Before the Hamlet

Before the Hamlet: Football in Dulwich from the 1870s to the 1890s

Before the Hamlet: Football in Dulwich from the 1870s to the 1890s by Roger Deason is the latest instalment from the Hamlet Historian. It goes on sale in February on match days at Champion Hill, the home of Dulwich Hamlet FC. Copies of this limited edition will be available for £5 with all profits going to the club's Twelfth Man Scheme. 

The Victorian era was a momentous time for the development of football in the UK. The amateurs in the south created the laws, the codes and organised the competitions. Advancement was made by the schools and churches promoting muscular Christianity, whilst half-day Saturdays saw the rise of factory teams and association football as a spectator sport.

The game soon became a profession with the advent of the Football League dominated by the giant northern clubs.

London Caledonians 1891

Roger explores how the game developed in the Dulwich area before Dulwich Hamlet came into being, and during the club’s early years, as it gained more and more popularity, progressing from junior football to being a top senior side. 

The clubs covered include the Bohemians, the Vampires,  the Rangers, the Mosquitoes, Champion Hill and Dulwich St Peter’s.

This is the second of Roger’s books published by the Hamlet Historian. The first, When Shall Their Glory Fade? tells the story of the Hamlet’s 22 World War One fallen. He has also published a history of Dulwich Hamlet during the same era: QuiteWrong To Do So being a summary of the club’s activities on and off the pitch during World War One.

The Townley Park ground (with horse pulling roller)

Roger has dedicated Before the Hamlet to the late Mishi Morath, who sadly passed away in December 2019. It was Mishi who originally put together the Hamlet Historian as an occasional magazine back in the 1990s. The HH has since developed into the current website as well as a Facebook page. In recent years we have produced a number of small books relating to the rich history of Dulwich Hamlet.

Jack McInroy, January 2020.