England Players - 17. William Clegg

England Football Online
Players Index	Page Last Updated 19 October 2022

William Clegg	Wednesday FC, Sheffield Albion FC 2 appearances, 0 goals P 2 W 2 D 0 L 0 F 6: A 3 100% successful 1873-79 captain: none minutes played: 150

Timeline
	Sir William Edwin Clegg OBE
Birth	Wednesday, 21 April 1852 in Broomspring Lane, Ecclesall Bierlow, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire
	registered in Ecclesall Bierlow April-June 1852
Baptism	30 May 1852 at St. Mary's Church, Sheffield
Education	Sheffield and Gainford, Darlington.
	(His mother died early 1858) According to the 1861 census, Willm. E., is the second of three children, including older brother John C., living with their widowed father, William Johnson (his mother is Mary (née Sykes) at 129 Cemetery Road in Ecclesall Bierlow, Sheffield, with one servant. His father is a Rate Collector.
	According to the 1871 census, William E. is the second eldest of six children, including John C., after his solicitor father remarried to Asenath. Along with two servants, they live at 138 Victoria Road in Ecclesall Bierlow.
First marriage	to Viola Carr, on Tuesday, 5 August 1873, at St John the Evangelist Church, East Dulwich,
	registered in Camberwell July-September 1873
Children	William and Viola Clegg had three children together. Ernest William (b.1875), Maud Violet (b.1877) and Cecil Edwin (b.1879).
	According to the 1881 census, is a married solicitor, to Viola, with three children, Ernest Wm, Maud Violet and Cecil Edwin. They have two servants and they live at 34 Crescent Road in Ecclesall Bierlow.
	According to the 1891 census, William E. is still a married solicitor with three children, living at 6 Broomgrove Road in Ecclesall Bierlow with two servants. (His father died on 15 June 1895)
	According to the 1901 census, Ald[erman] Wm E, is still married to Viola, and together with just two servants, they live at Loxley House in Ecclesfield, still in Sheffield.
	(Viola Clegg died mid-July 1910) According to the 1911 census, William Edwin is now a widower, and remains a solicitor. He is visiting his daughter Maud and her family (she is now married to Ernest John Walthew) at Green Moor on Carlisle Road in Buxton.
	According to the 1921 census, William Edwin remains a solicitor. He is visiting the home of Joseph and Lucy Ann Jonas at 46 Endcliffe Vale Road in the Nether Hallam area of Sheffield.
Second marriage	to Lucy Ann Jonas (née Earle), the widow of Sir Joseph Jonas (d.22 August 1921).
	registered in Ecclesall Bierlow October-December 1922
	Lucy Ann Clegg died 3 January 1929 in Sheffield
Death	Monday, 22 August 1932 at Trevethicks nursing home, Broomhall Place, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire
aged 80 years 123 days	registered in Ecclesall Bierlow July-September 1932
"Sir William Clegg, of Sheffield, desires to express his appreciation of the many kind inquiries made in regard to his illness. He is satisfied with his progress, but it will be some time before he is able to resume his public duties. In the meantime he will have to cancel all his public engagements. Upon making an early morning inquiry to-day at the nursing home where Sir William is a patient we were informed that he was resting nicely and that his condition was about the same." - Sheffield Daily Telegraph, Friday, 10 June 1932 "On inquiry at the nursing home in Sheffield, early this morning the Sheffield Telegraph was informed that the doctor is slightly more satisfied with the condition of Sir William Clegg. Sir William was not quite so well on Saturday." - Sheffield Daily Telegraph, Monday, 13 June 1932. "Sir William Clegg yesterday passed a fairly comfortable day, and his condition late last night was reported to be about the same" - This same report, with a variation of wording, was repeated almost on a daily occurrence in the Sheffield Daily Telegraph between Thursday, 16 June 1932 and Wednesday, 17 August 1932.
Obituary
"DEATH OF SIR WILLIAM CLEGG. "The death occurred early this morning, in a nursing home, after a short illness, of Sir William Clegg, who was 80 years of age. By his passing Sheffield loses one of its most famous citizens, a man who, over a long period of years, wielded immense influence in the city. For 40 years he was a member of the city council, of which he was leader for a long time, and in this capacity it may be truly said that he was all-powerful. No leader had ever held the position with greater authority. "His municipal activities were manifold. He was distinguished as chairman of the Education Committee and of the Tramways Committee for man years, and he held a prominent position in many other spheres of public work, notably as Pro-Chancellor of Sheffield University, of which he was a founder, as head of the Town Trust, as a Justice of the Peace for both Sheffield and the (Sheffield) West Riding (being chairman of the latter Bench); and chairman of the Sheffield Licensing Justices. "Born in 1852, William Edwin Clegg, after an excellent schooling in Sheffield and at Gainford, Darlington, reached adolescence―about 1870―in times when many important public questions were being debated. In his early years, a prominent sportsman, mainly as a player, Sir William was, at the time of his death, a director of the Sheffield Wednesday Football Club and a vice-president of the Sheffield and Hallamshire County F.A.. He represented Sheffield against London and Glasgow, the earliest inter-city fixtures to be arranged, while in 1873 he played for England against Scotland, and six years later attained a further international cap against Wales. Like his brother, Sir William was a fine runner, and won a big number of events on the track. His prowess at cricket is illustrated by his selection among the 22 of the Sheffield Shrewsbury Club to play the All-England eleven. "Sir William was a widower. His first wife died in 1910, and he subsequently married the widow of Sir Joseph Jonas, who died in 1929. He leaves one son, Mr. Ernest W. Clegg, and one daughter, Mrs. Hadow, of Salcombe, Devonshire, whose first husband, Lieutenant-Colonel E, J, Walthew, M.C., of Bakewell, was killed in the war in May, 1918." - Sheffield Daily Telegraph, Monday, 22 August 1932
Probate	"SIR WILLIAM CLEGG. ―Leading Sheffield Citizen Dead. ―LIFE OF PUBLIC SERVICE. "We regret to announce the death, yesterday, of Sir William Clegg, who had been ill since the early part of June. The news of the loss of one who for so many years had taken a leading part in Sheffield affairs was received throughout the city with deepest regret. An account of his numerous activities in various spheres, and particularly in municipal government, will be found on page 5." - Sheffield Daily Telegraph, Tuesday, 23 August 1932.
	Funeral: Wednesday 11.15am, 24 August 1932. Started with a service at Sheffield Cathedral, followed by his internment at Fulwood Churchyard.
	"CLEGG sir William Edwin knight of The Club Norfolk-street Sheffield died 22 August 1932 at Trevethicks Nursing Home Broomhall-place Sheffield Probate London 14 September to Ernest William Clegg solicitor. Effects £8141 16s. 1d." [2019 equivalent: £572,533]
	Charles William Clegg died 26 June 1937
source	Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &
Playing Career
Club(s)	Besides Sheffield Club, Clegg played for other clubs in the area. Wednesday FC, Perseverance FC, Sheffield Albion FC and Norfolk. Retired through injury January 1880.
Club honours	None
Individual honours	Sheffield FA;
Height/Weight	not known
Source	Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990]
England Career
Player number	One of nine who became the twelfth players (17) to appear for England.
Position(s)	Forward
First match	No. 2, 8 March 1873, England 4 Scotland 2, a friendly match at The Surrey Cricket Ground, The Oval, Kennington, London, aged 20 years 321 days.
Last match 5 years 308 days (new record)	No. 8, 18 January 1879, England 2 Wales 1, a friendly match at The Surrey Cricket Ground, The Oval, Kennington, London, aged 26 years 272 days. Match lasted only 60 minutes.
Individual honours	The North (postponed, January 1879)
Distinctions	Younger brother of Charlie Clegg. This Clegg appeared in the 1873 victory and the first of the two victories in 1879, making him the first England player to win two matches. This Clegg was the last surviving member of the 1873 team. Died four days after Billy Brawn.
Beyond England
After retiring from football through injury he continued within the game as an administrator and would become president of Sheffield Wednesday and vice president of Sheffield and Hallamshire Football Association. He also went on to have a successful political career becoming leader of Sheffield City Council for many years and Lord Mayor of Sheffield in 1893-99. He became known as 'the uncrowned king of Sheffield'. William was knighted in 1906, and OBE in 1918. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.67.

The Numbers
parties	Appearances	minutes		captain
2	2	150	0	none
The minutes here given can only ever be a guideline and cannot therefore be accurate, only an approximation.

FTS

FAv

AAv

Pts%

W/L

1.5

100

Both his matches were friendly matches and played at a home venue

Match History

Club: Wednesday F.C. - one full appearance (90 min) F.A. Committee - two full appearances (150 min)x

apps match match details comp res. rundown pos

Age 20

1 2 8 March 1873 - England 4 Scotland 2
The Surrey Cricket Ground, Kennington Fr HW for



one of nine who became the twelfth (seventeen) player to appear for England

the second player from the Wednesday club to represent England

followed his brother Charlie in playing for England - the first set of brothers to do so

Club: Sheffield Albion F.C. - one full appearance (60 min)

Age 26 trial

postponed - The North vs. South, January 1879

2 8

match lasted sixty minutes

18 January 1879 - England 2 Wales 1
The Surrey Cricket Ground, Kennington Fr HW hb



some tales suggest that Clegg turned up 20 minutes late for the game. He was working late on a case (the trial of Charlie Peace, the Banner Cross murderer) and unable to leave Sheffield for London on the Friday night. The next morning, the southbound train with Clegg on it, was delayed by heavy snow. - There are no newspaper reports to confirm this - and if it was true, why didn't the reserve play?

the third player from Sheffield Albion FC to represent England

William Clegg is the only England player to appear in their first two victorious matches

cg/dr