Historic Football Match Featured in Leeds Library Exhibition

September 28, 2026 Off By

Leeds City Library showcases 400 years of local history

A new exhibition at Leeds City Library highlights centuries of the city’s history, including the first known written record of a football game in Leeds. The display forms part of the wider Leeds 400 programme, marking 400 years since Leeds was granted its first city charter in 1626.

First recorded football game in Leeds

The earliest written mention of football in Leeds comes from a Memoranda Book kept by John Lucas, a schoolmaster at Leeds Grammar School. His diary, covering the years 1712 to 1716, includes an entry from December 16 and 17, 1715, describing “hundreds of men playing at foot-ball upon the river” during a severe frost and heavy snowfall. This impromptu match took place on the frozen River Aire amid harsh winter conditions.

Exhibition highlights

The exhibition features a range of historic items and documents, including:

John Lucas’s handwritten Memoranda Book, detailing local events from the early 18th century
A copy of the Chartularium Kirkstallense, a collection of around 200 documents related to Kirkstall, compiled in the 1740s by antiquarian Thomas Wilson
An original property deed dating from 1460, the oldest document related to Leeds held in the City Library’s collection
A police constable’s truncheon from the time of the Chartist Riots of 1842, a period of industrial unrest and social protest
A collection of gig tickets and zines from notable Leeds music venues, including the Duchess of York
Various public donations and documents connected to Leeds’s tricentenary celebrations

Context and significance

The exhibition offers visitors insight into the city’s development over four centuries, combining historical records with contemporary memorabilia. It reflects the efforts of historians and local communities in preserving Leeds’s heritage through diverse objects and accounts.

Leeds’s first city charter, granted by King Charles I in 1626, incorporated the town as a “free borough” and a “body corporate and politic,” marking a significant milestone in its civic history.

Official comments

Antony Ramm, special collections librarian at Leeds City Library, said the exhibition demonstrates the rich and varied history of Leeds and the role of historians in capturing local stories. He highlighted how the collection allows people to understand life in Leeds across different eras.

Councillor Asghar Khan, Leeds City Council’s executive member for housing and hubs, described the library archives as a unique and evolving resource. He noted the importance of the exhibition in celebrating Leeds’s heritage during this landmark year.