Some say it was 1887 and some say it was 1884, so after extensive research and many a heated debate, it is accepted that 1887 was the date of the formation of Wycombe Wanderers, although quiet murmurings can still be heard that insist it was 1884. Whatever the date, it took Wycombe a fair old time to reach the footballing elite that is the Football League. Which just goes to show you how difficult it is to climb that ladder. 1993 and Wycombe finally join the football league. While still a semi-pro side in the late 1980s and early 1990s Wycombe began to shine and kept on shining as a decade later they reached the FA Cup semi-final in the 2001/2002 season. While on the subject of the FA Cup, Wycombe Wanderers are almost without a doubt named after the famous Wanderers, the first winners of the FA Cup in 1872. Of that I think they are sure. Wycombe’s badge has the club’s colours and name in the roundel and features a swan, the swan is based on the Buckinghamshire swan. (PIC 1)
The arms the swan comes from were granted to Buckinghamshire in 1948. (PIC 2) Though there are two swans on these arms, Wycombe take their swan from the one in the shield. What at first looks like a case for the RSPCA with the swan in chains, is, in fact, a swan baring a Duke’s Coronet, to which is attached a heavy gold chain. The swan was a badge of the ancient family of De Bohn, as well as the Giffards who were Earls of Buckingham. It was then of the Staffords who were the first Dukes of Buckingham. The Staffords and Giffards owned a castle at Buckingham, it has since been destroyed and the St Peter and St Paul Parish Church in Castle Street now stands on its site. The buck supporter is a pun on the name of the county, this is common in heraldry as in Wigan and the Wiggin tree. The animal itself has no connection with the name Buckingham, as it is derived from that of a Saxon family. The swan supporter is a free wild swan such as may be seen on the Thames. It is free in the sense that it does not have the restraint of the gold coronet and chain. The buck and swan also represent north and south Bucks, and the cross middle, Bucks, in the chief, or top of the shield to you and me. The cross is a prehistoric feature in the county and is called the Whiteleaf Cross. The cross has no tradition attached to it other than it is a Latin cross intimately bound up in Christianity. Shown on a green ground it suggests the setting of grass which is the background of the cross as we see it on a hill, probably symbolising the Chiltern Hills. The crest shows a beech tree. The beeches of the Chiltern Hills are perhaps the best-known feature of the county, providing plenty of beechwood as Wycombe is itself famous for woodworking. The crown surrounding the trunk of the tree is distinctively a Saxon crown and alludes to the fact that Saxons were the first settlers in the county. The motto “VESTIGIA NULLA RETRORSUM” translates as, No Retreat, or We Never Go Backward. It is taken from, and still is, the motto of the Earl of Buckingham.
The Buckinghamshire swan is also the old crest of the club, though this swan faces the opposite direction and is atop a banner with the initials W.W.F.C. (PIC 3) As I mentioned earlier, Wycombe are well known for woodworking, particularly oak cabinets and furniture in general. A lot of the furniture made must have been chairs, as the nickname of Wycombe Wanderers is “The Chairboys”, which is derived from the furniture industry in the town. Wycombe play at the Causeway Stadium or Adams Park as it was and is again known. Adams Park holds 10,000 fans, and having no local rivals in Buckinghamshire, vent their vitriol toward Colchester United. Many thanks, go to whoever sent me copies of the badge from the club but did not sign the compliment slip. Wycombe is most likely to have gotten its name from two Anglo-Saxon words for settlement although with differing meanings. Firstly, Wyc is a settlement largely dependent upon another, and Ham is a dwelling related to our modern word home. To discover more on Wycombe then swan off to wycombewanderers.co.uk
