Hartlepool Hecklers - a History

By The Shaggy Dog
September 19 2002

The Good People of Hartlepool have a long tradition of having a go at those in authority. In his latest article, the Shaggy Dog reveals how one of these incidents became recorded in a famous journal - and not the Newcastle one.

There always seem to be a few Hecklers about at Pools, and in some ways it's not a bad thing - we all need to keep our feet on the ground. However Hartlepool has a long history of heckling, as the following entry from the Journal of John Wesley, from 1759, shows:

"Wednesday, July 4 (Hartlepool).--Mr. Jones preached at five, I at eight. Toward the close of the sermon, a queer, dirty, clumsy man, I suppose a country wit, took a deal of pains to disturb the congregation. When I had done, fearing he might hurt those who were gathered about him, I desired two or three of our brethren to go to him, one after the other, and not say much themselves but let him talk till he was weary. They did so, but without effect, as his fund of ribaldry seemed inexhaustible. W. A. then tried another way. He got into the circle close to him and listening a while said, "This is pretty; pray say it over again." "What! are you deaf?" "No; but for the entertainment of the people. Come; we are all attention." After repeating this twice or thrice, the wag could not stand it; but, with two or three curses, walked clear off."

Nothing unusual in that you might think, but my intensive investigations have revealed the real reason why this person was having a go at the esteemed Rev. Wesley. As well as being a travelling preacher, I believe that he and his companions were in fact Football Officials. This may sound far fetched, but many of these travelling preachers were in fact Referees. The influence of these men has resounded down the years and can be seen in many different ways: the traditional black outfit, the attitude to coarse language, and a notable reluctance to the admission of women to the ranks. The recent admission of Women Priests into the Church of England and the almost simultaneous appointment of Wendy Toms as the first female Class 1 Ref have given more evidence of this link.

Anyway, I have discovered that the previous night had seen a grudge match between the people of Hartlepool and those of the mining communities close by. It had been a tense affair, and Wesley had been obliged to give a player from each side his marching orders as well as booking several others. Close to the end of the game the Hartlepool team had scored a goal; however the Yakkers disputed the goal, claiming that Pools Forward Honesty Tweddle was in fact offside. The Reverend Ref was not convinced however, and gave the goal.

Knowing that the Referee was going to be taking a service the following night, it was hardly surprising that the Yakkers' Goalkeeper decided to confront Wesley in the Pulpit, no doubt chanting such traditional songs as "I do proclaim that you are in the pay of the opposition" and "Who is the Parentless Gentleman wearing Dark Clothing" before being ushered away.

You may be interested to know that Wesley did visit Hartlepool once more in 1761, when he was appointed to look after the match between Hartlepool and Darlington; this fine Gentleman and Referee avoided all controversy this time however and did not report any further incidents.

Early Football owes much to these travelling Referees, and so next time you heckle a match official - just remember, he may have the power to call fire and brimstone down on you. You have been warned......