That Elizabethan football was dangerous to life, limb, and property, is made plain by many records. The Middlesex County Records contain several entries which are of interest to the historian of football, and show how rough was the game. In the eighteenth year of the reign of good Queen Bess, the grand jury of the county found a true bill That on the said Day at Ruyslippe, Co. Midd., Arthur Reynolds, husbandman [with five others], all of Ruyslippe afsd, Thomas Darcye, of Woxbridge, yeoman [with seven others, four of whom were 'husbandmen,' one a 'taylor,' one a 'harnis-maker,' one a 'yoman'], all seven of Woxbridge afsd, with unknown malefactors to the number of one hundred assembled themselves unlawfully and playd a certain unlawful game called foote-ball, by means of which unlawful game there was amongst them a great affray likely to result in homicides and serious accidents.

In the 23rd year of Elizabeth, on March 5th, football seems to have led to something more serious than a breach of the peace.

Coroner's inquisition - post-mortem taken at Sowthemyms, Co. Midd., in view of the body of Roger Ludforde, yoman there lying dead with verdict of jurors that Nicholas Martyn and Richard Turvey, both late of Southemyms, yomen, were on the 3rd instant between 3 and 4 P.M. playing with other persons at foote-ball in the field called Evanses field at Southmyms, when the said Roger Ludford and a certain Simon Maltus, of the sd parish, yomen, came to the ground, and that Roger Ludford cried out,' Cast hym over the hedge,'indicating that he meant Nicholas Martyn, who replied,'Come thou and do yt.' That thereupon Roger Ludforde ran towards the ball with the intention to kick it, whereupon Nicholas Martyn with the fore-part of his right arm and Richard Turvey with the fore-part of his left arm struck Roger Ludforde on the fore-part of the body under the breast, giving him a mortal blow and concussion of which he died within a quarter of an hour, and that Nicholas and Richard in this manner feloniously slew the said Roger.

Some years later, the Manchester Lete Roll contains a resolution, dated October 12, 1608: - -

That whereas there hath been heretofore great disorder in our towne of Manchester, and the inhabitants thereof greatly wronged and charged with makinge and amendinge of their glasse windows broken yearelye and spoyled by a companye of lewd and disordered psons vsing that unlawfull exercise of playinge with the ffote-ball in ye streets of ye sd toune breakinge many men's windowes and glasse at their plesures and other great enormyties. Therefore, wee of this jurye doe order that no manner of psons hereafter shall play or use the footeball in any street within the said toune of Manchester, subpcend to evye one that shall so use the same for evye time xiid.

These extracts not only show that the number of players was unlimited, but that the game was played in the street and over hedges in the country, although it was still unlawful by statute. It is hardly to be wondered at that the citizens of great towns objected to promiscuous scrimmaging in the streets in front of their windows. The records of the Corporation of the City of London contain two entries in the time of Elizabeth, (November 27, 1572, and November 7, 1581), of a proclamation having been made that 'no foteballe play be used or suffered within the City of London and the liberties thereof upon pain of imprisonment.' In spite of this, however, we still hear in later times of football in the streets.

The great week of sports and pageants at Kenilworth, in 1575, produced no football-playing, for Elizabeth and her court seem to have cared little for the athletic sports of the people; but there is a casual reference to football in the description of the Kenilworth revels in Robert Laneham's letter. One of the characters who appeared in the 'country brideale,' and 'running at the quintain,' and who took the part of the bridegroom, is described by Laneham as being 'lame of a legge that in his youth was broken at footballe.'

It was only to be expected that the grave and demure Puritans, who objected to all sports not only for themselves, but because they were played on Sundays, should have a particular and violent objection to football, for football even when played on a week-day does not seem to be wholly compatible with a meek and chastened spirit. The strictures passed by Stubbes, the earnest author of the 'Anatomie of Abuses in the Realme of England,' show pretty clearly the Puritan attitude towards football. Amongst other reasons for concluding that the end of the world was at hand in 1583, he gives the convincing reason that 'football playing and other develishe pastimes' were practised on the Sabbath day. As we have seen before, he speaks of 'cards, dice, tennise, and bowles, and such like fooleries.' Football, however, he must have thought something worse than mere foolery, since he calls it 'develishe.' He goes on: -

Lord, remove these exercises from the Sabaoth [by which he meant Sunday]. Any exercise (he says) which withdraweth from godliness, either upon the Sabaoth or any other day, is wicked and to be forbiden. Now who is so grosly blinde that seeth not that these aforesaid exercises not only withdraw us from godlinesse and virtue, but also haile and allure us to wickednesse and sin? for as concerning football playing I protest unto you that it may rather be called a friendlie kinde of fyghte than a play or recreation - a bloody and murthering practice than a felowly sport or pastime.

['Friendlie kinde of fyghte 'is good; in fact 'develishe' good.] For dooth not everyone lye in waight for his adversarie, seeking to overthrow him and picke him on his nose, though it be on hard stones, on ditch or dale, on valley or hill, or whatever place soever it be he careth not, so he have him downe; and he that can serve the most of this fashion he is counted the only felow, and who but he?