Football was invented in Scotland - so suggests the National Library of Scotland (www.nls.uk), in its latest newsletter:
Football may be older than we think. Evidence uncovered at NLS has suggested that Scots nobles were playing with 'fut ballis' back in the 15th century!
NB: The word football in the Scots language actually has a completely separate meaning to what we think of in English. From the Dictionary of the Scots Language (www.dsl.ac.uk):
FOOTBALL, n. Sc. usage: a sum of money paid by a married entrant member of a merchant guild on behalf of his wife to allow her to share in the benefits of the common fund. For the orig. of the metaphor see Ba-siller, Ba-money.
*Per. 1830 Perthshire Adv. (2 Dec.):
If the widow be poor, has she not a right to the funds? or why does her husband pay what is called a foot-ball? is not this regarded as his wife’s entry-money?
FOOTBALL, n. Sc. usage: a sum of money paid by a married entrant member of a merchant guild on behalf of his wife to allow her to share in the benefits of the common fund. For the orig. of the metaphor see Ba-siller, Ba-money.
*Per. 1830 Perthshire Adv. (2 Dec.):
If the widow be poor, has she not a right to the funds? or why does her husband pay what is called a foot-ball? is not this regarded as his wife’s entry-money?
Here's an example from Perth's weavers records:
Perth 17 ffebruary 1708
…The traid has sett to Thomas Vallance Alexr Muckle James Andersone and William Buchannan there footballs at half a croune per piece
So there you go!
Chris
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