Nathaniel Creswick
Encyclopedia
Sheffield F.C.
Sheffield Football Club is an English football club from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The club is most noted for the fact that they are the world's oldest club now playing Association football, founded in 1857...
, the oldest football club in the world, in 1857. With William Prest
William Prest
William Prest was a cricketer and footballer born in York. He lived most his life in Sheffield where he went on to become co-founder of Sheffield Football Club and captained Yorkshire at cricket...
, he established the Sheffield Rules
Sheffield Rules
The Sheffield Rules were a code of football devised and played in the English city of Sheffield between 1857 and 1877. They were devised by Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest for use by the newly founded Sheffield Football Club. The rules were subsequently adopted as the official rules of...
, which were highly influential upon the modern laws of association football. He was also a founder of the Hallamshire Rifles
Hallamshire Battalion
The Hallamshire Battalion was part of the York and Lancaster Regiment of the British Army .- History :Formed in 1859 as The Hallamshire Volunteer Rifle Corps with its H.Q. at Sheffield . The title Hallamshire came from the ancient lordship of West Riding comprising the parishes of Sheffield and...
.
Biography
Creswick was born in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Nathaniel and Elizabeth. His father was Silver-plating manufacturer. He was educated at Sheffield Collegiate School
Sheffield Collegiate School
Sheffield Collegiate School began in 1836 in new buildings on the corner of Ecclesall Road and Collegiate Crescent...
and became a solicitor of a silver-plate company. He became involved with several local sports clubs including the Clarkhouse Road Fencing Club and Sheffield Cricket Club.
While at Sheffield CC he joined several other players in informal football matches that started in 1855.
He and William Prest decided to create an independent football club which was founded on 24 October 1857 with Creswick as Honorary Secretary and Treasurer. The club, known as Sheffield Football Club, is officially accepted by FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
as being the oldest football club in the world.
They also established a set of playing rules to be used by the club. These were later used by other clubs in the area and eventually spread to many clubs in the north of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and became known as the Sheffield Rules.
Creswick and Prest were also involved in founding the 2nd West Yorkshire Rifles (better known as the Hallamshire Rifles
Hallamshire Battalion
The Hallamshire Battalion was part of the York and Lancaster Regiment of the British Army .- History :Formed in 1859 as The Hallamshire Volunteer Rifle Corps with its H.Q. at Sheffield . The title Hallamshire came from the ancient lordship of West Riding comprising the parishes of Sheffield and...
) in 1858. He remained with them until 1897 rising to the rank of Colonel. He was knighted
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
for services to the volunteer movement in 1907.