Football

[victor steinbok]

There is not much point antedating "football" either as a ball or as a
game. But the citations in the OED are sparse (one per century),
ending in 1880 for game and 1814 for ball. I thought this one might be
interesting.

http://goo.gl/q86zG
Routledge's Every Boy's Annual. Edited by Edmund Routledge. 1864.
Lent-Crocking. By Rev. John H. Austen. pp. 243-4
> The game of foot-ball, too, has always been associated with Shrovetide sports. At what period it originated does not appear to be recorded, but evidently it was formerly much in vogue amongst the people of England, though now but little practised. It is mentioned by old writers of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, as a prescribed custom at this season at many places, as at Chester, in the presence of the Mayor, and even in the fields about London, and even in the Strand as late as 1730.
> ...
> They then play at foot-ball, and thence proceed to the village of Worth, where they dine. There, on Shrove Tuesday, the pancake-bell is rung, and all the free-boys again assemble, and proceed to Corfe Castle, where a foot-ball is to be provided by the last married man, which is called the pepper-ball, it being carried, with a pound of pepper, the acknowledgment to the Lord of the Manor in respect to the right of way, to Owre, whence formerly the marble was exported. In return, the person who occupies the house at the ferry provides the party with pancakes.

This is predated, somewhat, by the original paper on the same subject.

http://goo.gl/baewM
Papers Read Before the Purbeck Society. 1855 [Printing date: 1856]
Introductory Paper. Read ad Corfe, 9th November, 1855. p. 31
> They then play at foot-ball in a field adjoining the public house, and thence proceed to Worth, where they dine. On Shrove Tuesday they all proceed to Corfe, as I have mentioned above. A part of the Business of this day is to visit Owre, and continue customs, which are apparently of considerable antiquity. One is the old game of foot-ball which always accompanies their annual meetings. The ball is called the Pepper Ball, from the circumstance of their continuing the custom of carrying a pound of Pepper and presenting it to the person who occupies the house at the spot whence the marble was formerly exported, and in return receive a cake. Now I have never met with any one who could suggest the origin of these customs. The Foot-ball we can understand; the pound of Pepper I conceive to have been the acknowledgement, or quit-rent, to the Lord of the Soil for the use of the shore, In days when spice was of greater value than it is now; we still make use of the term "Pepper-corn!
  rent." The return of a Cake, or Pancakes, is doubtless the custom of the season.

Then further:

Papers Read Before the Purbeck Society. 1859-60
The Marblers of Purbeck. [Read in the Museum, Corfe Castle, 1859.] p. 194ff
> At the same meeting on Shrove Tuesday, a foot-ball is to be provided by the last married man, who thereupon is freed from the payment of the marriage shilling. In the event of no freeman having been married during the year, the old foot-ball is used. The foot-ball is used, but not much so by the quarriers, being generally seized by others than quarriers. It is however carried on Ash Wednesday, together with a pound of pepper, the acknowledgment to the Lord of the manor in respect of the right of way to Owre, by the Steward of each body down to that place. The cottager at Owre generally provides pancakes for the stewards who have brought the pepper and foot-ball.
> At what time the Company of Marblers was first formed, is not apparently known: but articles of agreement are extant, drawn from their ancient records, and renewed and confirmed in the year 1551. These Articles run as follows:--
> ...
> Seaventhly That any man in our Company the Shrovtewsdaie after his marriage shall paie unto the Wardings for the use and benefit of the Company twelve pence and the last married man to bring a foot-ball according to the Custome of our Company.
> [ Here follow names. And about a hundred years later, the signature is added of
> Antho: ffurzman,
> Maior, a°- 1655.]
> It will be observed, that the Purbeck Marble seems to have been the early subject of the trade of the Island. This one would expect to be the case from the very general use in England of that Marble, for Ecclesiastical Buildings. Accordingly, the Company takes its name from that branch of the Stone Trade; and the local habitation of the body is, according to the articles, within the town of Corfe Castle; near to which the vein of Purbeck marble seems mainly to have been worked. In a later set of articles, provision is made for the foot-ball to be carried to Owre, "as also a present to be made of one pound of pepper as an acknowledgment in order to preserve the company's right to the way or passage to Owre key according to antient and usual custom." This is still done, though the value of the passage, along which the marble used to be drawn in sledges from Wilkswood to Owre can hardly be worth, in a commercial point of view, even the pound of pepper.
> The Articles in question are entitled, "Articles of Agreement made on stampt parchment according to a late Act of Parliament which are to be performed used and kept by the whole Company of Marblers Inhabiting within the Towne of Corfe Castle and the Island of Purbeck in the County of Dorset," &c. Dated at Corfe Castle this Shrove Tuesday the Eighth day of March Anno Dom. 1697-0/8.
> Their provisions are the same in substance with those of the older ones above set out. The carrying of the foot-ball is also therein directed.

VS-)

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