Hornchurch FC

While Essex lacks teams in the English Football League (bar Colchester, who seem intent on losing their status every season), it’s home to some strong National League and lower outfits. Today, let’s look at one recent addition to the sixth tier: Hornchurch FC.

Last year, they won the Isthmian Premier League and are, at the time of writing, sitting 11th in the National League South. They’ve adapted well to the higher tier, racking up eight wins. But they’ve been around for a while—initially formed in 1881. Club records show they ended their first season 7 shillings in debt, no doubt breaking FFP guidelines.

Their badge is a classic, rooted in the area’s Coat of Arms. Let’s decode it and #GetTheBadgeIn.

First, that bull’s head. It comes from a metal sculpture on St Andrew’s Church in Hornchurch town centre. Records mention a bull’s head on the church as far back as 1222. Legend has it this is where the town gets its name—"the church with horns." Another theory? A local abbot used the bull motif as his official seal which then was picked up by the Church. Bulls on churches are rare; it’s not exactly Mother Mary.

Next, the three red roses. Initially, I thought it was a nod to the War of the Roses. But Essex is far from the Red Rose of Lancaster. Turns out they’re linked to William de Wykeham (ancestor of Connor? #itfc), and it turns out his story is also connected to the bull.

In 1159, Henry II gifted the area of Hornchurch to the Great St Bernard Hospice, a French monastic order. The monks controlled Hornchurch for centuries, but in 1378, the Catholic Church got itself in a right old mess, ending up with two rival Popes: one in Rome and one in Avignon. England sided with Rome (naturally, we couldn’t side with the French), and monasteries loyal to Avignon were declared enemies. The French monastery’s lands were confiscated and sold to William de Wykeham, who, conveniently, was the guy who suggested the idea to the crown. Classic medieval insider trading!

Wykeham didn’t just pocket the profits. He endowed Hornchurch to fund his legacy project: New College, Oxford. Rents paid in Essex would now fund study in Oxford. The church at New College Oxford mirrors St Andrew’s, Hornchurch—presumably, Wykeham got a two-for-one deal with the builders.

Now, the bird on the badge: it’s a martlet from Edward the Confessor’s arms. Edward, the last Saxon King (unless you count Harold, who got an arrow in the eye for his troubles), had a hunting lodge at nearby Havering-atte-Bower. Edward owned much of the area, and the martlets also feature on Dagenham & Redbridge’s badge, though theirs are red, not Hornchurch’s yellow, which is the original colour. Hornchurch is OG Confessor.

There’s also the heart at the bottom of the crest. One theory claims it’s linked to St Bernard, the man who created the Great St Bernard’s Hospice monastic order, which ran the priory before Henry II shut it down. Bernard of Menthon established safe routes through the Alps for pilgrims, setting up hostels and using dogs, later called St Bernards, (yes, the Beethoven ones) for mountain rescues. While the idea of the dogs carrying brandy is mostly legend, for establishing this network of pit stops and mountain rescue teams across the Alps, giving safe passage to Rome, he was made a saint.

As for the nickname "Urchins," theories abound. One story ties it to medieval hedgehogs (called urchins – in French) that infested the land before the club moved in. Another credits local street children from a nearby Dr Barnardo’s home who served as ballboys, sparking shouts of "Come on you Urchins!" when the ball went out of play.

During WWII, Hornchurch played a critical role as home to RAF Hornchurch. Its Spitfire squadrons were pivotal to winning the Battle of Britain. Fittingly, the RAF emblem also featured the bull from St Peter’s church (and the Coat of Arms).

And here’s a prehistoric twist: Hornchurch marks the southernmost reach of ice sheets during the Ice Age.

From mountains of ice to French monasteries to Messerschmitts  -  Hornchurch FC have stood against them all.

Come on you Urchins!