Waltham Abbey FC

Today, let's visit Isthmian League North Division outfit @walthamabbeyfc. They have an incredible history and a very elegant badge to tell the tale—so let's #GetTheBadgeIn.

Formed during the Second World War, while dodging V2 rockets frequently aimed at the town’s Royal Gunpowder Mill, locals joined forces with a group of Tottenham Hotspur youth players to form the club.

It has been a fixture of the local football scene ever since, growing over time and seizing opportunities when they arose. The stadium rebuild in 2005 included seats from the recently demolished Maine Road, formerly home to Manchester City.

Today, they sit in the playoff spots for Isthmian Division North and are seeking a return to the Premier Division.

Now, let's take another look at this badge—starting right in the middle. The lion.

The lion references one of England’s most famous kings—and arguably still Waltham Abbey’s most famous resident—Harold Godwinson. His battle shield and family emblem always bore a lion’s head.

Godwinson was the Saxon King who famously took an arrow to the eye at the Battle of Hastings.

But how does Harold connect to Waltham Abbey? Well, hold tight:

Waltham Abbey has an extraordinary religious heritage. Archaeological evidence confirms that a wooden church stood on the site as far back as the 700s. This place is 1,300 years old.

Say it again. One thousand, three hundred years ago—Waltham had a church.

And not just any church. In 1030, a Saxon thegn (noble) named Tovi the Proud had a dream. Well, technically, a blacksmith on his Somerset estate had the dream and told Tovi. In this dream, he was shown the location of a holy relic.

A team got to work digging—and hey presto—a stunning flint crucifix was unearthed. Tovi loaded it onto a cart, but the oxen refused to move.

But when they heard the word "Waltham," the oxen suddenly sprang to life and didn’t stop until completing the 157-mile journey!

Tovi built the Abbey where they stopped. Pilgrims flocked from far and wide—including our man, Harold Godwinson. He was so inspired by the Legend of the Holy Cross that he funded renovations to the site—presumably with electric charging points and improved wheelchair access.

After Harold’s unfortunate encounter with a French arrow at Hastings it is widely believed that his body was returned to Waltham Abbey for burial. A grave with his name on it still exists.

As far as I know, nobody has exhumed it to check:

a) If he’s actually there.

b) Whether he really took an arrow to the eye.

Regardless, while it no longer attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims, Harold’s burial site undoubtedly draws tens of history teachers each year.

That said, the new BBC TV series King and Conqueror—a sort of historical Game of Thrones—is all about Harold. Perhaps Waltham Abbey can cash in?

The Abbey remained popular with kings throughout history, including that notorious abbey-destroyer, Henry VIII. He had a home opposite the Abbey, and when he set about the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Waltham Abbey was the last to go.

You’d like to think it was with a heavy heart that Henry saw his favourite abbey go.

What happened to the Holy Cross? Some say Henry’s men destroyed it in their campaign to eradicate Catholic relics. Others claim the monks smuggled it out before it could be taken. But where? Under the penalty spot at Capershotts?

And this brings us to another key feature of the club’s badge—the four gold crosslets, taken from the Abbey’s coat of arms.

So, there you have it: Waltham Abbey FC. Those oxen in 1030 knew this place was special. The last Saxon King knew it. Henry VIII knew it. And some Luftwaffe intelligence officer clearly saw its strategic value in 1944.

Fortunately, it has survived Norman invasions, monastic dissolutions, and enemy cruise missiles.

The Legend of the Holy Cross still holds strong every Saturday in the Isthmian League Premier.

Come on, you Abbotts!