William Stewart (born 1868) was a Scottish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for Everton and

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

Football career

Initially with

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

, Stewart was an Army Cup winner and helped

Distillery Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...

win the

Irish Cup The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Samuel Gelston's Whiskey Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. Ina ...

while stationed in Ireland with the

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regimen ...

. Preston North End bought him out of the Army. He moved to Everton in July 1893, forming a notable half back line with

Johnny Holt Johnny Holt (10 April 1865 – 1937) was an English professional footballer who played in twenty-one of Everton's twenty-two game Football League title winning side of 1890–91. Biography Holt played for a number of clubs before signing ...

and

Dickie Boyle Richard Boyle (born 24 September 1869) was a Scottish professional footballer. Career Boyle played club football in Scotland and England for Dumbarton, Everton, New Brighton Tower and Dundee. Honours ;Dumbarton * Scottish League: Champions ...

and playing in the

1897 FA Cup Final Events January–March * January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City. * January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a puniti ...

, a defeat to

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

. Stewart was signed for

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

by Sam Hollis in July 1898 and finished his career as captain playing 51 games in the Southern League with Bristol City. He was noted for his long throw-ins involving a running and jumping technique that was eventually outlawed.

Professional baseball

In 1890 Stewart played right field professionally for

Preston North End Baseball Club Preston North End Baseball Club were a short lived English professional baseball club, who played their home games at Deepdale, competing for the 1890 National League of Baseball of Great Britain. Preston North End Baseball Club Limited were for ...

in the National League of Baseball of Great Britain.

Later life, tragedy and hardship

Bill Stewart later settled in the

Toxteth Toxteth is an inner-city area of Liverpool in the historic county of Lancashire and the ceremonial county of Merseyside. Toxteth is located to the south of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Aigburth, Canning, Dingle, and Edge Hill. The area w ...

area of Liverpool. After his playing days ended he worked for a time on the Liverpool docks, only to suffer severe injuries in an accident at some point in the 1920s. Unable to earn a living Stewart fell on hard times and well-known Liverpool Echo football reporter 'Bee' suggested Everton F.C. should take a collection for their former captain at a match in October 1927. This suggestion was discussed at an Everton F.C. board meeting on 25 October 1927, but no agreement is detailed. Everton F.C. did later donate funds to Stewart and his family, as agreed at a board meeting in September 1936, after news had reached the club that their former player was seriously ill with cancer. Two payments of five pounds are detailed at subsequent meetings. Stewart's son Robert, born to first wife, Mary Emma Bennett, was killed in action on 12 December 1917. Mary had passed away in 1900, aged just 29. Stewart remarried Ellen in 1910 and they had a son, Donald, who died aged just seven in 1915. Bill Stewart died on 11 January 1937, at Smithdown Road Hospital. He was buried in an unmarked grave at the nearby

Toxteth Park Cemetery Toxteth Park Cemetery is a graveyard on Smithdown Road, Liverpool, United Kingdom. It was opened on Monday 9 June 1856. It was the responsibility of the Toxteth Park Burial Board, which had been established by at least 1855. The opening ceremon ...

. The Everton board of directors sent a wreath and letter to his family. Ellen passed away aged 69 in February 1937, barely a month after her husband, and was buried with him and their son at Toxteth Park Cemetery.

References

1868 births 1937 deaths Scottish men's footballers English Football League players Preston North End F.C. players Everton F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players Men's association football midfielders Footballers from Arbroath Royal Scots soldiers Black Watch soldiers Lisburn Distillery F.C. players Southern Football League players Scottish baseball players {{Scotland-footy-midfielder-1860s-stub