How Could This Happen?!?!

The grave of Blackburn Rovers Football Club's founder (John Lewis) has been found to be left in a derelict state! Rovers Chairman John Williams says he will act.

Lewis, who founded the club with Arthur Constantine (a public schoolboy friend) at St Leger Hotel, King William Street in 1875 also played for the club as well as being a pioneer for the founding of the Lancashire Football League.

However, it has been found that Lewis' grave was left in a derelict and overgrown state! This discovery was made by Peter Lupson (who was researching for a new book) in Blackburn's Municipal Cemetery.

The grave will now be marked as Williams is keen to see the man who was so prominent in our creation to be fully recognised, he told the Lancashire Telegraph:

"I have spoken to Mr Lupson about his book and some of his discoveries are very interesting.

"We had no idea that the grave of John Lewis was there or that it was in a poor state.

"We would very much like to mark the grave in some way to recognise the very important role in the club's history but it must be done properly."

Peter Lupson (who's book Thank God for Football looks at the connections of Rovers and eleven other clubs with religion) who found the grave said:

"It was a shock that I found Mr Lewis' grave in the state I did.

"It was badly overgrown and neglected. He was such an important man for the club and the town.

"The grave was very hard to find in such a large cemetery and it was in a bad state.

"I've been happy to pass on all of my discoveries to the club and I hope there is something they can do."


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