The victorians were weird people, well some of them were anyway. If you read enough into it their morals were generally projected upon the working classes in a "do as I say; not as I do" sort of way. Temperance movements abounded, whilst at the same time "Gentlemen's Clubs" existed within which all manner of lasciviousness occurred beyond the prying eyes of the common or garden pleb, and handily beyond the reach of the licensing laws placed upon the Public House.
These victorian values even stretched their long arms into the realms of football [Dunipace FC, were literally formed as Dunipace Temperance Association Football Club], this was brought to mind when I came across this interesting case brought before the Falkirk Burgh Police Court on Tuesday 25th of September 1897 involving Falkirk FC's Centre-Forward of the time: James 'Midgy' Tennant.
My antipathy towards the police, plus the fact that Tennant scored more than a hundred goals for my beloved football club makes me want to side with 'midgy' ... however ... in an extract from the same paper, another Falkirk FC player Bobby Fearns pleaded guilty to the charges, also James Tennant once signed professional forms for East Stirlingshire, claiming it was a mistake as he was drunk out of his head when he did it. Hmmmm.
Still, when he was playing for Falkirk, he was good.
James 'Midgy' Tennant
b c1872, Falkirk, Stirlingshire
d 25th September 1926, Falkirk, Stirlingshire
Debut – Saturday January 10th 1891 v Battlefield (H) Friendly
Positions – Centre-Forward, Inside-Right, Inside-Left
Representative Honours – Stirlingshire v Forfarshire 1894/95
Club Honours – Midland League W 1894/95, RU 1895/96, Stirlingshire Cup W 1894/95, 1895/96, RU 1891/92, 1897/98, Falkirk District Charity Cup W 1891/92, 1893/94, RU 1894/95, Falkirk Infirmary Shield W 1891/92, 1892/93, 1893/94, RU 1895/96
Scottish Cup Matches /Goals [7/4]
Scottish Qualifying Cup Matches /Goals [8/4]
Minor League Matches/Goals [73/33]
Minor Cup Matches/Goals [43/21]
Other Matches/Goals [87/45]
Hat-Tricks – 6 [Midland League [1] Stirlingshire Cup [2] Other [3]]
Known Career – Burnhouse, Falkirk Athletic, Falkirk [1890/91-1897/98], Camelon [1898/99]
NB - he was called Midgy due to his alledged rotundity .....