Well, this is where it all started, with my team “The Saints”. It was while looking at and discussing what made up our badge, during a train journey on the way to a match at the turn of the century, that I got the idea for this work. Southampton FC was formed in 1885, by members of St Mary’s Church Young Men’s Association, and played their games at St Mary’s, before moving to the Dell in 1898. Now, of course, they have gone back to their roots and original home of St Mary’s. Originally called Southampton St Mary’s, the club joined the Southern League in 1894. That same year, a young player who had joined the Saints two years earlier, left to return home to his native Brazil. He was Southampton Railway Engineer, Charles Miller. (PIC1) The son of an English engineer and Brazilian mother, Charlie was nicknamed Nipper because of his size and speed. Nipper is also what Southampton lads call each other, that, and Mush. Charlie played for the Saints and Hampshire. Charlie also played for the Corinthian Casuals, one of the most famous amateur clubs in Britain at the time. On leaving for Brazil to work for the Sao Paulo British Railway Company as an engineer, Charlie was presented with, and took with him, soccer balls as they were called then, a pump, as they were in constant need of pumping up, and the Football Association Rulebook, along with the instruction: “Spread the word”. This Charlie certainly did, and thanks to him the world has Brazilian football. In Brazil, Charlie has stadiums and trophies named after him. I had a great time after the 2002 World Cup in Trafalgar Square after the Brazil win. I was wearing my Saints shirt, the only red and white in a sea of yellow and green. The Brazilian fans quickly made a sign and renamed Trafalgar Square, Charlie Miller Square, and another had a banner which read: “Thank you man from Southampton”. I was photographed with a bevvy of Brazilian beauties for the press and anyone with a camera, a good day thanks to my mate Cookie, who had come up from Southampton that day with my new shirt. Anyway, I digress as I oft do, so back to the badge that started this work back in 1999, and all the research that went with it.
The first example of a Saints badge is a shield taken from the town’s coat of arms, with the club’s initials below. (PIC 2) The shield and the red and white roses therein are part of the ancient arms of Southampton, believed to date back to the 13th Century, and you may think I am biased but you have to agree they are nice arms when compared to most coat of arms. (PIC3) The rest of the arms were granted in 1575. The red and white roses are linked with the Royal houses of Lancaster and York. Henry Duke of Lancaster, his son-in-law John of Gaunt and John’s younger brother, Edmond Duke of York, were all involved in wars which set out from Southampton, and it is likely the Princes granted the roses to the city. The supporters are two small lions representing England, with their feet standing on a warship symbolising Southampton’s importance as a harbour and naval city. The crest has a tower alluding to the fortress town. Much of the walls of the old town are still standing, and from the tower rises the figure of Lady Justice, who as you may guess is the symbol of justice. Around this time Lady Justice was blindfolded to show impartiality, but some representations show her unblinded, such as the figure above the Old Bailey. This is because blind justice is also an allusion to judges looking the other way in favour of bribes etc, and we can’t have people thinking there is one law for the rich and another for the poor now, can we? Land and sea are represented by the water in which lies a grassy mound. The club’s present badge has been in use since the 1970s, and at the top is a halo, which of course alludes to “The Saints”. (PIC4) The club’s nickname stems from when Southampton FC was known as St Mary’s Church Young Men’s Association. The football is, of course, is self-explanatory, and has changed down the years from the old lace-up to the modern ball of today. I and my peers are represented by the scarf. In the shield, we have a tree which is a representation of the New Forest. 150 square miles of ancient and ornamental woodland, where ponies still have the right of way and the deer are also protected. William the Conqueror gave the forest his protection 900 years ago. The New Forest is a beautiful and historic place, and if you have never been then you must go. Thanks go to, Brian Truscott, secretary at Southampton, for replying to my letter and offering his help. Brian put me right inasmuch as I had thought the two blue wavy lines meant the two rivers of Southampton, the Itchen and the Hamble. But Brian informs me that they represent the fact that Southampton is a major port, as well as the position of the Isle of Wight meaning the port has two tides, which is ideal for a port. The rose is a Hampshire rose and the Hampshire rose is, in fact, the rose of Lancaster believed to have been awarded first by Henry V, before the other two roses were added to the arms. The Trained Bands of Hampshire fought so gallantly alongside the king at the battle of Agincourt that their bravery was rewarded with this symbol. Trained bands were like an old version of the Territorial Army, made up of civilians, some volunteers and some not. The badge sits on a banner, which heralds the name of the greatest team the world has ever seen. No, not buying that? Ok, certainly the best south of London. You are buying that? Good, then we will continue.
We have now gone back to our roots at St Mary’s, and St Mary’s Stadium has been home to the Saints since 2001. It holds twice as many as the old fortress Dell, 32,505 in fact, and cost £32 million to build. The name Southampton originates from the Anglo-Saxon words for a settlement on the River Itchen, Hamwic from Ham = settlement, and Wic = on the river or harbour. This later developed into Hamtun meaning, a settlement on a watery meadow made by a bend in the river, and by the 12th Century, South had been added to Hamtun, and the rest, as they say, is history. The actual county of Hampshire takes its name from the same place, and shire is taken from the Anglo-Saxon word sćir and means a piece of land in the country. I filmed a short video about our badge some time ago so if you would like to watch it with an uncritical eye you can go to https://youtu.be/6Mn1poPILuM Our local rivals are Portsmouth, and all police leave is cancelled whenever we meet. youtu.be/5E5hmycNV2E To find out more about “The Saints” then grab your halo and ascend to www.southamptonfc.com
