The Early Years

Dear Blog,

                  As you know, I am held in high regard amongst academic circles in the City and beyond. Whenever a query about local athletics arises, everyone knows who to refer to. Sometimes they ask me. A few months ago, a local history society was desperate for material as they had a couple of pages spare in their latest Newsletter. Time was pressing; the deadline for the printing presses to roll was approaching fast so they pleaded with me to help them out of a fix. Being of a generous nature I said I would do my best. Well I failed to find anyone to contribute at such short notice so I delved into my Godiva History Bag of Tricks and produced the following which I have copied for you Blog, because I am given to understand that you don’t tend to read anything other than my letters to you. Oh yes …. A reminder that the children’s charity for disable children, TINY TIMS CHILDREN’S CENTRE still has a couple of spaces spare for the Birmingham Half Marathon, if you are interested Blog.

Coventry Godiva Harriers – the early years

‘FEW in Coventry and beyond have not heard of the Godiva Harriers, one of the city’s great running clubs. What they might not know is that the club held its first run from the Bull Fields to the Butts on October 5th (ref 1) 1879.

On this day two “hares” wearing high hats ran ahead laying a paper trail  (ref 2) followed by fellow members of the club, the “hounds”.  The members who followed were mainly young watchmakers, one of whom blew a hunting horn, which drew the attention of an enraged farmer. Seeing the paper and the high jinks, the farmer set about him with a muck-spreading fork. Whether that young man ran again is not recorded but in the club minutes of 1880 it was proposed that the “hares” hats should bear an image of a man running and the words “Haste Ye For Home”.’ [Coventry Evening Telegraph Mar 2003]

The club’s first photograph from 1883, two years before the club entered open competition. .

The details of the early history of Coventry Godiva Harriers seem to be a case of Chinese whispers, spelling mistakes and enthusiastic reporting.

It is valuable to understand the state of the sport at the time of the club’s foundation. Coventry already had at least two established cross country clubs, the Union Harriers who ran out from the Dolphin Inn and The Coventry Harriers based at the Bull’s Head. Other clubs had a brief transitory existence with membership barely reaching a dozen. Competition outside the confines of a particular club did not exist in the winter months; runs were simple social events. Cross country provided the only form of distance running. There were no open races and therefore no prizes. Runners tended to run out with whichever club was offering the best post- race entertainment at their particular hostelry headquarters!! Training did not take place, the Saturday run out being their sole raison d’ệtre. The season ran from the first week in October to Easter when the athletes went to other summer activity; Godiva runners mostly to cricket, particularly the St Michael’s team for whom some had played football(rugby) before starting with Godiva.

 Godiva’s fist National Cross Country winner, John E. Hickman.

Athletics in summer took place on temporary grass tracks of about 350 yards as an integral part of a local garden fete or flower and vegetable show. Running [and cycling] was the only event on offer, all events being handicaps (ref 3), whereby, if the handicapper had done a good job, most runners would be approaching the finish line abreast. From a five years survey in the years before Godiva was formed, there was an average of fourteen such shows within a 10 mile radius of Coventry, hardly any athletes were not local, the only exception being Coleshill and the Hinkley events. Prize values varied to a maximum of £7 fixed nationally in 1881, but with the handicap system, it was very much a lottery as to who the victor might be. Bearing in mind this framework, a nonsense is made of most of the quoted comments regarding the club’s formation. What appears to have happened in the various reports is that a ‘modern’ interpretation has been placed on sport specific words by people who were not part of the sport plus a degree of subsequent embellishment. The occupation of the first twenty members of Godiva included watchmaking, weaving, a cowman, a post office worker, a shop keeper and a soldier; an assortment which offered a degree of sustainability lacking in most local clubs whose members came from a particular employ / pub. With such a diversity, Godiva was able to tap into different social layers within the city’s Great and Good, and was able to access source of funding and backing in kind which provided a platform for future stability.

The introductory cutting was repeated in the 1990s as part of a Ph.D. submission and in the 1970s as part of a Dip. Ed. dissertation.

         “Early Days of Godiva Harriers’ and entitled ‘First Race in Top Hats and Heavy Boots.’                             

In the summer of 1879, a party of young Coventry watchmakers, devotees of all kinds of sport, commenced a discussion on long-distance running (ref 4), and lamented the fact that in this sphere of sport the city lagged far behind its neighbours (ref 5). One of their number, William Cleverley, apprenticed to his watchmaker father [Henry] in the Butts, suggested that they form a club, and he followed this up by inviting a number of local athletes to a meeting at the ‘Sampson and Lion’ in Swanswell Place. With this end in mind. The enthusiastic company decided “to form a club to bring out some long-distance runners as an unpleasant feeling had arisen among our local athletes who did not like to see strangers always winning the long-distance events (ref 6); therefore they would reverse the tables” [Coventry Evening Telegraph Dec 23^rd 1943]

… half a dozen young watchmakers were talking of the Thames Hare and Hounds (ref 7) at the top of the Butts, … they adjourned to the Russell Arms to talk it over. They so decided but some not liking {did not like} the idea of starting from a Pub they got permission to use the Pavilion in the Bullfields …, At the opening run, about a dozen turned up; they were a motley crew, some wore light knickers with blue helmets (ref 8), some with trousers turned up (ref 9) and heavy boots (ref 10) …. They made their way to Earlsdon round Canley, Gibet Hill down Warwick Road home. The run was a great success and the membership was soon doubled, so they decided to get some new Headquarters. They secured dressing rooms at the ‘Lamp Tavern’ in Market Street, where all runs started and finished for several years. [ Freddy Smalley, the first trustee of the club in 1881.]

The birth of the Godiva Harriers was largely attributed to the efforts of the well known citizen of Market Street, Mr William Cleverley. During the latter part of 1879, Mr Cleverley requested a few athletes to attend a meeting at the Sampson and Lion Swanswell Place, the landlord being Mr H.Keene. Among those present at this inaugural gathering was William Cleverley, Charles Smith, Charles Seymour, James Miles and Alfred Dormer. The outcome of that meeting was a move to place Coventry on the map, so to speak. The frequent raids of strangers to the city, returning all the prizes was resented, and the object adopted in 1879 was the ‘Cultivation of local talent to enable athletes residing in the old city to compete more successfully’ …. The Godiva’s first run on Saturday afternoon of October 5th 1879, aroused a great deal of excitement. A farmer objected to the ‘hares’ crossing his land, and an altercation followed, but since those days they have been able to follow their pursuits without interference. [Walter J Harris as ‘Historian’ Midland Daily Telegraph Oct 1933]

One of the first club handicaps for members only

During the latter part of the summer in the year of 1879 – Mr William Cleverley requested a few athletes to attend a meeting at the Sampson and Lion Swanswell Place (proprietor Mr H.Herne) to endeavour to form a club, which  was succeeded, afterwards was formally called the Godiva Harriers (Messes Wm Cleverley, Chas Smith, Chas Seymour, Joes Miles and Alfd Dormer whom are members at the present time attended the meeting) (ref 11) Likewise endeavour to bring out some long distance runners. As an unpleasant feeling arose amongst our local Athletes. What did not like to see the strangers always winning the long distance races. And they therefore determined to reverse the table, which they have done since the club has been in vogued. The first run was Saturday October 5th (ref 1)1879. Started at 3.0pm from the pavilion in the Bullfield. This run promoted a great excitement, the hares having traversed some trespass land, in the occupation of Mr Warden. A farmer residing near Earlsdon. He presently followed the pack, on proceeding across some fields attacted one of the runners near the Railway station, and violently struck with his stick. There being a great number of people passing at the time, who had been to witness the Grand Bicycle Contest on the Athletic Ground, Warwick Road. A crowd quickly assembled, began hissing him until he got near the Bullfield when they commenced to throw stones, turfs and other missiles, that could be got holt of, his cork hat was terribly disfigured. The road and side was a complete mess, when the crowd had disappeared. Before starting the pavilion was locked up, the key was given up to a friend. Their clothes remained in the pavilion, until such time the police had gone, were then conveyed to them by a few friends they all met on the following Saturday for another run, the hares taking us along the lane at the side of his house but nothing more was heard of it after. [Strong evidence suggests it was written by Chas Smith in 1900]

If journalistic licence had caused muddle about the circumstances of the club’s foundation, then the confusion surrounding the actual date that Godiva came into existence seems to be entirely the result of the self-interests of a few Godiva officials who ‘brought the club into disrepute’. Although Coventry Godiva Harriers was founded 136 years ago in 1879 for very many years there was a belief ( then an acrimonious dispute), that the actual foundation date was 1870 (ref 12). This belief was so entrenched within sections of the club that the Golden Jubilee was celebrated in 1920, and by a further celebration for the Diamond Jubilee anniversary in 1930 at the White Lion Hotel. Until the late 1960s, the club blazer badges and Godiva vest badges were adorned with the legend ‘Founded in 1870’. All club medals, trophies and plaques and club notepaper carried the same claim; so did the membership forms in the early years of the twentieth century.

Although formal sections were not adopted until the 1930s for ease of administration, Godiva, in the first ninety years of existence was a competitive cycling and a competitive walking club besides catering for runners, two of our Olympians being walkers. With the gradual emancipation of women, separate sections for women athletes, women cyclists and women walkers was also incorporated into the club structure.

In Olympic year it is worth noting that Godiva have provided at least one athlete to every Olympic Games since WW11, with the exception of 1996, including more Olympic marathon places than any other Great Britain club, with Bas Heatley’s 1964 silver medal in Tokyo being the best individual performance; gold was won by sprinter Marlon Devonish as part of a G.B. relay squad.

References:

(1) October 5th was a Sunday, the first run was the day before (4th) as stated in the original minute book. Athletics on a Sunday was only instituted as a result of the jogging boom in the late 1970s when road safety considerations became paramount and large fields of competitors forced race organisers to adopt road closures. 

 (2) Paper trails required organisation and cost [off cuts of paper for the trail, sacks to carry same]. Most probably a pack run with only a dozen runners.   

(3) All races were running events, very rarely is a field event mentioned in programmes / results of the time. A handicap race was organised so that an athlete started at a ‘mark’ which reflected his ability. If he won, he was pulled back and had to run further in his next event, the losers gaining a distance and ran a lesser distance the next time out. We are talking in terms of only a few yards. All races for males. To improve their handicap, some runners did not try very hard, pulled up or ran in weighted shoes. Betting was illegal but bookmakers were encouraged to attend as part of the attraction for the spectators …. And of course athletes performed according to how they might benefit from the odds placed on them!! Winning was a lottery, making a nonsense of the primary claim made for the club’s foundation.  

(4) The only form of long distance running, with the exception of pedestrianism, was cross country in the winter months when no prizes were given. Nothing further than a mile in the fetes. 

 (5) The only clubs of substance within a hundred miles were Birchfield Harriers and Moseley Harriers in Birmingham, both founded two years before Godiva.  

(6) Statistically this does not stack up. The only local races in the summer were at fetes, galas, flower shows etc. and were all handicaps where by anyone in the field should be capable of winning, no matter what their ability. Analysis of published results of the previous 5 years (’74 –’79) shows few winners from further afield than 10 miles. [The same was not true of cycle events held at the same meetings] Only Coleshill and Hinkley attracted runners from outside the immediate area. In winter there was only cross country  events promoted by clubs solely for their own members to give some interest and variation to the Saturday afternoon run.  

(7) Schools and Universities apart, the Thames Hare and Hounds were the first established athletic club in the country and was one of the reasons for the ‘adjustment’ of the club foundation date.  

(8) Not head gear but trimming on the shorts similar to the kit worn by Oxbridge athletes today … for ‘helmets’ read ‘hemlets’!!  

(9) Probably ‘long john’ type shorts as can be seen in the club’s first photograph.  

(10) Running shoes available were spikes, rubbers, studs with straps or high sided ankle rubbers aka boots.  

(11) Members numbered 1, 2, 3, 5 and 22 respectively in the original minute book.  

(12) ‘0’ and ‘9’ are not too dissimilar for a genuine mistake to be made?

Good stuff eh Blog?????

                                 Colin