1876 or 1879?: Founded in The Mists of Time
The precise details of the club's founding are not known. A Port Vale cricket club were in existence in 1874, which may or may not have had any relation to the football club. The most-widely accepted story is that Port Vale were formed during an 1876 meeting at Port Vale House, from where the club was supposed to have taken its name.
However, comprehensive research by historian Jeff Kent indicated that the club was probably formed in 1879 as an offshoot of Porthill Victoria football club and took its name from its location, in the valley of canal ports. Evidence in support of this came from Vale chairman Robert Audley writing that the club was "an organisation of twenty–eight years standing" in 1907. Also John Hood and an 'E.Hood' were recorded as having scored goals for Porthill Victoria on 4 January 1879, which seems to have disbanded at the end of that season. The 1879 theory suggests that Porthill Victoria players broke away to found Port Vale in 1879, having tired of travelling up the hill to Wolstanton from their work places to play their football. Before 1926, the occasional mentions in print of the club's founding had given the year of formation as 1879, and most of the original founders would not have reached adulthood by 1876. However the January 1926, 50-year jubilee celebrations saw the 1876 date apparently firmly established as the year of the club's founding; it is not known what convinced the organizers at the time that the date was correct. To add to the confusion, local newspaper The Sentinel also printed 1879 as the club's founding date on 10 March 1928 and 24 August 1931, despite reporting on the jubilee celebrations in January 1926.
Another theory on the club's origins is that Port Vale was formed from a merger of Wolstanton, Middleport and Burslem St. Paul's, but there is little evidence to support it. A further theory is that Port Vale were originally a brickworks team, mainly based on the existence of bricks with "Burslem Port Vale" and "Port Vale" marked upon them. However, these names appear to be indicative of their place of manufacture (in Port Vale, the valley of ports) and often have a company name upon them, so there is no hard evidence to link them to the football club.
The unique name of Port Vale has attracted interest and debate. The players lived near such places as: Port Vale Wharf, Port Vale Street, Port Vale Corn Mills and Port Vale House. Also, with nearby Porthill Victoria having played upon a hill, the team of the valley below meant that the name Port Vale was "a rather natural choice." Another theory was that the name came from a shortening of 'Longport Vale'.
Read more about this topic: History Of Port Vale F.C.
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