Another unsigned compliment slip from the club, means that once again I do not know who to thank, although this time I must thank whoever it was for their honesty as they wrote: “I have very little information about our club badge. I understand the lion and wheat sheaf has something to do with the county of Cheshire.” If you recognise those words then it’s you I thank, for sending me on a mission to find out about your badge, and these are my findings.
The club’s badge used to be the Macclesfield Borough Council coat of arms, and it is from these arms that the lion in the shield has been adopted. Although Macclesfield is an ancient borough, it did not have a coat of arms until 1960. In 1974, Macclesfield was granted a new coat of arms to represent the enlarged borough, a blue border was added to the shield, with eight gold garbs representing the eight old Cheshire councils, which merged into the new borough. A garb is an ancient name for a wheatsheaf and the same is held by the lion in the shield. (PIC 1) The crest on these new arms has a grassy mound, that represents Bucklow Hill. The red lion on the mound represents the Egerton family of Tatton. Red lions also appear in the arms of the local Legh, Mallory and Leigh families. The crown has a red circlet and gold points, symbolising the Knutsford (gold) and Wilmslow (red) areas. The white estoile around the lion’s neck is from the Honford family. The stag supporters represent the forest area of Macclesfield. These gold stags are from the arms of Stanley Earls of Derby. Hanging from the necks of the stags are laurels, from the seal of Bollington UDC. Hanging from the laurels are black crosses of the Davenport family, they held the Master Forestership as long ago as Norman times. The stags stand on a hunting horn, which derives from the Sherd and Sutton family arms. They owned much of the land in the forest. The motto “MEMORES BONI CONSILII”, translates as, Mindful of Our Worthy Purpose. The Latin motto is also fittingly the council’s initials, MBC.
One of Macclesfield’s previous badges also has the lion and wheatsheaf, with the club’s name in the roundel. (PIC 2) This was later dropped in favour of a handsome looking badge, which is simple and uncluttered. (PIC 3) The badge Macclesfield sport today is a return to the roundel with added clutter. It has the formation date, and two stars added to the club name of Macclesfield. (PIC 4) I have no idea why there are two stars on the badge, but then I don’t think they do either. There is nothing in their records of them winning, two World Cups, or two, European Cups, or two FA Cups, or two league titles, or two anything. So, answers on a postcard please.
Macclesfield were said to be formed by Col JWH Thorpe, and in 1874, they started using the Amateur Association rules. Before that they were using rugby rules, which to me suggests they were playing rugby before 1874, but with a round ball. Oh, come on, I found out about the badge didn’t I. I can’t find out about what you were playing at prior to 1874, without consulting a Medium, and I don’t do that sort of devilish stuff. I can tell you without the use of external influences, that Macclesfield Town have been playing at their present location, Moss Rose since 1891. Today the beautiful sounding Moss Rose holds 6,300 fans, which is plenty big enough as the average crowd is about 2,000.
The name Macclesfield is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and was recorded in the Doomsday or Domesday book as Maclesfeld, and stems from the name Macles or Michael, St Michael being the name of the local church, and Feld meaning open grazing land. St Mick’s Open Field Town FC, is nicknamed “The Silkmen”, and this stems from the fact that in the 1750s, silk and button making were well-established industries in Macclesfield. 10 years later the machinery of the industrial revolution hit the mills which transformed the town into the centre of the country’s silk-making. This has to be a result, because if the button industry had taken off instead of the silk, then they would be known as, The Buttonmen. I can hear it now coming from the terrace: “We’re off to button moon follow Mr Spoon button moon.” Local rivals are Stockport. For more info on “The Silkmen” worm your way to www.mtfc.co.uk
