Pamela Ashton's Great Aunt Mary - The true story of a pioneering lady footballer from Rochdale.

Forward by Steve Cooke

PAMELA ASHTON

Pamela Ashton is a much loved and highly respected follower of her home town, Rochdale.  She is a local heritage ambassador, a charity fundraiser for many years, a keen and very good writer and poet and a valuable champion of creativity encompassing all forms of the Arts.

If you are lucky enough to have met Pamela, you will have been immediately aware of just how passionate and proud she is about the development of her town.

I was excited to learn that she had written a new short story that she was happy to share.

Great Aunt Mary is the true story of Mary Moran a clog wearing Rochdale lass whose exploits as a footballer got full page coverage in the Rochdale Observer. The story of a John Bright mill girl who became captain of their football team.

An inspiring, moving  and very informative read with plenty of local dialect, a story that celebrates a local lass who became one of the pioneers of women’s football.

 GREAT AUNT MARY

CHAPTER ONE

The sharp heavy metal sound of Mary Moran’s clogs could be heard striking  the cobbles of  Elliot Street.  Gasping for breath she excitedly ran hell for leather down the alley, through the back yard, flung open the kitchen door, and tore through the house to the parlour.

“Wot th ell lass” said her dad Jimmy as he dropped his pipe and newspaper onto the floor.

“Ar ya bein follerd”

Mary was red in the face, out of puff, and tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks.

“No dad” she blurted out    “No, av got best news in al’t world”  she said, jigging about from one foot to the other.

“Better call yer mother”    “Ellen cum ere, owr Mary’s in a right state”

Ellen hurriedly appeared looking worried  “What’s up Mary, tell us, ar ya  alright luvvie”

“Mum Dad, av dun it, av wun it, av bin picked as captain of owr football team”       

“Never”    Ellen and Jimmy were dumstruck, as Mary gabbled on and on about her achievement.  She had indeed been chosen as captain  of the local Ladies Football Team.

CHAPTER 2

Jimmy and Ellen were soon as excited as Mary, hugging each other, and dancing a jig round and round in the parlour.

“Wait  ‘til thi all cum ome fer tea. Am sure thil all bi as chuffed and proud of ya as we ar lass.  Ellen, put kettle on luv, wi need a brew t steady owr nerves.”

By 6 o clock, Mary’s brothers Jimmy, Frank and Tommy,  her sisters Katy, Rosie, Margaret and Marie had all come home from work.

“Sit thi all down int kitchen” Jimmy said “Av got an announcement t make about owr Mary”   One by one they all gawped open mouthed, as  Dad told them of Mary’s fantastic achievement.

“Well dun our sis”

“Will ya get a medal”

“Well that’s to go int t Rochdale Observer”

“Fancy, our Mary goin to bi famous”

“Mother” said Tommy  “This calls fo a celebration, fetch that bottle o sherry wi wur savin for Christmas”

He called for order, and glasses chinked as he announced “I propose a toast to owr Mary”

 CHAPTER THREE

The first recorded International Women’s Football Match was played in Edinburgh in 1881  Scotland 3 Rest Of The World 0.  Subsequently the British Ladies Football League was formed in 1895.

These women wore buttoned up white woollen blouses and black elasticated bloomers, thick woollen knee high socks, a black bobble hat and hob nailed brown boots.

When they took to the field,the sight sometimes sparked riots amongst the crowd.  Women supporters shouted “Well done, you’ve cast aside your corsets”.

Feminists carried placards reading WOMEN ARE NOT ORNAMENTAL OR USELESS.

For many years female players had to defy an openly hostile Football Association. “The game of football is quite unsuitable for females, and ought not to be encouraged.  Novelty women’s matches have no place in a mans game” said a spokesman from the FA.        

Rather than celebrate their success, during 1921, the FA banned all women’s games from being played at affiliated venues.

However, during the 1920s women’s football was at it’s height of popularity.

 CHAPTER FOUR

All over England, particularly in the north west,  cotton and engineering mills had successful ladies football teams.

John Brights Textiles Rochdale, was the team that Mary Moran captained.  They played all home games on a pitch in fields behind John Brights house, 1 Ash Mizzy Road.

Netty Honeyball from Haslingdon, whose husband owned an engineering company, also had an excellent team.

Throughout the footballing fraternity, Honeyballers  became the recognised nickname given to women footballers.                                                  

Dick Kerrs munitions factory in Preston had a  particularly successful team formed during WW1.  They recruited women from all over the north west, apparently similar to playing in todays  superleague. Aunty Mary is mentioned in the roll of honour, having played for Dick Kerr’s team.

Huge crowds attended matches, a record  53,000 spectators attended one particular match between Everton and Arsenal at Goodison Park.

Today, these sporting females are forgotten pioneers of womens football    -

Not in Mary Moran’s family.

 CHAPTER FIVE

Mary enjoyed continued success.  When local games were played, her entourage of Mum Dad, brothers sisters, friends and  fellow workers from John Brights, were always stood on the touchline cheering her on.

“Look kids, our Mary’s got a full page int Observer, ood a thowt it.”  Everyone craned their necks around the kitchen table to read the article.

“It’s like avin a film star int family” Rosie said.

“Don’t be daft sis, film stars ar allus glamorous, Katy replied.   Frank made a snide comment “Owr  Mary wer never glamorous, she looks more like a fella” 

Ellen was getting cross  “You lot, don’t start on abaht that agen, shiz one of us, sheel allus be loved no matter what shi looks like.”

Dedicated to the game, Mary lived breathed and ate her unexpected sporting  life. The proudest family in Rochdale were overjoyed.  One morning an unexpected letter was delivered.  It was an invitation from the Mayor and Mayoress of Rochdale, inviting Mr and Mrs James Moran and daughter Mary, to join himself and local dignitaries  to a celebratory lunch at the Town Hall.

CHAPTER SIX

“Oh my God” shrieked Ellen “That’ll mean al need a new at.”   The whole family whooped and cheered,    “Eee   a never new that such an ‘onor could ever come to us.   Goin t Town All,  me an yer dad ar bein treated like royalty”.

 Locally, Mary became a minor celebrity.  Whenever she was at home, it became well known that she could always be relied upon to make a guest appearance. 

Unlike modern day football their was no financial fortunes to be made.  However, John Brights were she was still a  mill girl, were lenient with time off work when needed.  A charabanc (motor coach) was provided to take the players around the country.

Mary used to pinch herself regularly.  What a star, in the 1920’s it was an unbelieveable opportunity for anyone, let alone a woman.

British Lady Footballers did have fixtures  against International teams in Europe, particularly France Germany and Belgium.

 CHAPTER SEVEN

Towards the end of Mary’s football career the team did tour abroad.   The ladies were away from home for nearly a year.  Months and months of this time included

long distances travelled,  returning at the end of the season to Blighty.

Mary’s sisters fretted about her being so far away from home.   In one tearful outburst Ellen cried “A got all mi boys back safe from t war, a never thowt a would bi losin owr Mary”

“Now lass, dry yer eyes, shill not bi gone forever” consoled Jimmy.   Frank secretly held a tinge of envy, wishing it was him.  He still heard hostile comments from workmates about the very successful women footballers.    When Mary eventually returned to Rochdale, many tears of joy and relief were shed by her loved ones.  A big gathering of the clan was arranged, everyone rejoiced with a heroes welcome.   

CHAPTER EIGHT

Many years and several months passed, Mary unfortunately never settled back in Rochdale from her footballing career.

At that time, Australia was welcoming people from all over the Commonwealth.  A scheme called TEN POUND POMS was created by their government.  Passage was free to become settlers down under.  Basic accommodation was available and included in the scheme.  Many UK immigrants, returned to their motherland, but the majority did stay making a new life.

Auntie Mary was one such lady.  It must have been very hard being a single in those early days so far from home.  The future for her didn’t end in fame and fortune.  Mary met an Australian guy and become pregnant, apparently she wanted to return home,  some of my older relatives remembered her plight.  For whatever reason, no one helped to bring her back to Rochdale.   Was it shame?  was it financially impossible?  her sad demise has been lost intime.

For whatever reason, Great Auntie Mary never returned home.  However she has not been forgotten, as I hope this story will live on in the memories of her family.

Pamela Ashton 2025