Some Thoughts..........

Pioneers of their Day....
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Richard Lindon was born, in Rugby England, in 1816 (the year the William Webb Ellis arrived at Rugby School). As a boy he was trained as a Shoe and Bootmaker by William Gilbert (founder of the Gilbert Rugby Balls). William Gilberts shop and house was located where Grays Sports shop is currently located (which now owns the Gilbert Brand so full circle there). Richard Lindon l(currently World of Difference). Both opposite the front doors of the world famous Rugby School.

Rugby Schools boys were ever present in the life of Richard Lindon, asking him to clad pigs bladders in boot leather to prolong the life of the bladder, which popped easily. In those days, naturally, the pig’s bladder dictated both the size and shape of the ball.
In 1851, when Richard Lindon was around 35 years old. Two significant things happened, at the same venue, which changed the history of ball-based sport to this day.

Courtesy of the Railway the townsfolk of Rugby had, for the first time, direct access to London.

In 1851 "The Great Exhibition" was held at Crystal Palace. The Great Exhibition dominated global press at that time. Another "buzz word" for the day was RUBBER. A newly invented "vulcanised-rubber" had been invented by American Charles Goodyear and controversially patented over here by saw Thomas Hancock ,then in the employ of Charles Macintosh (waterproof coats namesake). Macintosh exhibited, at Crystal Palace, a whole host of rubber based products including the coat (the Macintosh), shoes and medical equipment including the "air cushion".

On the train from Rugby was Mr. William Gilbert, Mr. Richard Lindon and Mr. John Lillywhite.
Mr. Gilbert had Exhibit No. 187 "a Rugby School Football 'of leather dressed expressly for the purpose', and officially classified as an Educational Appliance. On his stand were two balls that were made with 4-panels and quite plum shaped.

Mr. Lindon had freedom to roam. On looking at all the marvellous inventions of the Victorian time he had his "eureka" moment. An india-rubber substitute for the pigs bladder as a safer alternative.
Having made a prototype Lindon found that rubber, although pliable, was too tough to blow by lung power and on seeing a common medical syringe............. Richard Lindon invented the rubber bladder, the brass inflating hand-pump and the TRUE Big-Side Match Ball, which was to dictate the rugby ball shape.

We now move forward over one-and-half centuries.
Rugby School originally had just one classroom. Affectionately called OBS (Old Big School) it is timber panelled. A few years ago an area of panelling started to show external sign of damp. Following an investigation it was found that there was a chimneybreast behind the panels. The years of soot had absorbed the damp quite successfully however, following a series of downpours the soot had become saturated and remedial work was required. The panels removed and the chimney cleaned and ventilated. During this process out popped a little Button Ball. First hoofed in the air in the late 1850's it had finally reached the ground.
The little 7-panel Button Ball (named because it has a circular disk of leather at each end to gather the 7 panels of leather around) has been perfectly preserved in soot. When cleaned it was found to contain the remains of one of Mr. Lindons very first bladders. It is the oldest and only ball ever found from this period know to survive today and can be found on display at the Rugby School museum.

The significance of this fantastic treasure cannot be understated. Particularly as it is a hybrid. Half soccer ball / half rugby ball. The shape is undoubtedly a ball of the shape unique to the request of Rugby School Boys (their plum). The 7 panels and buttons went on to become the spherical 8-panel soccer ball, as used in the very first FA Cup final.

One must remember that the Punt-about ButtonBall pre-dates the split between the Rugby Union and the Football Association.
Rules were still being considered for both and both sports were in their infancy.

Rugby School made the first set of rules for their distinctive game, they also set up the first Rugby Union and 10 Rugby School Boys made up the majority of the 1st England team. Our Railway allowed Rugby School Boys to take their game onto Universities and also allowed Mr. Lindon and Mr. Gilbert to send balls to London and consequently around the world.
As the home of the game............. very little should be given to an individual such as William Webb Ellis.

The game of Rugby was both the whole school & towns institution and sole export industry in it's day. Balls made in Rugby were revered throughout the world.

Through the boys of Rugby .. the game was developed and rules applied. Application of rules required standardisation of the tool itself "the ball" without the invention of a consistent shaped bladder to clad leather around the game would not have been capable of being so accepted and revolutionised as it was.
Oh yes........ on the train was Mr. John Lillywhite. Mr. Lillywhite arrived at Rugby School in 1850, the year before the Great Exhibition, as Rugby Schools first employed Cricket professional. In the winter he too would have been involved in the Rugby Game. He would collect balls from Mr. Gilbert and became very close friends. Mr. Lillywhite was quite the entrepreneur. As Richard Lindon did not patent his india-rubber bladder invention Mr. Lillywhite assisted Mr. Gilbert to manufacture rubber bladders for his rugby balls and also a bladder to go into a spherical ball. The first ever regulation Soccer ball was Lillywhites size 5.

Lillywhites contacts allowed Gilbert mass produced and sold, globally, 1000's of balls per year where, until his death Lindon was content to supply the top quality (tournament) Big Side Match Balls to Rugby School, Oxford, Cambridge, Dublin Universities etc. made of the finest leathers and properly cured and oiled.
Personally I am pleased he did. Had he not done so then the little 7-panel Punt-about ButtonBall would have perished over a century ago.
As holder and owner of the Registered Design and Trademark to the Punt-about ButtonBall and the copyright owner of Richard Lindons photograph, I too am keen to ensure that every ball produced is a reflection of the effort that Mr. Lindon himself would accept. They are hand stitched, hand dyed and hand polished. The process to produce just one ball is as lengthy as it is rewarding. As leather is a natural material, each ball takes on it's own unique character.
Gilbert scharge up to £100 for a leather Match Ball. So expensive they are never punted around on a sports field and are automatically destined for a Trophy Cabinet. We are committed to keep the cost of the Punt-about ButtonBall affordable. Trophy Cabinet... YES, I think they are beautiful and worthy of display. Punted around... by gosh yes.. they fly !

Finally...... who is the "Godfather" of the Rugby Game. The Boys of Rugby School, William Webb Ellis, William Gilbert, John Lillywhite, Richard Lindon? NO none of them.
A chap called Dr.Thomas Arnold. Thomas Arnold was a headmaster at Rugby School from 1828 until his death in 1842, he was the founder of curricular education. Dr. Arnold saw the benefit of introducing and developing team sport in education to improve "character".
Dr.Arnold was also the main inspiration behind the thought process of Baron Pierre de Coubertin who founded the Modern Olympic Games. Dr.Arnold is also the leading character in novel Tom Browns School Days.

Without this pioneering Headmasters support to allow the Boys to develop their own game Rugby Football as we come to know it would never have been conceived, nurtured, developed and advanced into the game it has become today.

It warms me to think that Richard Lindon and Dr. Arnold were capable of engaging day-to-day comment.

True pioneers of their day.

Simon Hawkesley CEO
Richard Lindon & Co.