Further Antedatings of "Hooligan"

[Hugo]

> [NOTE: British Newspapers 1600-1950 also has citations back to January 1892 referring to "The Hooligans" in listings of theatrical amusements, but it is not clear what this referred to.]

The OED's etymology notes:

[Begin]
The name Hooligan figured in a music-hall song of the
eighteen-nineties, which described the doings of a rowdy Irish family,
and a comic Irish character of the name appeared in a series of
adventures in Funny Folks.
[End]

The Sydney Morning Herald (20 November 1888) has a comedy Irish song
using the name Hooligan:

[Begin]
The comic element was provided by Mr.
F. H. Fellew in his two songs " Up to Dick " and " How
do you do," singing as an encore to the former "Miss
Hooligan's Christmas Cake."
[End]

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/13704256?searchTerm=%20(hooligans)%20date:[*%20TO%201894]&searchLimits=

Here's the score and lyrics of "Miss Hooligan's Christmas Cake", an
"Irish comic song" from a Christmas 1891 magazine:

http://www.nla.gov.au/apps/cdview/?pi=nla.mus-vn661185-s34-v


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Lee Jackson wrote on his blog in 2009:

[Begin]
The OED is not quite right, however - and I know this only because of
the new British Library press database. I've put the articles here -
what it shows is that the first 'hooligans' were a distinct gang in
Lambeth in 1894 who called themselves the 'Hooligan boys'. This
follows a music-hall song called the 'O'Hooligan Boys' which was being
performed nearby in 1891; and one is inclined to think that is where
they got the name. The phrase then got generalised - a 'masher' in
Paddington (nowhere near Lambeth) is called a 'member of the Hooligan
gang' in 1895 - until we have 'hooligan girls' who push and punch
another girl in 1898.

In short, looking through the press reports, the phrase clearly
describes a particular group of young men in 1894. The specificity to
Lambeth, and that particular group is gradually lost, as more shocking
stories of 'hooliganism' appear (often not much different from regular
crimes, to tell the truth). There is, admittedly, a particular
flare-up of violence in Lambeth in 1898, which attracts the 'hooligan'
tag - and more press attention to the area. But soon it appears
'hooliganism' is everywhere, not just darkest South London.

Interestingly, some of the offences ascribed to 'hooligan gangs' are
serious - murder and threatening witnesses - whilst some are trivial
(knocking hats off people's heads, for instance) but the tag of
'hooligan' fits all. British residents can compare and contrast with
the modern 'hoodie' paranoia, or any moral panic in the last two
hundred years. There were, of course, plenty of criminals in Lambeth -
but how many were 'hooligans'?

The moral, if any, is that the press - the media - the public - love
neat labels?
[End]

http://catsmeatshop.blogspot.com/2009/09/hooliganism.html

The linked articles are part of his Dictionary of Victorian London:
http://www.victorianlondon.org/crime1/hooligans.htm

Here's the first about the gang:

[Begin]
It was stated at the Southwark Police-court during the hearing of a
charge against Charles Clarke of assaulting the police that the
prisoner was the king of a gang of youths known as the "Hooligan
Boys", who paid to a secretary 2d. per week towards settling fines
inflicted upon members of the gang for assaults upon the police. The
members were fined 2d. by the secretary if they wre found without a
belt or stick. A remand was granted that some of the prisoner's
companions may be arrested.

Daily News, 24 April 1894
[End]

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Hugo

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