From The Vaults

03 March 2015

Lest We Forget - Ronald Owen Lagden (England) 03/03/1915

Ronald Owen Lagden was born in Maseru, Basutoland (modern Lesotho) on the border of present day South Africa, one of five children of Sir Godfrey Yeatman Lagden KCMG and Lady Lagden.

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03 March 2015

Lest We Forget - Ronald Owen Lagden (England) 03/03/1915

Ronald Owen Lagden was born in Maseru, Basutoland (modern Lesotho) on the border of present day South Africa, one of five children of Sir Godfrey Yeatman Lagden KCMG and Lady Lagden.

25 February 2015

Remembering when Ireland won the Calcutta Cup…

The Calcutta Cup, long understood to be exclusively retained by the winner of the annual England Scotland fixture, may have been won by Ireland, and indeed Wales towards the end of the 19th Century.

19 February 2015

How close did Wales come to being the Leeks of international rugby?

The crest on the badge below is from the 1899 Anglo-Australia team although this name is slightly misleading as the team was in fact a British representative side that toured Australia and not the teams combined as the name suggests.

17 February 2015

Their Costume was All Black...

The 1888-89 "New Zealand Natives Football Team" took their final curtain bow on British soil on 27 March 1889.

12 February 2015

Family Histories - Samuel George Williams

Like Great Grandfather, Like Son... The Museum was recently contacted by Paul Whitehead, the great-grandson of Devon and England stalwart Samuel George Williams.

10 February 2015

The Mysteries of 'Forever England'

Shane Record's 'Forever England' was unveiled inside the West Stand of Twickenham Stadium in 2014 to commemorate a century since the outbreak of the First World War. It depicts an England side on the cusp of winning the 1914 5-Nations Championship, collecting a second consecutive Grand Slam in the process.

05 February 2015

The 'Real' Triple Crown

In 2006 a silver shield was produced as the physical embodiment of an idea that had existed since 1894. The Triple Crown was first made reference to by the Irish Times in 1894 after Ireland had defeated England, Wales and Scotland in a single season for the first time.

02 February 2015

William Webb Ellis, Are You Mad?

In 1971 the Rugby Football Union produced a promotional film detailing the history and culture of rugby union. It included the following re-enactment of the alleged moment that William Webb-Ellis 'picked up the ball and ran' at Rugby School in 1823.

25 January 2015

Lest We Forget - Percy Dale Kendall (England) 25/01/1915

Percy Dale Kendall, known as 'Toggie", was born in Prescot, Lancashire. His father and mother, Francis and Margaret, had four children, of whom Percy was the third. Francis was a solicitor.

24 January 2015

Lest We Forget - Charles Gerald Taylor (Wales) 24/01/1915

If Charles Taylor hadn't decided to pursue a naval career he might never have become a rugby player. He was born in Ruabon, north Wales on 8 May 1863, the son of Reverend Alfred and Annie Taylor. His father was headmaster of Ruabon Grammar School, where Charles was educated.

20 January 2015

Stoddart sells the Natives short

In February of 1889, during a test-match against the touring New Zealand Natives, England's AE Stoddart, whilst on the attack, lost a 'portion' of his shorts. As was the custom, Stoddart's team-mates formed a circle around him to protect his modesty whilst he collected himself.

15 January 2015

Amateurism Gone Awry

This 1908 New Zealand Jersey came to the museum by way of Tom Smith, an Anglo-Welsh and Leicester Tigers player from the 1900s. The Museum recently bought his collection at auction and it gives a unique insight into one of rugby union's early tours and the state of amateurism within the game at that time.

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