Reverend William Baker Pitt (18 January 1856 - 21 November 1936) was the founder of Swindon Town Football Club and also curate of Christ Church, Swindon until 1881 and rector of Liddington from then on. January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this articles infobox may require cleanup. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Bournemouth is a large resort town on the south coast of England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs and respiratory system in which the alveoli (microscopic air-filled sacs of the lung responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere) become inflamed and flooded with fluid. ... In the broadest sense, a vicar (from the Latin vicarius) is anyone acting as a substitute or agent for a superior (compare vicarious). In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Swindon Town Football Club are an English football team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. ... From the Latin curatus (compare Curator), a curate is a person who is invested with the care, or cure (cura), of souls of a parish. ... Swindon is a town in Wiltshire in the South West of England. ... The word rector (ruler, from the Latin regere) has a number of different meanings. ...

Early life

Pitt was born in Exeter, England. His father, Thomas, was a grocer of some standing in his local community. In 1861 the family was moderately well-off to the extent that they employed a servant and also a governess for William, who was 5 years old at the time.^[1] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this articles infobox may require cleanup. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... A grocer is a dealer in staple foodstuffs, such as meats, produce or dairy products, and other household supplies. ... A governess is a female employee from outside of the family who teaches children within the family circle. ...

He chose to become an Anglican Clergyman rather than a grocer as his father had suggested to him, and he attended the London College of Divinity in 1879. He was ordained as a Deacon of the Church of England in 1879 with his first role being that of Curate of Christchurch, Swindon.^[1] Lodgings in the town were provided in Bellevue Road by Frederick Osman, a grocer and business associate of his father. The term Anglican (from Medieval Latin ecclesia anglicana, meaning the English Church) is used to describe the people, institutions and churches as well as the liturgical traditions and theological concepts developed by the established Church of England, the Anglican Communion and the Continuing Anglican Churches (a loosely affiliated group of... Deacon is a role in the Christian Church which is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... From the Latin curatus (compare Curator), a curate is a person who is invested with the care, or cure (cura), of souls of a parish. ... Swindon is a town in Wiltshire in the South West of England. ...

Pitt, 23 years old at this point, moved into a parish in turbulent times with the Swindon Advertiser reporting on 29 March 1879 "The circumstances attending the leaving of curate after curate are too vividly remembered in the town to need recapitulation".^[1] ... March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in leap years). ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

In the same article; Dr Charles Ellicot, the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, regarded Christchurch as "the one black spot" in his Diocese.^[1] The reason for this was that the Vicar of Christchurch, Henry Bailly, was an outspoken figure who frequently denounced powerful figures in the community. Amongst the Vicar's enemies were Member of Parliament and Lord of the Manor Ambrose Goddard and the editor of the Swindon Advertiser, William Morris.^[1] The Bishop of Gloucester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester in the Province of Canterbury. ... The Bishop of Bristol heads the Church of England Diocese of Bristol in the Province of Canterbury, in England. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... In the broadest sense, a vicar (from the Latin vicarius) is anyone acting as a substitute or agent for a superior (compare vicarious). In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... The title of Lord of the Manor arose in the English medieval system of Manorialism following the Norman Conquest. ...

Pitt quickly settled into his new parish and established a good working relationship with Bailly and became a popular figure in the town. This was especially so amongst the younger members of the church through his involvement with the YMCA. This article is about the association. ...

Football

After the arrival of the Great Western Railway in Swindon in the 1830s, Swindon's population soared from 1,200 to 19,000. This was divided between the communities of Old and New Swindon, with the majority in New Swindon where the GWR Works were located. Pitt used the formation of a football team to attempt to unite the communities.^[1] The original Bristol Temple Meads station, first terminus of the GWR, is the building to the left of this picture The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company, linking South West England, the West Country and South Wales with London. ... BR standard class 2 tanks 82039 and 82038 under construction in Swindon, 1954. ...

Whilst curate of Christ Church, the high church of Swindon, he was recorded as being the captain of Swindon Association Football Club in 1879.^[2] Pitt had formed this club to provide recreation for the young men of his parish, part of the diocese of Clifton, which was a theme for the creation of many football clubs founded in this period with 'muscular Christianity' being the vogue.^[3][4] The team played their only recorded match on November 29, 1879 against Rovers F.C.^[5] High Church is a term that may now be used in speaking of viewpoints within a number of denominations of Protestant Christianity in general, but it is one which has traditionally been employed in Churches associated with the Anglican tradition in particular. ... A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ... Diocese of Clifton is an English Catholic diocese consisting of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. ... November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Pitt recalled the foundation of this club in speech given in September 1911 -

"He thought he might venture to say that he was the father of the Swindon Football Club. It was in the autumn of 1879 that some young fellows belonging to the Swindon factory met with him in the King William Street school to organise a club [...] They decided to call it the Swindon Association Football Club, but they found the name rather a mouthful to shout out, so they [later] changed the name to the Spartans. They played the first game on a field not far away, it being kindly lent by Mr Hooper Deacon, who was always a friend of sport."^[2]

Pitt was still a member of the Spartans F.C. team when they played St. Mark's Young Mens' Friendly Society on November 12, 1881, after which the two teams merged under the name Swindon Football Club.^[3] November 12 is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 49 days remaining. ... Year 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Appointed as the rector of Liddington in 1881, Pitt ceased his active involvement in the club, relating in 1911 (then a prebendary) - The word rector (ruler, from the Latin regere) has a number of different meanings. ... A prebendary is a post connected to a cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. ...

"the rev. gentleman mentioned that his removal from Swindon caused his severance with the club"^[2]

The team was renamed Swindon Town Football Club in 1883, but confusion as to the official date of establishment remains. The current club uses the date of the 1881 match with St Marks, whilst some fans and researchers insist upon 1879.

This led to the club's researcher and retail manager Paul Plowman integrating an "Est. 1879" tag onto the teams kit in 1995 which was removed in 1996.

Liddington

Pitt left Swindon in 1882 to become Rector of All Saints' Church in Liddington.^[1] He married Alice Mary Kinneir in 1882 in Christchurch, Alice was the daughter of Solicitor and Churchwarden Henry Kinneir.^[1] The word rector (ruler, from the Latin regere) has a number of different meanings. ... A solicitor is a type of lawyer in many common law jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Republic of Ireland, Australia New Zealand and Canada, but not the United States (in the United States the word has a quite different meaning—see below). ... A Churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church of the Anglican Communion. ...

Pitt was to remain at Liddington for the next 54 years, the only time he lived elsewhere was during the period 1916-1917 when he served with the Church Army in France.^[1] Church Army, an English religious organization, founded in 1882 by the Rev. ...

William and Alice had five children, Alice born in 1884, William in 1886, Edith in 1887, Clifford in 1889 and Audrey in 1892.

Clifford died on 1 February 1915 in Baumu, British East Africa. An Oxford graduate, he had embarked on a career in Colonial Administration and died aged 26 of acute Sunstroke. His parents placed a memorial window for him in Liddington Church. February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... British East Africa was a British protectorate in East Africa, covering generally the area of present-day Kenya and lasting from 1890 to 1920, when it became the colony of Kenya. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Alice died in mysterious circumstances on 23 June 1928, she was found dead at the bottom of a well amongst the farm buildings close to the Rectory. The coroners report stated "found drowned in a Well, there being no evidence of her state of mind".^[1] Cable tool water well drilling rig in Kimball, West Virginia. ... The rectory is the title usually given to the building inhabited, or formerly inhabited, by the rector of a parish. ...

Death

Pitt resigned as Rector in 1935 due to severe Bronchial disorders and moved with his wife to Bournemouth in the hope that the sea air of the South Coast might alleviate his problems. His condition gradually worsened and he suffered long periods of unconsciousness. He contracted pneumonia and died at the age of 80 on 21 November 1936.^[1] The bronchioles are the first airway branches that no longer contain cartilage. ... Bournemouth is a large resort town on the south coast of England. ... Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs and respiratory system in which the alveoli (microscopic air-filled sacs of the lung responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere) become inflamed and flooded with fluid. ... November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Four Choristers from Liddington travelled to Bournemouth to bring his body home for burial, with the funeral taking place on 25 November 1936 and conducted by the Bishop of Malmesbury. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Buried in Liddington Churchyard next to his daughter Alice, his wife survived him by seven years before dying on 17 November 1943 in Braintree, Essex where she lived with the youngest daughter Audrey. Her body was transported back to Liddington where she was buried alongside her husband. They lie facing the west door of the church in a grave marked by a large stone cross.^[1] 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Braintree is a town of about 38,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. ...

See also

• History of Swindon Town F.C.

The History of Swindon Town F.C. stretches back to 1881 and earlier; the club has won League, National and International competitions in its history and played in the FA Premier League. ...

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} Lupson, Peter (2007). Thank God for Football!. London: Ashford Colour Press. ISBN 1-902694-30-9. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Mythbusters. swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-01-14.
3. ^ ^{a b} Mattick, Dick (1989). The Robins - The Story of Swindon Town Football Club. Buckingham: Sporting and Leisure press. ISBN 0-86023-460-6. 
4. ^ Conn, David (2006). Football's forgotten mission for the poor. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
5. ^ In the beginning.... swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-01-14.