Richard Turner (footballer, born 1864)

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Richard Turner
Personal information
Full name Richard John Turner
Date of birth(1864-07-20)20 July 1864
Place of birth Kilmarnock, Scotland
Date of death 28 March 1944(1944-03-28) (aged 79)
Place of death Birmingham, England
Position(s) Right-back
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1870s Notts County
1882–1883 Manchester Association
1883–1884 Bolton Association
1884–1886 Blackburn Rovers
1886–1887 Crusaders
1887–1891 London Caledonians
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Richard John Turner was a Scottish footballer who won the FA Cup with Blackburn Rovers in 1885 and 1886.

Contents

Personal life

Turner was born in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, on 20 July 1864, one of 10 sons of Frederick and Charlotte (née Escudier) Turner; [1] his father was the agent for John Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland, and worked on the duke's Scottish estates from 1858 to 1878. [2]

Football Career

Turner was a right-back and nicknamed "Iron Turner" for his steely play. [3]

His is noted as having played for Notts County, a club local to the family after it moved to Mansfield Woodhouse in 1878. He moved from there to Manchester Association in October 1882 [4] (where he played as half-back) [5] He put in a "much admired" performance representing the North of England against Bolton Wanderers at the latter's Pike Lane ground in April 1883. [6] This brought him to the attention of the better clubs in Bolton; the media reported that he was to play for Halliwell in 1883–84, [7] but instead he ended up with the new Bolton Association - a staunchly amateur side - for the season. [8]

Turner duly made his FA Cup debut in the first round of the 1883–84 competition for Bolton Association, as full-back in the club's 5–1 win over Bradshaw. [9] He also impressed in the second round defeat against Bolton Wanderers. [10]

At the start of the 1884–85 season, he assisted Blackburn Rovers in a couple of friendlies, [11] and the move was made permanent. He quickly became one of the Rovers' regular full-backs [12] His first competitive match was a fraught 3–2 win over Blackburn Olympic in the second round of the 1884–85 FA Cup, [13] and he also played in the last three rounds, including the final, contributing to Rovers beating Queen's Park to claim the trophy for the second time. [14] Turner also played as right-back for Rovers in its Lancashire Senior Cup final success over Blackburn Olympic the same month. [15]

He played in the Rovers' first two ties in the 1885–86 FA Cup, and was the club's nominated umpire in its fifth round win over Staveley, Hugh McIntyre taking his right-back berth. [16] McIntyre was soon advanced to a half-back position to allow Turner to take his place back at right-back, [17] and he struggled through the final against West Bromwich Albion with an ankle injury, which persuaded the Rovers not to assent to the optional extra-time. [18] He recovered in time for the replay, which Rovers won 2–1. [19]

His final game for Rovers was a disappointment - the club lost its hold on the Lancashire Senior Cup by losing to Bolton Wanderers the week after the final replay. [20] He moved to London soon afterwards, and joined the Crusaders club, which had recently moved to Leyton. [21] However he only played for the club for one season, which included his last FA Cup ties, as he joined the London Caledonians in 1887–88, whom he represented in the London Senior Cup. [22] He represented the Callies on and off the pitch (especially as referee) until 1890–91; [23] his move to Birmingham ended his football career.

Post-football

Turner eloped with Jane Hayton Greenbank in early 1886, and the couple married in Hammersmith on 1 March 1886, [24] one month before the Cup final; they had three daughters and two sons. The couple divorced in 1909. [25] [26]

By 1891, Turner was a solicitor's clerk in Birmingham, [27] and after qualification as a solicitor eventually became a partner in the firm of Beale & Co. in Newhall Street in the city. He was also a councillor on the Solihull Rural Council, and chairman of its urban council successor in 1935–36. [28] He took ill returning from the Liverpool Assizes in January 1944, and was forced to retire; he died two months later. [29]

One of his sons had pre-deceased him, but the other - Frederick Richard Gordon Turner - had been made a vice-admiral in 1942 and was made a Knight Commander of the Bath in 1943, [30] and was Engineer-in-Chief of the Fleet from 1942 [31] to 1945.

Honours

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References

  1. ↑ Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Mr T. Warner Turner". Nottingham Evening Post: 5. 14 September 1939.
  3. ↑ "Mr R. J. Turner". Birmingham Daily Post: 4. 30 March 1944.
  4. ↑ "Manchester Association F.C., late Manchester Wanderers". Manchester Courier: 2. 30 October 1882.
  5. ↑ "Lancashire Association Challenge Cup". Sporting Life: 4. 7 November 1882.
  6. ↑ "Bolton Wanderers v North of England". Athletic News: 3. 2 May 1883.
  7. ↑ "Football in Bolton and district". Bolton Evening News: 3. 21 August 1883.
  8. ↑ "En passant". Athletic News: 1. 12 September 1883.
  9. ↑ "Reports of Saturday's matches". Bolton Evening News: 4. 5 November 1883.
  10. ↑ "report". Manchester Courier: 3. 3 December 1883.
  11. ↑ "Blackburn Rovers v Witton". Sheffield Daily Telegraph: 4. 22 September 1884.
  12. ↑ "Wednesday v Blackburn Rovers". Sheffield Daily Telegraph: 4. 24 November 1884.
  13. ↑ "Blackburn Rovers v Blackburn Olympic". Blackburn Standard: 3. 13 December 1884.
  14. ↑ "Blackburn Rovers v Queen's Park". Blackburn Standard: 3. 11 April 1885.
  15. ↑ "The final for the Lancashire Cup". Burnley Express: 3. 25 April 1885.
  16. ↑ "The Cup holders rise superior". Athletic News: 4. 26 January 1886.
  17. ↑ "Blackburn Rovers v Swifts". Blackburn Standard: 2. 20 March 1886.
  18. ↑ "The English Cup competition - final tie". Blackburn Standard: 2. 10 April 1886.
  19. ↑ "English Cup - Final Tie". Athletic News: 2. 13 April 1886.
  20. ↑ "Lancashire Senior Cup - Final Tie". Manchester Courier: 3. 19 April 1886.
  21. ↑ "Southern Association football notes". Athletic News: 4. 26 October 1886.
  22. ↑ "London Association Senior Challenge Cup Ties". Field: 966. 24 December 1887.
  23. ↑ "Millwall Athletic v Chiswick Park". Sporting Life: 3. 20 December 1890.
  24. ↑ England Select Marriages 1538–1973, FHL Film Number 1966295, Reference ID Pg 119
  25. ↑ Divorce Court File No. 9420 of 1909
  26. ↑ "Mrs. Turner's Medal". Belgian Refugees in Rhyl. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  27. ↑ Census, Administrative County of Worcester, Civil Parish of King's Norton, Town of Moseley. Birmingham: HMSO. 1891. p. 60.
  28. ↑ "Mr R. J. Turner". Birmingham Daily Post: 4. 30 March 1944.
  29. ↑ "Played in 1885 Cup final". Evening Despatch: 3. 29 March 1944.
  30. ↑ "Order of the Bath". Scotsman: 5. 2 June 1943.
  31. ↑ "Naval promotions". Birmingham Daily Post: 2. 16 February 1942.
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