The Tottenham Hotspur Football Club Minute Book 1885 to 1896, the 156 page hand written hardcover ledger comprising 11 Annual General Meetings; 69 Com

The Tottenham Hotspur Football Club Minute Book 1885 to 1896, the 156 page hand written hardcover ledger comprising 11 Annual General Meetings; 69 Committee Meetings; 1 Special General Meeting to vote on professionalism; 1 Emergency Committee Meeting; 1 General Meeting and 1 Players Meeting, the spine and binding has wear and is loose, losses to spine, front board detached In 1882 a football club was formed by boys from Hotspur Cricket Club and from St. John's Presbyterian local grammar school, who used to meet under a street lamp on Tottenham High Street close to the site of the current ground. The first name used was 'Hotspur FC', named after the Duke of Northumberland's son Percy, who went by the nickname ''Harry Hotspur'' and whose fearless heroics it was hoped would symbolise the character of the club. The first match was against the Radicals and saw the team lose by two goals on 30th August 1882. The only other match that season saw Spurs score their first goal, but an 8-1 loss to Latymer. The scorer was not recorded. In 1883 the club was run by its first President and Treasurer John Ripsher, who held the position until 1894. Ripsher was born in 1840 and was the bible class teacher at All Hallows Church, Tottenham's Parish Church. He provided accommodation, guidance and support in the early days to the boys who created Tottenham Hotspur and was described in a 1908 published club history as Spurs's ''real father and founder.'' The team played on the Tottenham Marshes and wore navy blue, recording their first win on the 6th October 1883 with a 9-0 victory of Brownlow Rovers. Later that month Buckle was the first reported Spurs scorer in a 3-1 defeat by Grange Park. In 1884 the club was renamed ''Tottenham Hotspur Football and Athletic Club'' and the following year Spurs played their first ever competitive match - against St Albans - in the London Association Cup on 17th October 1885, winning 5-2. In the constraints on an auction catalogue it is difficult to do justice to this fascinating document of historical importance concerning the infancy of a now major English professional football club. However, close examination of two meetings therewith will provide prospective bidders with a good overview of content: 1. Third Annual General Meeting, 29th April 1885 2. A Special General Meeting to adopt professionalism, 16th December 1895. The book being offered at the auction begins with minutes from the Third Annual General Meeting of the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. The meeting was held at the ''Red House'', which had originally been a hotel in the mid-1850s but by this time was a coffee house with large rooms, ideal for formal meetings and gatherings. The AGM took place on 29th April 1885 at 8.30pm, with ''J. Ripsher Esq. in the chair.'' The Club Secretary is recorded as being absent and his report being read by Mr Mason. It states [in season 1884-85] 44 matches played, 24 won, 10 lost and 10 drawn, 82 goals won and 34 lost. First eleven played 30, won 18, lost 5, drew 5, scratched 2. Second eleven played 16, won 6, lost 5, drew 5, scratched 13. The Treasurer (Ripsher) then read his financial statement ''?5.0.1 had been received and ?4.11.1 expended leaving a balance of 9/- which was to be partly expended in printing a Report of the progress of the club, with a view of getting Honorary Members.'' The minutes also record that by ''voluntary contributions'' a thank you present should be bought for Mr Martin, The Station Master at Parks for his ''kindness in taking charge of the poles'', presumably a reference to the storage and then erection of goal posts on match days. The meeting also expressed its gratitude to Mr Ripsher for all his help at the club and concluded that the club was progressing and ''on the whole had a very successful season'' albeit they had suffered more defeats than the previous season. It was the conclusion of the quorum that this was owing to the strong clubs they had played, and had sometimes been looked upon with contempt by those who come down to play them owing to their size, but that generally Tottenham Hotspur ''managed to give a good account of themselves.'' Then the floor was given to Jack Jull, Captain of the 1st XI who ''in his opinion'' though the first XI had ''a very successful season.'' Jull chose not to highlight any individual's contribution during the season preferring to say that ''all worked hard for the good of the club ? but with plenty of room for improvement, what they wanted was a little more energy.'' Jull stated that the crowd numbers were good, but had tapered off towards the end of the season. Jack Jull then proceeded to criticise the Club Secretary in respect of the amount of 2nd XI matches (thirteen) that had been called off. He thought the Secretary ''had taken too much upon himself in trying to conduct the business of both elevens.'' The minutes state that ''The Secretary (Mr Casey) replied in a few words and cleared himself from all blame.'' However the censuring of the Secretary did lead to a vote on a proposal to disband the 2nd XI, which was rejected. There follows a detailed account of the Election of Officers with proposals and seconding. The outcome was an elected committee of Messrs. Buckle, Leaman, Casey, Bumberry, Lomas, Turner, Thompson, Rochford & Powell. The minutes concluded with a list of members present and signed off by Ripsher & Mason (Hon. Sec.). On Monday 16th December 1895 a Special General Meeting of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. was held at the Eagle Hotel in Cheshunt Road, Tottenham. J Oliver Esq. was in the Chair. The minutes read ''That in the opinion of this meeting the time has now arrived when the Club should adopt professionalism. Giving as the chief reason for suggesting such as radical change in the constitution of the Club the great difficulty which had been experienced in obtaining amateur players capable of sustaining the reputation of the Club.'' The minutes record that the resolution was ultimately carried after ''considerable discussion.'' Other notable entries in the minute book would include the first rental of a private pitch within Northumberland Park that would allow the yield of gate receipts; mention of matches v the team that would become their arch rivals Royal Arsenal; the erection of the first stand; from the professional era the engagement of new players; the adoption of club colours, and many other topics. The minute book contains the signatures of notable early Spurs personalities Ripsher, Mason, Jull, Hatton, Buckle, Stephens, Casey, Thompson, Bullock and Oliver, The book concludes shortly before the club's election to the Southern League. This minute book is mentioned in the preface of Romance of Football, The History of the Tottenham Hotspur F.C., published in 1921, stating ''The Minutes of the Club from 1885 to 1897, which were thought to have been lost, were disinterred by Mr. Buckle.'' Evidently at some point these important collection of writings were lost yet again to be disinterred on this occasion by Graham Budd Auctions in 2019, 134 years after the first ink had dried.