon King ruling from 978 to 1013, and again from 1014 to 1016. Regarded by many to be an ineffectual monarch, who failed to retain the allegiance of the majority of his people. His decision making led to the later name ‘the unready’, although its meaning at that time was that he was deemed unwise or poorly advised.

During 1002, he ordered the massacre of all Danes in England, to prevent potential treachery. This event became known as the ‘St Bride’s Day Massacre’. Legend also has it that he planned and instructed the destruction of London Bridge in 1014, during an attempt to regain London from the Vikings. This was after he had fled to Normandy. His ally Olef, sailed his fleet up the Thames and tied his ships to the bridge struts. Upon sailing away, the bridge came crashing down and many of his fleet were subsequently lost. The nursery rhyme ‘London Bridge is falling down’ is said to be based upon this legend.

As for his mark of identity, a shield was attributed to Aethelred (shown left). The standardised ‘Coat of Arms’ system was not developed in Europe until the 12th century, and this purpose of identification was then widely adopted by royalty, knights and other major power holders throughout western Europe. The type of cross on the Aethelred shield is known as a cross potent fitchy. This style of cross is another variant of the traditional Christian cross, the term ‘fitchy’ relating to any cross whose lower arm has been replaced with a long point. Centuries later in heraldic literature, the cross potent is referred to as the Jerusalem cross due to the attributed coat of arms of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

During the medieval period, Ardwick had become a small independent township. It became part of Manchester upon the borough’s creation in 1838 and in Victorian England, Ardwick was a very busy industrial town.

In 1887, Ardwick AFC was the new name of the team originally known as St Marks (West Gorton) and was playing home games on rented land at Hyde Road. Its one and only badge was most probably historically based just like its predecessor the cross pattee, and it could have been based on Aethelred’s shield and/or another locally known emblem- the Marshall of Ardwick Coat of Arms. This elaborate coat of arms (as shown) contains a divided shield and has a motto which can be translated as ‘seek a good finale’. The AAFC shield is divided into four and identical in shape and symmetry to the Marshall shield, both displaying scalloped edges.

The Aethelred shield has a more traditional shape with a flat top and straight sides, a shape which is known as a heater shield. It is divided into four by the cross potent fitchy displayed within it. The cross and the shield do not seem to have any historical reference to the House of Wessex, which King Aethelred II was a part of.

So, is one or both of these historic emblems where the AAFC badge originates from? The AAFC shield was the second badge to be displayed by the team originally known as St Marks (West Gorton), although the predominant colour used upon it is a mystery. It could have been royal blue and white, the first known colours of Ardwick, or maybe a navy blue or light blue and white which was also worn later by the team. It could even have been a black and white shield, as the team mainly played in plain white jerseys during the seven seasons of its existence. Whatever colour was used, we do know for certain that this badge was used by the club as a form of identification.

After the Ardwick AFC shield and the ‘new’ club

Following the April 1894 incorporation of Manchester City Football Club Company Limited, the club chose to use the Manchester Coat of Arms for official recognition for many years. Even later, after its own designs had become internationally recognised, the club still proudly displayed the coat of arms from time to time, mainly but not exclusively for various finals played at Wembley Stadium, and also on official club documentation, signage and kit variations.

Manchester United FC copied this lead by displaying the Manchester Coat of Arms in Wembley finals, even though the club ground built in 1910 was located within the Borough of Trafford, and not within the boundaries of the City of Manchester. MCFC was not the first Manchester club to use the arms however, Manchester AFC had already used it as a form of recognition years before.

City’s five versions of its own club badges have a shield central to each design, which is based directly from the coat of arms. Four of these five City emblems are round, including the current one dating from 2016. Various tweaks on colour, fonts and content have been made on each of the four round badges.

The illustrations show: (bottom right) Manchester Coat of Arms; (bottom left) the first MCFC club badge possibly dating from mid to late 1930s. This badge has often been overlooked, even by the club itself when listing the history of its emblems; (second row right) 1960s badge which is strikingly similar to its predecessor; (second row left) 1972 rose badge; (top row right) 1997 eagle badge; (top row left) current badge dating from 2016 (Images top left, top right and second row left are trade marks of Manchester City Football Club).

The exception to the traditional shape is known as the ‘eagle badge’, introduced during 1997 and strikingly different to all other club emblems. It is the only design to incorporate a Latin motto, translated as ‘pride in battle’. Also unique to this badge is a large winged eagle, said to signify Manchester’s historic place within the Roman Empire. The Imperial Eagle came to represent power, prestige, courage, strength and immortality. It is known as the ‘king of birds’ and appeared on all types of Roman militaria, buildings and literature. Three stars topping the badge proved controversial and are purportedly placed for styling purposes only, and this is the only badge to have the name of the club abbreviated to the letters ‘M.C.F.C.’

All five City emblems display a ship in full sail to the upper part of the shield. This sailing ship is to signify international trade and enterprise as per the coat of arms. This is interesting because the Manchester Ship Canal was not officially declared open until 52 years after the coat of arms was granted to Manchester, and on occasions it has been thought this waterway is what the ship represented. The lower part of the shield on the 1972 badge displays a red rose only, signifying Manchester’s traditional place within the historic county of Lancashire. Red roses are also displayed on the Manchester Coat of Arms for this reason. On three badges, banding is shown, no rose, with the earliest versions having red and yellow banding as per the coat of arms. The current badge has both a red rose and blue banding and is the only badge to have a year stated on it, 1894, the year of incorporation of MCFC and the year the club officially recognises as its founding year.

During 2015, City supporters were consulted about the content for the proposed badge. The club informed fans that banding displayed on previous emblems is a ‘central element…taken directly from the original Manchester Coat of Arms’. It was stated that this banding was a representation of ‘three rivers- the Medlock, Irwell and Irk’, running through Manchester. This has always been open to debate as Manchester has had many rivers and brooks (classed as a small river) running through it during its history, as are listed here, so why would only three have recognition?

Boggart Hole Brook

Chorlton Brook

River Irk

River Irwell

River Medlock

River Mersey

Moston Brook

River Tib

The truth is that the banding on the coat of arms did not originally represent rivers running through the city at all. The Manchester Coat of Arms is a classic heraldic design with stunning colours and images, including those of an antelope, lion, bees on a globe and others. Sometime during the early part of the twentieth century, the true origins of the banding on the coat of arms was either lost or misinterpreted, and an incorrect explanation given for the banding was that it was representing three rivers. So that brings us to the question of what is the true meaning of the ancient banding?

During 1086 Manchester was administratively part of the ‘Salford Hundred’. This hundred covered approximately 350 square miles and its population numbered around 3,000. It was given to Roger de Poitou, who divided it and made the Gresle family barons of Manchester (Gresle later sometimes spelt Grelleys or Gresles). Albert de Gresle was the first Baron of Manchester and he decided for reasons of his own, not to reside within the town.

The first Baron who did decide to live in Manchester was Robert de Gresle who lived between 1174 and 1230. A castle which was located where Chetham’s School of Music stands today, was demolished under his authority and replaced with a manor house, which led to an influx of skilled workers. Robert married Margaret de Longchamp and their son Thomas later succeeded Robert. The manor house became the administrative centre of the town and monies were raised by charging tenants rent for land, gardens, housing and workshops.

A baron was a powerful man in medieval times, who pledged loyalty and service to his superior in return for land he could acquire monies for and pass on to his heirs. Members of the aristocracy, they had wealth and influence and often held unlimited powers within their land boundaries.

Manchester Baron Robert de Gresle, was a party to forcing King John to sign the Magna Carta on 15th June 1215, and was excommunicated for his role in this thirteenth century rebellion known as the ‘First Barons War’. This included the seizure of Robert’s wealth and estates. It was the Pope who excommunicated Robert due to his role in what was basically a civil war. Following the death of King John in 1216, Robert’s wealth and estates were eventually returned by King Henry III, and he would witness confirmation of the charter by the King during 1225.

It is Baron Robert de Gresle’s shield (as illustrated) which is depicted on the Manchester Coat of Arms, and subsequently by MCFC on four versions of its five badges including the present design, which has proved popular with supporters and is recognised worldwide. This may come as a surprise to many, but it seems the meaning of the banding became lost, so confusion and even local politics may have instigated the change of explanation of the true meaning of the banding.

The impressive coat of arms was granted to Manchester in 1842, and city status was afforded eleven years later during 1853. Manchester has always displayed the Robert de Gresle shield in respect to the family who were its first barons.

The Lancashire Coat of Arms. The red rose derived from the arms of King Henry IV, Duke of Lancaster, is a symbol of the House of Lancaster, the original county town of Lancashire. This rose has been replicated on both the Manchester Coat of Arms and two of MCFC’s badges including the present version.

Iconic Kits

We have chosen four of what we consider to be the clubs most iconic kits. All have their place secured in history, each one has a different badge and all are recognisable anywhere. See if you agree…

1. City and sky blue are perfect together. Blue was first worn in 1887 when the club was known as Ardwick AFC, but the tone was darker, a royal blue and white kit in those days. Although the shade of blue has changed at times over the years, it has always remained the main colour which represents MCFC. Our photograph shows the team shirt in 1972, with the round ‘red Lancashire rose’ club badge of the time in the centre of the chest. This style of shirt was worn from the early 1960s to the mid 1970s. Memories of swashbuckling football, superstars, trophies, local lads who bled blue blood and of course Maine Road with the Kippax Street Stand… ahh happy days!

2. Malcolm Allison had the idea to introduce this new red and black away kit during the late 1960s, and it had a dramatic effect both on and off the pitch. The team loved playing in it and the fans just loved it. Cup finals were won at Wembley and Vienna in this kit, and it seemed to somehow add to the drama of a match when played under the floodlights. City have introduced various styles in similar colours since, but none have looked as good as this original, which displayed the Manchester Coat of Arms in City’s Wembley finals. Scarlet and black are the first known colours of the club, when named as West Gorton FC in 1883, although no further information has yet been discovered about the configuration of the kit. These colours just ooze MCFC history…

3. Navy, illuminous yellow, green with a hint of blue? Sounds anything but City. Then, when this shirt is seen, think Wembley, an incredible comeback, Paul Dickov, Nicky Weaver, Joe Royle etc etc. This away kit was worn for just one season in 1998/99, and it signifies the beginning of the end of the most traumatic period in the clubs history, and better days ahead. Stunningly bright shirts with the ‘eagle’ club badge (designed in 1997), displayed on the left breast. Loyalty, pride, fighting spirit and victory against the odds, this shirt says it all. Proudly worn by many supporters on a matchday, even by those much too young to remember the 30th May 1999. The season of 1998/99 is one those of a certain age are thankful we lived through, but not one we want to witness again!

4. The black jersey with a white cross pattee, is from the first known kit as worn by Gorton AFC during 1884/85 and is embedded with links to the church. This is prior to the team becoming known as Ardwick AFC in 1887 and playing in royal blue and white shirts. Many refer to this white cross as the ‘St Marks cross’ and it was worn for a maximum of three seasons. This jersey has come to represent the early years, the pre 1894/City years, St Marks Church, the Victorian 1880s and images of that time including dark, narrow cobbled streets, scuttlers and busy factories with smoky chimneys, all West Gorton activities with rugby, cricket and football teams playing on any land they could create a pitch upon. Instantly recognisable, this 1884/85 jersey with its original badge is so worthy of making up the last of our four choices of most iconic kits.

A unique stadium for a unique club. Since becoming home in August 2003 following the move from Maine Road, this stadium has been the scene of many triumphs and so much drama. Known all over the world as ‘The Etihad’, home of Manchester City Football Club.

The Hyde Road Fire

The mystery surrounding the events of 6th November 1920

The opening match due to be played at Hyde Road was against Salford on 10th September 1887. The newly named Ardwick AFC management committee went to great expense to advertise the game and a local brass band was engaged to play. Approximately 500 spectators came to watch the match but unfortunately, Salford failed to attend. So the band took centre stage and the first match actually took place a week later on 17th September 1887 against Hooley Hill. An exciting game in fine weather before a good number of spectators saw Hooley Hill prevail by four goals to two.

Over the years which followed many notable victories were achieved at Hyde Road as well as important league, cup and international fixtures. The ground was developed on a piecemeal basis when monies were available, which was normal practice for clubs at the time. Hemmed in by factories, arches, houses and even a railway line which ran close to the north-eastern corner of the pitch in front of a Boys Stand, the ground was certainly not spacious, but it was home and soon became very popular with supporters, who got used to the dirt accumulated by standing on its cinder bankings.

In 1898, a club syndicate was created in an attempt to purchase a stand that was previously used for the Fulham Pageant. It would cost around £1,500 to transport and re-erect on the site of a previous timber stand built around ten years earlier with a small capacity of just 1,000. This new stand was a far more impressive wooden structure however, to include seating behind a standing paddock. The syndicate was successful and the new Grandstand was erected in 1899. It was 210 feet long and had 11 rows of seats. Various estimates of its capacity range from 3,000 to 8,000 and it was probably closer to the lower end of these figures. We were told many years ago by a supporter who attended Hyde Road, that this stand housed a painted sign with the club’s first (and probably unofficial) motto, which read ‘Set your teeth and die hard’. Where it was situated within the Grandstand and whether it was inspired by supporters, players or club officials is unknown. In time, this structure would seat Manchester East MP Arthur James Balfour, who visited to watch the league match against Stoke on 29th September 1900. This was before he became Prime Minister in 1902. Of course the greatest day for the Grandstand was 27th March 1920 when City played host to HM King George V.

Less than eight months after the Royal visit, the Grandstand was no more. A blaze which started on the evening of the 6th November 1920, razed the wooden structure to the ground, along with club records, books, ledgers and faithful watchdog ‘Nell’. Rooms and offices which had been created underneath the stand were included in the destruction. At the time it was reported that the fire had been been started by a discarded cigarette, strange as no first team match with a large attendance had been played at the ground that Saturday, but just a reserve fixture against Huddersfield Town in the afternoon which could have been watched by just a handful of supporters or up to several hundred plus, depending on which sketchy reserve match attendance records are believed. A stray firework has also been mentioned as a possible cause but no evidence of this was ever found.

The discarded cigarette theory may seem plausible initially, but the timing of the start of the fire was confirmed to have been between 10pm and 11pm, which also coincides with pub closing times in 1920. This means the incipient stage of the fire would have had to last at least five to six hours after the reserve match ended, if it had been started by a supporter or official inadvertently whilst at the game. In addition, no club official was ever recorded as working that evening at the ground.

Fires which have broken out in timber stands since, such as the Bradford City fire in 1985 for example, have shown that the incipient stage followed by fire spread before becoming fully developed, occurs much quicker than this. If the fire was accidentally started within the stand in an office for example, it would have spread quickly due to the amount of paper records which were contained within, so it seems probable it was started later, not too long before it was discovered.

Also at the time, British Police had suspicions of arson, as the fire fitted with a wider pattern of IRA attacks in Britain that had already commenced in 1920 and tensions were running high both in Ireland and on the mainland. To emphasise this point, the Manchester Evening News headlined a story the very day of the fire reporting that 200 Sinn Feiners were surrounded by the military and subsequently captured at Macroom in County Cork.

Irish Military Archives have shed light on IRA activities in Manchester during this period, and amongst the correspondence and documents is a testimony from an IRA Volunteer, Drogheda-born Thomas Morgan. In 1939, Morgan began the process for applying for a pension for his military service during the campaign for Irish independence. His application was typical of those submitted, containing sworn statements outlining such services as were rendered to the cause of establishing the independent Irish state. In Thomas Morgan’s case, those services including the torching of Manchester City’s Hyde Road ground.

He provided little detail about how the operation was planned and executed, but his involvement was relayed to assessors on more than one occasion and he first admitted his role in the attack in October 1939 and again three years later in further correspondence to assessors. He also confessed to being one of a number of active arsonists in mainland Britain.

On one occasion he remarked ‘…me and Harding and about six men…took part in the burning of Hyde Road football ground…headquarters of Manchester City Football. We decided we would burn the stands, they were preparing for a big match’.  The big match may well have been the Manchester derby which was scheduled for later that month. The ‘Harding’ referenced was Charles Vincent Harding from Clonmel, a man who had made no mention of his involvement in this fire, although he did admit to his other IRA activity in Manchester about this time, including the shooting of a Police Constable in 1921, a planned but aborted attack on Manchester Racecourse, and an armed raid on a golf course, both in late 1920.

Another accomplice of Morgan’s was said to be Joseph Flood, he also never admitted to having any involvement in the Hyde Road football ground attack, just that he was ‘…organising and taking an active role in reprisal burnings in Manchester and district’.

Thomas Morgan joined the Irish Volunteer Movement- later becoming the IRA, in May 1917 in his hometown of Drogheda. He set off for England as his links with Sinn Fein deepened amidst the post 1916 rising radicalisation of Irish political life. He initially arrived in Liverpool then settled in Manchester from June 1920. It is estimated at least 1,000 men were actively involved in IRA units across the UK by mid 1921, and most were based in the urban centres of Manchester, London, Liverpool and Tyneside. In Manchester, the number of volunteers was around 100 and these were organised into three IRA companies. No. 2 Company was led by Charles Harding, whom Thomas Morgan had claimed was an accomplice on the City football ground attack. IRA volunteers readily decorated the city in propaganda graffiti, but in 1920 the IRA changed focus and attacks increased in number and violence. Manchester was seen as a legitimate target to raise public awareness of Ireland’s desperate and worsening predicament.

Just three weeks after the Hyde Road fire and a week after the horrors of Bloody Sunday in Dublin, up to 18 fires had been started in the Liverpool and Bootle areas causing around £1m worth of damage. It was becoming obvious that targets across mainland Britain could be selected at random, and in 1921 Manchester United’s ground in Old Trafford would also be targeted by a group of Irish arsonists visiting with the intention of destruction by fire. On this occasion, they would be unsuccessful after being discovered by Police Constable Thomas Carr. This would lead to several arrests and a later police raid on the Erskine Street Irish Club in Hulme, which was said to be the base of IRA activities in Manchester at that time. In total, nineteen people would be arrested following the raid, along with confiscated documentation and relevant information.

As for Manchester City, it was initially thought the club would become temporary tenants at Manchester United’s ground but this was swiftly discouraged, and the club quickly patched up the ground after supporters cleared the debris, then a cinder banking was formed to be used as a temporary terrace. Amazingly, Hyde Road played host to a crowd of 35,000 just a week after the fire when City beat Huddersfield Town by three goals to two. By the end of the season, City finished runners-up to Burnley in Football League Division One.

The events of the 6th November 1920 marked the beginning of the end of the Hyde Road football ground. The club finally deciding after years of hesitation, to move and build the finest club stadium in England, so in 1923 Manchester City FC moved to Maine Road.

A Great British Sportsman