The first football, both rugby & soccer, was a pig's bladder, inflated with human lung power, and knotted at the end like a balloon. As it was susceptable to popping so Boot and shoemakers were introduced to manufacture a leather case for the ball, which, in those days, reflected the shape of the bladder. This was "plum or even pear shaped"; rounder than today's rugby ball, but certainly not spherical.
Richard Lindon exhibits: portrait, pump, bladder, a pigs bladder, plum shaped ball.
Photograph taken by the author at The Rugby Football Museum, Rugby (Sept 2006)
As such both rugby & soccer, until the 1860's, was played with a "plum shaped" spherical ball with an inner-tube made of a pigs’ bladder.
There was nothing in the early rules about the size of the ball to be used. Some of those used in the "village" puntabouts were enormous by today's standards.
To quote the Brighton College Football Song:
And Eton may play with a pill if they please
And Harrow may stick to their Cheshire Cheese
And Rugby their outgrown egg, but here
Is the perfect game of the perfect sphere
In 1842 William Gilbert moved his shop from High Street in Rugby which lead directly to Rugby Schools Quad Entrance and relocated in St. Matthews Street which was directly opposite Rugby Schools playing field, known as "The Close" for a strategic advantage.
John Lillywhite was employed at Rugby School in 1850 as the schools
first cricket professional and possibly assisted William Gilbert to
launch his footballs and rugby balls to the London clubs of the 1860's.
Lillywhite himself saw the financial potential of manufacturing
footballs. His association with the ball makers of Rugby allowed him to capitalise on this opportunity.
In 1862 Richard Lindon introduced India rubber inner-tubes and because of the pliability of vulcanised rubber the shape for a soccer ball could finally be spherical. Likewise the rugby ball, at Rugby Schools request, to distunguish their ball over other schools, gradually changed from a pigs bladder plum to an exaggerated egg with Lindon changing the shape of the rubber bladder to accommodate. This involvement singularly recognised and allowed Lindon to advertise as the "Principal" Maker of the Big-Side Match Balls to Rugby School, Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin University etc".
For the first time in the history of the, inflatable, ball a template for leather panels could be made and balls be replicated time over to an exacting standard. Richard Lindon became the founding father to the first original round soccer ball and the original oval rugby Ball.
The first time that a "standard" soccer ball was specified was for a representative game between the (London) Football Association and Sheffield Association in March 1866, when it was stated that "Lillywhite's No. 5" must be used.
Later, the Harrow Chequers club proposed that a fixed size of ball
should be used for the FA's Challenge Cup Competition. The general
agreement was also that Lillywhite's number 5 should be used.
After the tape measure was produced, the law became a ball of average circumference of not less than 27 inches and not more than 28 inches This rule was extended to encompass all games in 1883. A standard weight followed in 1889: from 12 to 15 ounces. This was amended in 1937 to become 14 to 16 ounces.
In 1892 the RFU endorsed ovalness, Rugby School's Lindon Big-Side Match ball, as the compulsory shape. The gradual flattening of the ball continued over the years as rules further defined the modern game. In the late 1970's leather-encased balls, which were prone to water-logging, were replaced with balls encased in synthetic waterproof materials.
A NATIONAL "LIVING" TREASURE (Country Life quote)
JOHN BATCHELOR (1933- )
John Batchelor (now age 73) is without any doubt the worlds most recognised living Rugby Ball "hand stitcher". John stitches leather balls with a "Bristle", a nylon hair, in the traditional way. He still works to this day at the former James Gilbert Shop a few shops away from Richard Lindons. The premises are now The Rugby Football Museum. Richard Lindons Brass Pump, medals and memorabilia are situated in the display cabinets behind John.
John Batchelor & Simon Hawkesley (the Author) trying not to laugh !!
John Batchelor and the author have been friends for years and regularly meet up to discuss the trials and tribulations of Rugby's town team. The Rugby Lions. Simon Hawkesley was scrum-half in the Rugby Lions Colts squad in the early 1980's by his own admission he should have retired from the game "when he left school" !!
John Batchelor with Lawrence Webb Managing Director of Webb Ellis Co.
Lawrence is son of Rodney "Sam" Webb, former England Player and owner of The Rugby Football Museum, a must see, if you visit the town of Rugby and the origin of the game.