The Wednesbury Charity Cup was an early football competition held from 1880 - eight years before the foundation of the Football League - for teams from the West Midlands region of England. The competition was conceived and initiated by Isaak Griffiths, a businessman and magistrate from Wednesbury. Money raised from the competition went to local causes.
Trophy
Winners were awarded a solid silver trophy, on which the name of each year's winning team was engraved. The cup was made by Walker and Hall of Birmingham and hallmarked in 1879, and is topped by a figure of Charity It cost £100, paid for by public subscription.
The trophy weighs nearly and is tall.
In 2016, a member of the public offered the trophy, in poor condition, to Bowjangles, a jewellery shop in Wednesbury, for scrap. Bowjanges owner Aaron Sheldon recognised its provenance and arranged for the trophy to be restored by Crescent Silver in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, a process which took five months. The newly-restored trophy was sold at auction by Cuttlestones Auctioneers and Valuers of Wolverhampton, on 2 December 2016, for £7,250.
The first name engraved on the trophy is "Stafford Road, Wolverhampton 1880" and the last "Cradley Town 1991".
Winners
Key Season Date Winners Result Runner-up Venue Att. & Notes Ref.1879–8031 May 1880Stafford Road3–0ElwellsWednesbury Oval2,0001880–8126 February 1881Wednesbury Old Athletic3–1Stafford RoadWednesbury Oval"An immense number"1881–8227 May 1882Wednesbury Old Athletic3–2Aston UnityWednesbury Oval"Very meagre". Replay.Aston Lower GroundsOriginal tie 2–2.1882–8319 May 1883Nottingham Forest5–3West Bromwich AlbionWellington Road4,0001883–8417 May 1884Wednesbury Town3–0Nottingham Forest1,400. Replay.Original tie 2–2.1884–8516 May 1885Birmingham Excelsior5–0Birmingham St George'sWellington Road"Several hundreds."1885–8629 May 1886Walsall Town7–1Burton StrollersWednesbury Oval"large" or "small"1886–871987Wednesbury Old Athletic1887–8812 May 1888Wolverhampton Wanderers4–1Wednesbury Old AthleticMolineux Stadium1888–891889Wednesbury Old Athletic1889–901890Wednesbury Old AthleticWest Bromwich Albion res.1890–911891Wednesbury Old Athletic1891–921892Singers1893–941894West Bromwich Albion res.4–0NewportWellington1912–131913Walsall1914–181913No competition due to World War I.1920–211921Walsall1921–221922Walsall1922–231923Walsall1968–691969Pelsall Villa1969–701970Pelsall Villa1973–741974Pelsall Villa1979–801980Tipton Town1980–811981Tipton Town1981–821982Bilston Town1982–831983Bilston Town1984–851985Bilston Town1988–891989Pelsall Villa1990–911991Cradley Town1990–911991Cradley Town
References