Dyer, Liam (2018)The London and North Western Railway Company and the Crewe Alexandra Athletic Club in the late Victorian and Edwardian periods. Doctoral thesis (PhD), Manchester Metropolitan University. Downloaded from: http://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/622886/ Usage rights: Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Deriva- tive Works 4.0 Please cite the published version https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk The London and North Western Railway Company and the Crewe Alexandra Athletic Club in the Late Victorian and Edwardian Periods Liam Dyer PhD 2018 The London and North Western Railway Company and the Crewe Alexandra Athletic Club in the Late Victorian and Edwardian Periods Liam Dyer A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Manchester Metropolitan University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Exercise & Sport Science The Manchester Metropolitan University 2018 Abstract Whilst the traditional narrative surrounding the development and administration of British sport in the late-Victorian period has concentrated on the importance of the southern-based, professional middle class in this process, recent scholarship has begun to focus on a supposed regional divide and to uncover the influence of the northern middle classes in the development of sport. This thesis contributes to that debate by proposing that the northern industrial middle class, defined here by occupational status, was more influential than previously has been assumed. The thesis utilises a blended approach by combining two biographical methods, prosopography and individual biography, along with detailed archival research, to explore the interactions between the London and North Western Railway Company and Crewe, from the town’s creation in the 1840s up to the First World War. Drawing on a range of sources including local almanacs, newspapers, census records, and personal data, the group and individual biographies of the committee members of Crewe Alexandra Athletic Club, the town’s premier sporting organisation and one which drew most of its administrators from the employment rolls of the railway company, are uncovered and analysed in order to assess the impact of the railway company on local sport and leisure. The key findings are that the influence of the northern middle class on the sport of athletics was more significant than has previously been understood, and that the application of amateur values was imposed not only within the sporting context but enforced by the railway company through its middle and senior management across the broad spectrum of Crewe society. Keywords: Sport, Crewe, London and North Western Railway Company, Victorian, Edwardian, Amateurism, Athletics, North-South Divide, Prosopography, Biography. Publications and Presentations Associated with this Thesis Journal Articles L. Dyer and D. Day. ‘The Industrial Middle Class and the Development of Sport in a Railway Town.’ Sport in History 37, no.2 (2017): 164-182. Academic Presentations L. Dyer. ‘Amateurism in Athletics during the Late-Nineteenth Century and the Conflict between the North and the South: A Less Deadly Game of Thrones.’ A pecha kucha presentation given at the annual International Sports and Leisure History Colloquium, Manchester Metropolitan University, Crewe, March 4, 2017. L. Dyer. ‘Athletics during the Late Nineteenth Century and the Conflict between the North and the South.’ Paper presented at the annual International Sports and Leisure History Colloquium, Manchester Metropolitan University, Crewe, March 3, 2018. L. Dyer. ‘Crewe Locomotive Works and its Athletic Club Administrators during the Victorian and Edwardian Periods.’ Paper presented at the British Society of Sports History annual conference, University of Worcester, Worcester, September 2, 2017. L. Dyer. ‘The London and North Western Railway and Crewe’s Sporting Landscape, 1843- 1914.’ Paper presented at the annual Sport and Leisure History Research Team research seminar series, Manchester Metropolitan University, Crewe, November 20, 2015. L. Dyer. ‘The London and North Western Railway, Crewe, and Crewe Alexandra Athletic Club.’ Paper presented at the British Society of Sports History annual conference, University of Swansea, Swansea, September 3, 2015. L. Dyer. ‘The London and North Western Railway, Crewe, and Crewe Alexandra Athletic Club.’ Paper presented at the European Committee of Sports History annual conference, De Montfort University, Leicester, September 5, 2016. L. Dyer. ‘The Middle-Class Employee and the Development of Sport in a Railway Town.’ Paper presented at the International Society for the History of Physical Education and Sport annual conference, University Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée, Paris, June 30, 2016. L. Dyer. ‘The Provision and Control of Sport in Victorian and Edwardian England: The London and North Western Railway Company in Crewe.’ Paper presented at the First International Seminar for Post-Graduate Students in Sport History, University of Bordeaux, September 11, 2017. L. Dyer. ‘The Role of Middle-Class Men in the Development of Sport in Crewe during the Nineteenth-Century: A Collective Biography.’ Paper presented at the British Society of Sports History annual conference, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, September 3, 2016. Public Engagement L. Dyer. ‘Nineteenth Century Sport in Crewe.’ An interactive seminar presentation presented at Weaver Primary School, Nantwich, January 22, 2016. L. Dyer. ‘The Middle-Class Employee and the Development of Sport in a Railway Town.’ Lecture, Railway and Canal Historical Society Annual General Meeting, Manchester, October 8, 2016. L. Dyer. ‘Thomas Maxfield Abraham: “The Grand Old Man of Amateur Athletics.” Lecture presented at the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the Crewe Alexandra Cricket Club, The Crewe Vagrants Sports Club, Crewe, September 30, 2016. Acknowledgements This thesis has been four years in the making and without the help and encouragement from several individuals, my rediscovered passion for history would have only taken me so far. I would, first and foremost, like to express my unrelenting gratitude to my Director of Studies, Dave Day. Thank you for offering me the opportunity to work with you for the last four years. Your boundless knowledge, encouragement, and constructive criticism have been a constant source of inspiration and you have been a supportive teacher and mentor, most importantly, you have been a friend. Thank you for believing in me, even when I did not believe in myself. I would also like to thank my supervisory team, Samantha-Jayne Oldfield, and Nicholas Piercey for their dedication and support in helping me produce a piece of work that I can be proud of. Words cannot express how grateful I am for having your support during this process and I hope I have not been too insufferable. Furthermore, I would like to note the contribution that Gary James made during his time at Manchester Metropolitan University. Thank you for your time and advice. I would like to express my thanks to the staff of Crewe Library, especially to Kathryn Bate, and the volunteers of the Family History Society of Cheshire Crewe for special access and privileges whilst using their materials for my research. Furthermore, special mention must go to Margaret Roberts for her expertise in genealogy, her kind words, and for keeping her eyes peeled for any and all kinds of information that has enhanced my work. To Rachel, your support, love, and optimism have been the foundation that this thesis has been built upon. Thank you for making the countless sacrifices you have made for me, especially when you have had to spend our few days of the week we had together watching me work. Whilst we cannot agree on what breed of dog we want to get when we finally move in together, I look forward to finding out. Thank you for waiting. Finally, and most importantly, I would like to express my love and gratitude to my parents and my family. Mum, Dad, Adam, and Sean, this is dedicated to you. The London and North Western Railway Company and the Crewe Alexandra Athletic Club in the Late Victorian and Edwardian Periods Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1. Social, Economic and Political Context of the Victorian Era ............................................. 12 Nineteenth-Century Class Structures .......................................................................................... 14 The Slow Rise of the Railway ....................................................................................................... 20 Social Impact of the Railways ...................................................................................................... 22 Urbanisation ................................................................................................................................. 24 Industrial Townships .................................................................................................................... 28 Railways and Trade Unionism ...................................................................................................... 35 Victorian Sport ............................................................................................................................. 37 Amateurism and Respectability ................................................................................................... 40 The Impact of the Railway on Sport ............................................................................................