William McCrum
Encyclopedia
William McCrum was a wealthy Irish
linen
manufacturer and sportsman, most famous for being the inventor in 1890 of the penalty kick
in football
.
Robert Garmany McCrum who was the builder of the Victorian era
model village
of Milford
and High Sheriff
for County Armagh
. He studied at The Royal School, Armagh
and then Trinity College, Dublin
and later worked for the family business including a time as London representative and one of the managing directors of linen manufacturers McCrum, Watson and Merver. William was not a success at running the family business and had to sell the Milford mill
in 1931.
When not travelling the world he spent a large proportion of his life living in Milford where he was a Justice of the Peace
and representative of many sporting clubs and committees including Milford Football Club, Milford and Armagh Cricket
Clubs, and Armagh Rugby Football Club. He also played chess for Armagh and participated in individual and team competitions and also submitted games.
He played for many years as goalkeeper for Milford FC including in the first season of the Irish Football League (1890–1891). Milford finished bottom of the league with 0 points from 14 games, having conceded 62 goals and scored only 10, and were relegated.
'Master Willie' as he was known to the villagers also spent his spare time taking part in amateur theatrics in the Milford village hall
, called the McCrum Institute. He died after a long illness in December 1932 in an Armagh boarding house. The McCrum family home in Milford, Manor House became a Special Care Hospital, but is now derelict.
British writer and former literary editor of The Observer
Robert McCrum
, is his grandson, and wrote about William McCrum "Shut out of the family business as a lightweight, eventually deserted by a faithless wife and coldly ignored by his father, Master Willie travelled the world, lived high on the hog and was well-known as a gambler." Another grandson Mark McCrum, an English journalist and travel writer, made references to William McCrum in his book The Craic - A Journey through Ireland
A memorial is due to be built in Milford to commemorate him.
that McCrum proposed the idea of the penalty kick in order to stop the prevalent practice at the time of defenders professionally fouling an attacking player in order to stop a goal. The idea was submitted to the June 1890 meeting of the International Football Association Board
by the Irish FA's general secretary and IFAB representative Jack Reid.
The original proposal read:
If any player shall intentionally trip or hold an opposing player, or deliberately handle the ball within twelve yard
s from his own goal line, the referee shall, on appeal, award the opposing side a penalty kick, to be taken from any point 12 yards from the goal line, under the following conditions: All players, with the exception of the player taking the penalty kick and the goalkeeper, shall stand behind the ball and at least six yards from it; the ball shall be in play when the kick is taken. A goal may be scored from a penalty kick.
The proposal initially generated much derision and indignation amongst footballers and the press as the 'Irishman's motion' or the 'death penalty' as it was known, conceded that players might deliberately act unsportingly. This went against the Victorian
idea of the amateur gentleman
sportsman. Public opinion may have changed after an FA Cup
quarter final between Stoke City and Notts County on 14 February 1891 where an indirect free kick
after a deliberate handball on the goal line
did not result in a goal.
The penalty kick rule was approved as number 13 in the Laws of the Game, a year after it was proposed, on the 2 June 1891, at the Alexandra Hotel, Bath St., in Glasgow
'after considerable discussion' and with changes affecting where the goalkeeper and other players could legally stand.
In 1998 Gary Lineker
made a documentary for the BBC
on William McCrum and the penalty kick.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
manufacturer and sportsman, most famous for being the inventor in 1890 of the penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
in football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
.
Life and family
William was the son of the linen millionaireMillionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account...
Robert Garmany McCrum who was the builder of the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
model village
Model village
A model village is a type of mostly self-contained community, in most cases built from the late eighteenth century onwards by industrialists to house their workers...
of Milford
Milford, County Armagh
Milford or Millford is a small village about one mile southwest of Armagh in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is within the Armagh City and District Council area and had a population of 301 in the 2001 Census.- Name :...
and High Sheriff
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
for County Armagh
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
. He studied at The Royal School, Armagh
The Royal School, Armagh
The Royal School, Armagh is a co-educational voluntary grammar school in the city of Armagh, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. It was one of a number of free schools created by King James I of England in 1608 to provide an education to the sons of local merchants and farmers during the plantation...
and then Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
and later worked for the family business including a time as London representative and one of the managing directors of linen manufacturers McCrum, Watson and Merver. William was not a success at running the family business and had to sell the Milford mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
in 1931.
When not travelling the world he spent a large proportion of his life living in Milford where he was a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and representative of many sporting clubs and committees including Milford Football Club, Milford and Armagh Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
Clubs, and Armagh Rugby Football Club. He also played chess for Armagh and participated in individual and team competitions and also submitted games.
'Master Willie' as he was known to the villagers also spent his spare time taking part in amateur theatrics in the Milford village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
, called the McCrum Institute. He died after a long illness in December 1932 in an Armagh boarding house. The McCrum family home in Milford, Manor House became a Special Care Hospital, but is now derelict.
British writer and former literary editor of The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
Robert McCrum
Robert McCrum
Robert McCrum , is an English writer and editor. He served as literary editor of The Observer for more than ten years. In May 2008 he was appointed Associate Editor of the Observer and was succeeded as literary editor by William Skidelsky...
, is his grandson, and wrote about William McCrum "Shut out of the family business as a lightweight, eventually deserted by a faithless wife and coldly ignored by his father, Master Willie travelled the world, lived high on the hog and was well-known as a gambler." Another grandson Mark McCrum, an English journalist and travel writer, made references to William McCrum in his book The Craic - A Journey through Ireland
A memorial is due to be built in Milford to commemorate him.
The Penalty Kick
It was in his role as member of the Irish Football AssociationIrish Football Association
The Irish Football Association is the organising body for association football in Northern Ireland, and was historically the governing body for Ireland...
that McCrum proposed the idea of the penalty kick in order to stop the prevalent practice at the time of defenders professionally fouling an attacking player in order to stop a goal. The idea was submitted to the June 1890 meeting of the International Football Association Board
International Football Association Board
The International Football Association Board is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football.-Operations:...
by the Irish FA's general secretary and IFAB representative Jack Reid.
The original proposal read:
If any player shall intentionally trip or hold an opposing player, or deliberately handle the ball within twelve yard
Yard
A yard is a unit of length in several different systems including English units, Imperial units and United States customary units. It is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches...
s from his own goal line, the referee shall, on appeal, award the opposing side a penalty kick, to be taken from any point 12 yards from the goal line, under the following conditions: All players, with the exception of the player taking the penalty kick and the goalkeeper, shall stand behind the ball and at least six yards from it; the ball shall be in play when the kick is taken. A goal may be scored from a penalty kick.
The proposal initially generated much derision and indignation amongst footballers and the press as the 'Irishman's motion' or the 'death penalty' as it was known, conceded that players might deliberately act unsportingly. This went against the Victorian
Victorian morality
Victorian morality is a distillation of the moral views of people living at the time of Queen Victoria's reign and of the moral climate of the United Kingdom throughout the 19th century in general, which contrasted greatly with the morality of the previous Georgian period...
idea of the amateur gentleman
Gentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
sportsman. Public opinion may have changed after an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
quarter final between Stoke City and Notts County on 14 February 1891 where an indirect free kick
Indirect free kick
An indirect free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football. Unlike a direct free kick, a goal may not be scored directly from the kick. The law was derived from the Sheffield Rules that stated that no goal could be scored from a free kick...
after a deliberate handball on the goal line
Goal line
The goal line is the chalked or painted line dividing the end zone from the field of play in American football and Canadian football. It is the line that must be crossed in order to score a touchdown...
did not result in a goal.
The penalty kick rule was approved as number 13 in the Laws of the Game, a year after it was proposed, on the 2 June 1891, at the Alexandra Hotel, Bath St., in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
'after considerable discussion' and with changes affecting where the goalkeeper and other players could legally stand.
In 1998 Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
made a documentary for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
on William McCrum and the penalty kick.