Research reveals Melksham link to forgotten England rugby player

A rugby historian researching a new book has solved a mystery that remained unsolved for more than 150 years, discovering that a long-forgotten England international was born in Melksham.

Phil Hill was researching the lives of England rugby players for his book, The Lives of England Rugby Players 1871-1899, when he began investigating the identity of Robert Henry Fowler, whose details had remained uncertain in official records.

The Rugby Football Union’s records listed the player only as either Robert or Richard Henry Fowler, born in 1859.

Newspaper reports described him simply as “a heavy, powerful forward” who played for Leeds and Yorkshire, while some historians mistakenly identified him as the son of a Watford postman.

Phil’s research has now established that the player was Robert Henry Fowler, born in Melksham on 6th February 1851 and the son of MP Robert Fowler.

Melksham-born Richard Henry Fowler, who won an England rugby cap.

Known as Henry, Phil discovered that he was an avid cyclist and trained as a solicitor before moving to Leeds in 1874 to work for the Steam Plough Works, founded by his uncle John.

By 1888, Henry had become head of John Fowler & Co, where he modernised the machinery in the factory and made overseas business trips to America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and “tropical countries”.

Long before motor cars became commonplace, Henry imported a steam-powered vehicle from America.

Unfortunately, the burner beneath the driver’s seat scorched his legs while frightening horses wherever he went, forcing him to modify the design.

Official records suggest Fowler later gave the impression that he and Amy Ayres had married in 1884, although the ceremony actually took place in 1897.

By then they already had a 12-year-old son, a discrepancy that may explain the altered dates.

Henry died on 4th May 1919, 20 days before his daughter’s wedding.

Phil said, “Nearly a century and a half after wearing the England jersey, Robert Henry Fowler can now be restored to his rightful place in rugby history. The discovery also means Melksham can proudly claim one of England rugby’s forgotten pioneers as one of its own.”

His story is told in Phil Hill’s book, The Lives of England Rugby Players 1871-1899, which contains on and off-the-field biographies and photographs of all 337 players who represented England during the period.

The book is available in hardback from Amazon.