Langholm is the oldest rugby club in Scotland outside the school system*, formed in 1871 by two of its businessmen’s sons and a friend who had learned the game at boarding schools in England. Its match against Carlisle on 23rd March 1873 was rugby’s first international game in the world at club level.
* Schools and old boys’ clubs.
The initiators were:
- William Scott (1852-1906): son of James, a merchant who founded Waverley mill with two of William’s siblings. He was the first club president, captain, secretary and treasurer.
- William Lightbody (1853-1883): son of Thomas, founder of Eskdale mill. He was a travelling saleman for the mill but died at age 30.
- Alfred Moses (1852-?): son of Thomas, a draper in Brampton, Cumberland. Alfred’s older brother Thomas took over Ford mill in 1869 but it failed in 1874 and he went to work for Reid & Taylor. Thomas was the first captain of Langholm Golf Club in 1892.
Langholm and its border rival Hawick (‘Hawick and Wilton’ club at the time) played their first match in 1874, during which there was much confusion due to the clubs’ use of different rules.
In 1901, Langholm was one of five clubs to form the Border League, the world’s first competitive rugby league, the other clubs being Galashiels, Hawick, Jedforest and Melrose. Selkirk and Kelso joined in 1912.
Tom Scott (1875-1947), William Scott’s nephew, played 11 times for Scotland between 1896 and 1900. He was president of the Scottish Football Union (now the Scottish Rugby Union) in 1914 but the war interrupted play until 1919, when he was voted president again.
Like the Langholm Cricket Club, the Langholm Rugby Club was granted permission to play on land owned by the Duke of Buccleuch, initially on the Castleholm, then on an area now called Milnholm.
The E&L published commentaries on various games by someone with the pseudonym ”Academician’ incorporating pointed suggestions for the club committee, which did not endear him to them.
The 1914-15 committee, elected in July 1914, were:
- President: Lord Dalkeith (7th Duke of Buccleuch from November 1914).
- Vice-presidents:
- Lord Henry Scott, third surviving son of 6th Duke of Buccleuch.
- Mr C Crabbie.
- Frederick Berkley Matthews, coal mine owner, Westerhall.
- Captain: J Wilson.
- Vice-captain: W C Beattie.
- Second fifteen captain: Johnstone Graham.
- Secretary and treasurer: Walter Mitchell, warehouseman.
- Committee: J T Varty; James Bell, T Borthwick, G McRobert, Robert Hotson, J W Goodfellow.
Matches in 1914-1915 were scheduled against the following but were cancelled due to the war: Carlisle, Hawick, Galashiels, Jedforest, Blaydon, Wigton, Edinburgh University, Selkirk, Melrose, Kelso, Whitehaven and Edinburgh District Union.
In the 1880s and 1890s, Langholm had another rugby club called Bullfield which played in a field known as Holmfoot Park, next to Holmfoot house. Both the house and field were rented by tannery owner Walter Scott (not closely related to the Scotts above), the club’s president.
