History - Who were the pigs in Sheffield?

[Aingarth]

It might be topical to reflect on who were actually called pigs in Sheffield and why. And the truth is, it is not really anything to do with the animals.

A quick recap - most know that Sir Charles Clegg was a famous Wednesday and England football player and became the Chairman of Sheffield Wednesday and also Sheffield United Cricket Club. In their early days, Wednesday played at a number of grounds but normally used Bramall Lane for all the big matches. When Wednesday decided to have their own dedicated ground at Olive Grove in 1888, Charles Clegg realised that the winter income at Bramall Lane would cease so had the bright idea of creating a football club to go alongside the cricket club. So Sheffield United F C were formed and Charles Clegg became Chairman of both clubs. At the time, supporters of both clubs were known as The Blades ( people from Sheffield were often called blades), and it wasn't until some years after Wednesday moved to Hillsborough (Owlerton) that they became known as the Owls. There was genuine friendly rivalry in those days with Wednesday quite interested in the progress of their "junior team", only spoilt when lads had taken on board too much ale - so no change there.

 

Sheffield was already a world leader in the manufacture of steel and the steel making process involved starting with iron in moulds which slightly resembled a pig and which were universally known as pig iron. In the steel factories, the workers dealing with the pig iron were slightly less skilled and paid slightly less than those taking the metal through the process to make steel, often using the Bessemer process. The workers dealing with the pig iron were colloquially known as "pigs" and partly as a derogatory term for the supporters of the new football club, and partly because of where the new supporters lived and worked, they started being called pigs by Wednesday supporters.

 

The stories about Hillsborough being built on a pig farm are not true, the land was all part of the grounds of the stately home which stood in what is now Hillsborough Park. Whatever happened at Bramall Lane before it was a cricket ground is not really known and probably not relevant as Wednesday played there for many years before United were created. 

 

So the history is all about what Sheffield was famous for - converting pig iron into steel! Hence why United supporters were called pigs and Wednesday should not be!!

[parkfieldowl14]

1 minute ago, Andrew Robinson said:

It might be topical to reflect on who were actually called pigs in Sheffield and why. And the truth is, it is not really anything to do with the animals.

A quick recap - most know that Sir Charles Clegg was a famous Wednesday and England football player and became the Chairman of Sheffield Wednesday and also Sheffield United Cricket Club. In their early days, Wednesday played at a number of grounds but normally used Bramall Lane for all the big matches. When Wednesday decided to have their own dedicated ground at Olive Grove in 1888, Charles Clegg realised that the winter income at Bramall Lane would cease so had the bright idea of creating a football club to go alongside the cricket club. So Sheffield United F C were formed and Charles Clegg became Chairman of both clubs. At the time, supporters of both clubs were known as The Blades ( people from Sheffield were often called blades), and it wasn't until some years after Wednesday moved to Hillsborough (Owlerton) that they became known as the Owls. There was genuine friendly rivalry in those days with Wednesday quite interested in the progress of their "junior team", only spoilt when lads had taken on board too much ale - so no change there.

 

Sheffield was already a world leader in the manufacture of steel and the steel making process involved starting with iron in moulds which slightly resembled a pig and which were universally known as pig iron. In the steel factories, the workers dealing with the pig iron were slightly less skilled and paid slightly less than those taking the metal through the process to make steel, often using the Bessemer process. The workers dealing with the pig iron were colloquially known as "pigs" and partly as a derogatory term for the supporters of the new football club, and partly because of where the new supporters lived and worked, they started being called pigs by Wednesday supporters.

 

The stories about Hillsborough being built on a pig farm are not true, the land was all part of the grounds of the stately home which stood in what is now Hillsborough Park. Whatever happened at Bramall Lane before it was a cricket ground is not really known and probably not relevant as Wednesday played there for many years before United were created. 

 

So the history is all about what Sheffield was famous for - converting pig iron into steel! Hence why United supporters were called pigs and Wednesday should not be!!

Great Post.

[Pulcinella]

And there was me thinking it was a reference to Angry Birds .

Edited September 22, 2017 by Pulcinella

[s73owl]

6 minutes ago, Pulcinella said:

And there was me thinking it was a reference to Angry Birds .

I only know one angry bird and I'm married to it 

Edited September 22, 2017 by s73owl
Mispelling

[OxonOwl]

We're Sheffield Steel!

[Plonk]

Perhaps they should change the tag line to "forged in pig iron"

[pachyderm]

25 minutes ago, Andrew Robinson said:

It might be topical to reflect on who were actually called pigs in Sheffield and why. And the truth is, it is not really anything to do with the animals.

A quick recap - most know that Sir Charles Clegg was a famous Wednesday and England football player and became the Chairman of Sheffield Wednesday and also Sheffield United Cricket Club. In their early days, Wednesday played at a number of grounds but normally used Bramall Lane for all the big matches. When Wednesday decided to have their own dedicated ground at Olive Grove in 1888, Charles Clegg realised that the winter income at Bramall Lane would cease so had the bright idea of creating a football club to go alongside the cricket club. So Sheffield United F C were formed and Charles Clegg became Chairman of both clubs. At the time, supporters of both clubs were known as The Blades ( people from Sheffield were often called blades), and it wasn't until some years after Wednesday moved to Hillsborough (Owlerton) that they became known as the Owls. There was genuine friendly rivalry in those days with Wednesday quite interested in the progress of their "junior team", only spoilt when lads had taken on board too much ale - so no change there.

 

Sheffield was already a world leader in the manufacture of steel and the steel making process involved starting with iron in moulds which slightly resembled a pig and which were universally known as pig iron. In the steel factories, the workers dealing with the pig iron were slightly less skilled and paid slightly less than those taking the metal through the process to make steel, often using the Bessemer process. The workers dealing with the pig iron were colloquially known as "pigs" and partly as a derogatory term for the supporters of the new football club, and partly because of where the new supporters lived and worked, they started being called pigs by Wednesday supporters.

 

The stories about Hillsborough being built on a pig farm are not true, the land was all part of the grounds of the stately home which stood in what is now Hillsborough Park. Whatever happened at Bramall Lane before it was a cricket ground is not really known and probably not relevant as Wednesday played there for many years before United were created. 

 

So the history is all about what Sheffield was famous for - converting pig iron into steel! Hence why United supporters were called pigs and Wednesday should not be!!

 

You know all this history about us and you're only a reserve? 

 

Well done. 

[GoldGigsChris]

Thanks Andrew. Interested stuff. I've not heard that version of the pig story before.

 

You usually get the Hillsborough / Bramall Lane was built on a pig farm or United play in streaky bacon colours.

 

I wonder if @dunsbyowl has a view on this.

[alanharper]

But they've got photoshopped maps and badly written fictional historical "library documents" to back up why Wednesday are the pigs, we can't compete with that...

[parkfieldowl14]

10 minutes ago, alanharper said:

But they've got photoshopped maps and badly written fictional historical "library documents" to back up why Wednesday are the pigs, we can't compete with that...

[owlandished]

I thought it was because all Sheffield United supporters smelled of poo and look porcine, hence the "pigs" moniker?

 

There's actually historical photographic evidence to prove this (some uncovered from just this morning) and am expecting an abundance of living fossils to turn up on Sunday to put it beyond all doubt

 

 

[Aingarth]

1 hour ago, pachyderm said:

 

You know all this history about us and you're only a reserve? 

 

Well done. 

Well I got up to 700 odd posts about 5 years ago and then got knocked back to a few hundred. So someone on the admin side has decided I should be a permanent reserve!

[Owl Capone]

Well my old mum who is in her 90's has often told me her grandfather always referred to them as "Bacon Backs" due to their shirts. That should be obvious enough to realise who the real snort beasts are.

In addition to this, like many others of the day, Wednesday fans wouldn't eat bacon on Sunday if we'd lost and they'd won. The Blunts even printed this in one of their Derby day match programmes, I think 1967.

It's clear who the swine beasts really are. As always though , once we've discarded it we might let them use it. Like passing "hand me downs" to your annoying little cousin

[dunsbyowl]

1 hour ago, GoldGigsChris said:

Thanks Andrew. Interested stuff. I've not heard that version of the pig story before.

 

You usually get the Hillsborough / Bramall Lane was built on a pig farm or United play in streaky bacon colours.

 

I wonder if @dunsbyowl has a view on this.

 

 

I've seen this story doing the rounds recently and I am doubtful  but that's just my view .  I subscribe to the red & white looks like bacon = pigs story - as for what BLane was before it was built on land owned by Danial Bramall part of which was used to keep Pigs .

 

What I have collected.

I rather like that quote from 1955

 

 

 

1889 Sheffield Telegraph

 

 

1967

 

 

My new finf 1970

 

 

 

Roy Hattersley autobigraphy "Goodbye to Yorkshire" - Roy was born in 1932.

 

"As a boy I genuinely believed in the man who never ate bacon because its red and white stripes reminded him of Sheffield United---indeed in my blue and white Wednesday heart I applauded and supported his loyalty."

 

 

[Onge]

11 minutes ago, dunsbyowl said:

 

1967

 

 

 

Maybe their new nickname should be wife-beaters then...

[Buggleskellie.]

Always said it was as simple as the "bacon shirts". 

[sheffsteel]

I’ve spoken to stacks of Blades/ Owls going to matches regularly from the 50’s, the term was never used in the 50’s or 60’s by anyone.

 

The truth is the term “Pig” started being used from about 1974.

Its the year Wednesday re-designed the new badge to the outline on an Owl.

 

The new badge appeared in The Star and some United fans teased Wednesdayites saying the badge looked more like a pig than an Owl, the claws even look like pigs trotters.

I was around in the mid 70’s and United used it to call Wednesday fans, can’t remember a single Wednesday fan using it towards Blades until the 80’s.

Edited September 22, 2017 by sheffsteel

[Guest Theboylangers]

6 minutes ago, sheffsteel said:

I’ve spoken to stacks of Blades/ Owls going to matches regularly from the 50’s.

 

The truth is the term “Pig” started being used from about 1974.

Its the year Wednesday re-designed the new badge to the outline on an Owl.

 

The new badge appeared in The Star and some United fans teased Wednesdayites saying the badge looked more like a pig than an Owl, the claws even look like pigs trotters.

I was around in the mid 70’s and United used it to call Wednesday fans, can’t remember a single Wednesday fan using it towards until the 80’s.

I've read some stuff on here but congratulations, one of the worst posts ever, written by pork, signed off with streaky bacon. 

[HOOTIE AND THE SHIT TU]

I thought the pig iron thing was common knowledge

[Nero]

26 minutes ago, sheffsteel said:

I’ve spoken to stacks of Blades/ Owls going to matches regularly from the 50’s, the term was never used in the 50’s or 60’s by anyone.

 

The truth is the term “Pig” started being used from about 1974.

Its the year Wednesday re-designed the new badge to the outline on an Owl.

 

The new badge appeared in The Star and some United fans teased Wednesdayites saying the badge looked more like a pig than an Owl, the claws even look like pigs trotters.

I was around in the mid 70’s and United used it to call Wednesday fans, can’t remember a single Wednesday fan using it towards Blades until the 80’s.

The ' truth' ........ yeah right.