Recently, the National Football Museum was privileged to receive a wonderful donation that fills a significant gap in our women’s football collection. Clifford Stockley generously donated over 40 items left to his late wife, Elizabeth, by her aunt Margaret “Peggy” Melling, who played for Bolton Ladies in the 1940s and 1950s
This rare collection of photographs, badges, programmes, and newspaper reports sheds light on the activities of a significant team in the history of women’s football in England.
Why are Bolton Ladies significant?
The club were one of many teams who played in the era of the FA Ban. In 1921 the English Football Association banned its clubs from hosting women’s games. This harmed the development of women’s football, but it did not erase it. Instead, from the 1920s to the 1960s, women across the country formed teams and played where they could. The best-known team of this era is Dick, Kerr Ladies FC from nearby Preston. The challenge for historians is to uncover and record the stories of other teams.
Thanks to the work of historian Helga Faller, we know that Bolton Ladies played at least 29 games between 1939 and 1952. Not only were they one of the longer running clubs of this period, but they also played several games billed as international matches with sides from Scotland and Wales. One of these in Edinburgh attracted a crowd of between 10,000 to 17,000. We see the crowds that came to see them in Pathe newsreel footage of another game they played against the Edinburgh Dynamos in Salford in 1946.
Like many women’s teams, they raised money for charity, including the Lord Mayor of Bolton’s fund for victims of the 1948 Burden Park stadium disaster.
What’s so special about the collection?
It is the largest single donation we have received relating to a specific women’s team prior to 1969. Margaret kept a rich collection of over 40 items, including rarely seen photographs and programmes. They include both individual portrait photographs of Peggy in her kit, team photos, posed publicity images, and with local dignitaries before games.
The programmes contain her own notes about when she captained the team, goalscorers, and changes to the line-ups, including one game when she went in goal. Such details can be priceless to historians, as contemporary newspaper reports did not always include such details.
The programmes alone have almost doubled the number that the museum now holds for women’s games prior to 1969. They also shed light on women’s football in the UK and we have shared information with colleagues at the Welsh National Football Museum and the Scottish National Football Museum.
Can you tell us a little bit more about Peggy?
Margaret lived in the village of Billinge which is between Wigan and St. Helens in Lancashire. Alongside her football efforts, she and her mother were well known for running a fish and chip shop for many years. A St. Helen’s Star article from 2007 describes how, ‘Peggy was well known at her little fish-and-chip shop as a person not to be trifled with…although she did have a soft spot for the hard-up and down-at-heel.’ The paper described her as a ‘tallish woman who always wore men’s trousers and was a heavy smoker. She had a puckish sense of humour and also ran a betting shop in the village.’
Margaret died in 1990, aged 68. She never married, so her collection went to her niece, Elizabeth Stockley. After her death, her husband Clifford decided that he wanted the collection to be preserved for future generations by donating it to the museum. Clifford and his son-in-law Ian Myers very kindly brought the collection to us, and Clifford shared his memories of Peggy.
What are your plans for the collection?
At present we are unable to add any items to the displays, but we hope that in time, Peggy’s story can be included.
In the meantime, we have digitised the entire collection so it can be shared with researchers. Anyone interested in using it for their work should contact the museum at collections@nationalfootballmuseum.com
