AN academic has challenged the history of the beautiful game.

It has been widely believed that the origins of modern football lay in public schools.

But research by the University of Bolton’s Dr Peter Swain has uncovered a much broader and deeper football culture across the early and mid-nineteenth century than previously thought.

In a series of articles — entitled The Origins of Football Debate — the social, cultural and sports historian has re-written the history of football in the nineteenth century with evidence obtained from the newly digitised British Library newspaper collection in London.

Dr Swain’s research draws on hundreds of newspapers cuttings from across the country and claims that matches were played on numerous different occasions as forms of street football or casual football in fields and meadows, as part of celebrations or formal games where challenges were issued.

He said: “The evidence from the British Library collection has now allowed me to challenge the orthodox history of football.

“That history had basically argued there were only two forms of the game existing at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

“Firstly, there was folk football, usually played on festival days such as Shrove Tuesday, and games that took place in the public schools.

“The argument continued that, under pressure from the prevailing authorities, folk football had all but disappeared by mid-century and so, the origins of modern football, which developed from around 1870 onwards, could now only lie within the public schools.

“Football was not confined to the public schools and the influence of public school and public schoolboys on history of the origins of the game has been much overstated.

“That’s not to say they didn’t have any influence as, crucially, they did codify the rules of Association and Rugby football. My research just re-balances the argument.”

The town's football club was formed as Christ Church Football Club in 1874, and adopted its current name in 1877.

The club was one of the founder members of the Football League.

The results of Dr Swain's research can be found in the academic journals, Sport in History and The International Journal of the History of Sport.

FOLK FOOTBALL IN BOLTON

ACCORDING to articles written during that time, Bolton had a football playing clergy.

The Reverend James Folds — Parson Folds — was appointed curate of Old Walmsley Chapel and Lecturer at Bolton Parish Church in 1755, a position he held until his death on August 13, 1820 at the age of 92.

Here was a vicar who was well known throughout his 65-five year incumbency for his eccentricities — drinking, playing cards, gambling — as well as being part of the long tradition of football playing clergy.

Even in 1879 he was remembered for his participation in the “juvenile pastime of football kicking” where the ball was “purred out in the main street”.

As football players then wore clogs, the play was described as “purring”, a phrase which was usually applied to clog-fighting where the shins were deliberately kicked — and the fighters were sometimes naked — although the distinction between folk football and fighting seems, at times, to be blurred.

One such game of “purring” that took place in the Market Place and through the streets of Bolton on January 5, 1791 was considered by the Lancashire Quarter Sessions in May of that year to have been a serious disturbance of the peace.

In the season — as published by Winterburn in 1879 — he “betimes purchased the ball for presentation, and as per custom, pitched it over from the back of the Swan Inn, or Man and Scythe into Churchgate, a practice then adopted to hide the pitcher, so that the kick might not be inspired by personal feeling.