1885 Southern Rugby Union Season, Season Summary
Despite a deficit in their defence and kicking, the Sydney University Football Club proved to be the Premier club and were awarded the Gardiner Challenge Cup. The 'Varsity were well organised and displayed consistent form during the season. The team put the same players onto the field each week. As a result, the club were undefeated during the cup campaign with their only losses coming from non-cup games with a weakened team.


1885 Southern Rugby Union Season, Season Summary
The Wallaroo Football Club displayed occasional brilliance on the field. On a good day, they demonstrated excellent forward play. However, a heavy schedule of 20 games across all matches saw the club become inconsistent in their performance. In 14 Cup games, the team won 8. Despite being beaten by Burwood, Wallaroo were ranked second for the season due to winning more games.


1885 Southern Rugby Union Season, Season Summary
Last season's Premiers, Burwood, were considered the more all-round team. They were splendidly led by their captain Samuel Chapman who had spent some time playing in Cambridge. Using the experience gained, he encouraged his players to back each other. The club finished their season with a draw against the eventual champions, displaying the potential of the team.


1885 Southern Rugby Union Season, Lower Grades
The Southern Rugby Football Union classified the participating clubs into two groups, Seniors and Juniors. Prior to 1883, all clubs were considered for the Premiership. With the introduction of the Gardiner Challenge Cup, only Senior clubs participated in the competition. The Junior clubs competed with each other, but no award was recognised for their achievements. Matches between Senior and Junior teams were common place, with results in those matches possibly assisting in deciding the final Senior Premiership winner.


1885 Southern Rugby Union Season, Lower Grades
In 1885, the top Junior Clubs were Balmain Wellington and Rosedale who were both undefeated for the season.


1885 Southern Rugby Union Season, Representative Games, Intercolonial Matches
In 1885, the New South Wales Rugby team visited Brisbane to play two matches against the Queensland team. For the first time, the Gardiner Cup continued to be played. This saw some of the local clubs losing valuable players and were thus unable to form a team to play their matches. Some controversy was present in the newspapers concerning the selection of certain NSW players and the omittance of other players in the team. With this in mind, the Queensland team had the edge in the first match, defeating NSW 14 points to nil. After this success, the Queensland team was seen to be a little over confident heading into the second match. As a result, they were out classed and were defeated by NSW 12 points to 2.


1885 St Leonards colonial by-election
A by-election for the seat of St Leonards in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly was held on 4 June 1885 because of the death of Bernhardt Holtermann.


1885 St. Louis Browns season
The 1885 St. Louis Browns season was the team's fourth season in St. Louis, Missouri, and the fourth season in the American Association. The Browns went 79–33 during the season, best in the American Association, and won their first AA pennant. In the World Series, the Browns played the National League champion Chicago White Stockings. The series ended in dispute, with each club winning 3 games with 1 tie.


1885 St. Louis Browns season, Regular season
Manager Charlie Comiskey finally was able to assemble and direct a team from start to finish the way he wanted. The result: a runaway championship.


1885 St. Louis Browns season, Regular season
The team was built on daring baserunning, clutch hitting, and the best pitching in the league. The team as a whole led the league in both earned run average (ERA) and overall runs allowed by a healthy margin over second-best Louisville. Individually, Dave Foutz was outstanding, as he won 33 of the 46 games he started and ranked fifth in ERA. His teammate Bob Caruthers was even better, compiling league-leading totals in wins (40), ERA (2.07) and winning percentage (a stellar .755).


1885 St. Louis Browns season, Regular season
The Browns took over first place to stay in the second week of May, but they made a joke of the race in July. On successive home stands, they had winning streaks of 17 and 12 games, combining for a major-league record 27-game winning streak at home that still stands as the best ever. They finished games laps ahead of the second-place Cincinnati Red Stockings and earned a berth in the World Series against the National League champion Chicago White Stockings.


1885 St. Louis Browns season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1885 St. Louis Browns season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1885 St. Louis Browns season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1885 St. Louis Maroons season
The 1885 St. Louis Maroons season was the team's first season in the National League after winning the Union Association championship in 1884. This season was not nearly as successful, as the Maroons finished with a 36–72 record, worst in the eight-team league.


1885 St. Louis Maroons season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1885 St. Louis Maroons season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1885 St. Louis Maroons season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1885 St. Louis Maroons season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1885 Swiss constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Switzerland on 25 October 1885. The constitutional amendments were approved by 59.4% of voters and a majority of cantons.


1885 Swiss constitutional referendum, Background
In order to pass, any amendments to the constitution needed a double majority; a majority of the popular vote and majority of the cantons. The decision of each canton was based on the vote in that canton. Full cantons counted as one vote, whilst half cantons counted as half.


1885 Tauranga by-elections
Two 1885 by-elections were held in the electorate of Tauranga to replace the sitting member in 1885, during the term of the 9th Parliament.


1885 Tauranga by-elections
William Kelly stood and came second in both by-elections. He had come second for the electorate in the two previous general elections in 1881 election and 1884 election, and was finally elected in the 1887 election.


1885 Tauranga by-elections, May 1885 by-election
The first by–election was held on 22 May after the resignation of George Morris when he was appointed the Legislative Council, and was won by John Sheehan. After Kelly asked for a scrutiny of the votes, Sheehan's majority was reduced from 15 to 12.


1885 Tauranga by-elections, July 1885 by-election
The second by–election was held on 11 July after the death of John Sheehan on 12 June, Lawrence Grace won the seat.


1885 U.S. National Championships (tennis)
List of champions of the 1885 U.S. National Championships (now known as the US Open). The tournament was held from 18 August to 22 August on the outdoor grass courts at the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island. It was the 5th U.S. National Championships and the second Grand Slam tournament of the year.


1885 U.S. National Championships (tennis), Finals, Singles
Richard D. Sears defeated  Godfrey M. Brinley 6–3, 4–6, 6–0, 6–3


1885 U.S. National Championships (tennis), Finals, Doubles
Richard D. Sears /  Joseph Clark def. Henry Slocum /  Percy Knapp 6–3, 6–0, 6–2


1885 U.S. National Championships – Doubles
Richard Sears and Joseph Clark won the final against Henry Slocum and Percy Knapp.


1885 U.S. National Championships – Singles
Richard Sears defeated Godfrey M. Brinley in the final, 6–3, 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, to win the Men's Singles tennis title at the 1885 U.S. National Championships. This was Sears fifth title at the U.S. championships.


1885 United Kingdom general election
The 1885 United Kingdom general election was held from 24 November to 18 December 1885. This was the first general election after an extension of the franchise and redistribution of seats. For the first time a majority of adult males could vote and most constituencies by law returned a single member to Parliament fulfilling one of the ideals of Chartism to provide direct single-member, single-electorate accountability. It saw the Liberals, led by William Gladstone, win the most seats, but not an overall majority.


1885 United Kingdom general election
As the Irish Nationalists held the balance of power between them and the Conservatives who sat with an increasing number of allied Unionist MPs (referring to the Union of Great Britain and Ireland), this exacerbated divisions within the Liberals over Irish Home Rule and led to a Liberal split and another general election the following year.


1885 United Kingdom general election
The 1885 election saw the first socialist party participate, with the Social Democratic Federation led by H. M. Hyndman standing three candidates.


1885 United Kingdom general election in Ireland
The 1885 general election in Ireland was the first election following the Representation of the People Act 1884 and the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, which redrew the Irish electoral landscape.


1885 United Kingdom general election in Ireland
The election saw the Irish Parliamentary Party secure their place as the dominant party in Irish politics, winning the vast majority of available seats. In comparison, the Liberals were wiped out in Ireland, whilst the Conservatives were reduced to 16 seats.


1885 United Kingdom general election in Ireland
The election also saw the emergence of the Irish Loyal and Patriotic Union; one of the forerunners of the later Irish Unionist Alliance. The IPLU sought to maximise the number of candidates elected from unionist parties in the three southern Irish provinces. In doing this the party would support individual candidates in various constituencies, and encourage Irish unionists to vote for these candidates, instead of splitting their vote between the various parties. Despite the IPLU's attempts, no southern Unionists were elected.


1885 United Kingdom general election in Ireland
The election also saw a similarly named Loyal Irish Union, which campaigned alongside Irish Conservatives. Unlike the ILPU, which prioritised Unionism over party politics, the Loyal Irish Union prioritised opposition to the Liberals over forming any kind of bi-partisan Unionist alliance.


1885 United Kingdom general election in Ireland, Changes to the Irish Electorate
The Irish electorate in 1885 was radically different to that in 1880. The Representation of the People Act 1884 equalised the county and borough franchises and made all householders and lodgers in the counties eligible to vote, thereby bringing Irish electoral law into line with that in Great Britain. The result of this reform was massive, and saw the Irish electorate more than triple, increasing from 229,204 in 1880 to 737,965 in 1885.


1885 United Kingdom general election in Ireland, Changes to the Irish Electorate
In spite of this, however, the Irish electorate was still comparatively smaller than the electorates of the other nations of the United Kingdom; whilst 2 in 3 adults males had the vote in England and Wales, or 3 in 5 in Scotland, in Ireland only 1 in 2 adult males could vote.


1885 United Kingdom general election in Ireland, Results
Not included in the totals are the two Dublin University seats, which were uncontested and were retained by the Conservatives.


1885 United Kingdom general election in Scotland
These are the results of the 1885 United Kingdom general election in Scotland. The election was held between 24 November and 18 December 1885 and 70 constituency seats in Scotland were contested. One of the two university seats for Scotland was also contested. Scotland had gained 12 seats since the previous election as a result of the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and the electorate had increased from 293,581 to 560,580 as a result of the Representation of the People Act 1884 (out of 24,397,385 people registered in the 1881 census).


1885 United Kingdom general election in Scotland
Of particular note was the splintering of the Liberal representation in Scotland. Some 7 MPs were returned as Independent Liberals, with Edinburgh in particular seeing 3 of its 4 constituencies return Independent Liberals.


1885 United Kingdom general election in Scotland
In the western Highlands the Crofters Party emerged as the dominant force, taking four constituencies. The Independent Liberal MP elected for the Wick Burghs also aligned with the group. The emergence of the group was owed to the Representation of the People Act 1884, which had reduced the property qualifications for voters. As a result many Crofters were able to vote for the first time in 1885. The Crofting Party worked in close collaboration with the Highland Land League, and opposed the lack of secure and tenure and the severely reduced access to land for crofters.


1885 United Kingdom general election in Scotland, Results
Below is a table summarising the results of the 1885 general election in Scotland.


1885 United States House of Representatives elections
There were six special elections to the United States House of Representatives in 1885 during the 48th and 49th Congresses.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois
The 1885 United States Senate election in Illinois was held from February 18 to May 19, 1885. The contentious election was determined by a joint session of the Illinois General Assembly. Incumbent Republican United States Senator John A. Logan, seeking a third term (second consecutive) in the United States Senate, was unanimously nominated by a Republican caucus. However, some assemblymen expressed concern about the candidate and abstained from supporting him.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois
Logan initially faced off against Democrat William Ralls Morrison, who was nominated during a legislative session. When the election began on February 18, the assembly combined for 102 Republicans and a coalition of 102 supporting the Democrats, thus producing a stalemate. For the next two months, elections were held to no avail during joint sessions. On April 12, a Democratic representative died and a Republican candidate won the special election to replace him. This angered Democrats, who tired of Morrison's lack of appeal and nominated Judge Lambert Tree in his place. After three months, the last Republican holdout consented to follow the rest of his party, and Logan was elected with 103 of the 204 votes.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois, Early voting, Republican caucus
On February 5, 1885, a Republican senatorial caucus was held in the Leland Hotel in Springfield, Illinois. The meeting sought to determine the party's candidate for the US Senate seat currently held by Republican John A. Logan. President of the Illinois Bar Association Melville Fuller presided over the meeting and US Representative William E. Mason was elected chairman. Daniel Hogan and Henry Sherman Boutell were named secretaries.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois, Early voting, Republican caucus
State senator Lorenzo D. Whiting made the first speech supporting Logan as the Republican candidate. State representatives Orrin P. Cooley and Charles E. Scharlau and state senators Martin B. Thompson and William S. Morris seconded the nomination. Other assemblymen joined in and Logan was easily nominated for his seat. Logan gave a speech, noting that Republicans held 102 of 204 seats against a coalition of other parties. This speech was followed by ones by former Governor of Illinois John Marshall Hamilton and district attorney James A. Connolly.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois, Early voting, Republican caucus
Illinois Democrats were relieved to hear that there were eight absences among the ranks of the Republicans at their nominating convention, although five expressed support for Logan within the day. Thomas C. MacMillan did not attend and did not explicitly support Logan, but stated that he would "in no event" vote for a Democrat. W. H. Ruger expressed hesitation towards Logan but admitted he would probably vote for him. Eugene A. Sittig did not attend the meeting and made no statement.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois, Early voting, Democratic vote
Without any nominating conventions, the Democratic party nominated their candidate during a legislative session on February 11. The deadline for officially naming a Democratic candidate was that day, though uncertainties prevailed about what time it was. Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Elijah M. Haines, nominally an independent, presided over the session. The motion to name a Democratic candidate was proposed by E. R. E. Kimbrough and was supported by fifty-six other Democrats. James M. Dill nominated William Ralls Morrison as the Democratic candidate. In protest, Republican members of the assembly left the hall.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois, Early voting, Democratic vote
The remaining members of the house then cast a vote. Morrison received forty-four votes, Haines received one vote, and Haines voted for former representative Richard Bishop. Edward L. McDonald presented the resolution to the senate; most Democratic members of that body then entered the chamber. Henry Seiter was declared president pro tempore in the absence of any Republicans. Erastus N. Rinehart made the nominating speech on behalf of Morrison. A joint vote was then held in both houses. All senators and most of the representatives voted for Morrison, who was then officially nominated. Six Democratic representatives refused to vote and Haines again received one vote.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois, Early voting, Stalemate
On February 13, a motion was held during a state senate session to proceed with the ballot, but it failed by one vote. Nonetheless, Whiting again spoke on behalf of Logan. The first ballot in the General Assembly was held on February 18. Logan received 101 votes, Morrison received 94, Haines received four, and three others received one vote apiece. Three ballots were held the next day, with Logan losing one vote to a third-party candidate.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois, Early voting, Stalemate
The assembly aimed to hold an election on February 26, but the sudden death of Republican representative R. E. Logan (no relation) prompted a stall in the vote. Republican Dwight S. Spafford replaced him, continuing the stalemate. A joint ballot was held on March 12 and each main candidate received 99 votes; four voters cast a vote for other candidates. Although Logan held a small lead in some of the ballots, the final ballot was 100 to 100 and the session adjourned. The Republicans held a vote on March 26.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois, Early voting, Stalemate
At first, Logan received 100 votes, but on a second ballot, Sittig supported Logan; MacMillan was the lone abstaining vote. Democratic senator Frank M. Bridges died in late March and was replaced with Democrat Robert H. Davis. Democrats began to explore other candidates, including General John C. Black and US Representative Richard W. Townshend.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois, Early voting, Stalemate
On April 12, Democrat R. H. Shaw, of the Democratic-leaning 34th district, died. Republican William H. Weaver won the election the next month against Arthur Allen Leeper by 246 votes. This finally gave the Republicans a majority in the joint session. Republicans in Springfield celebrated when the telegram confirming the victory arrived. Democrats blamed Morrison for the loss of the legislature seat. On May 14, a joint session was held. After three sessions of voting, Senator James W. Duncan announced that the Democrats wished to withdraw Morrison as a candidate. However, no replacement was immediately named. The fourth ballot saw a scattering of Democratic votes among fourteen candidates, though Morrison maintained a majority. The fifth ballot saw the emergence of Judge Lambert Tree with 35 of the 96 Democratic votes. Tree received 89 votes on the sixth and final ballot and was named the new candidate.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois, Election
The session of May 19 saw an audience from around the state convene on Springfield to watch the joint legislative session. A roll call was first held in the senate. Senators had the right to vote at any time before the final reveal of the ballot, so no Democrat officially voted during the roll call. When the roll reached a key swing-vote in Ruger, Democrats were dismayed that he enthusiastically cast his vote for Logan. When the roll call moved on to the house, Democrats again kept silence as Republicans voted in turn for Logan.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois, Election
Another swing vote, MacMillan, supported Logan. The last hope for the Democrats was Sittig. When Sittig's name was called, he did not vote. This resulted in a round of applause from Democrats. However, after the roll call was finished, Sittig took the opportunity to speak. Sittig criticized Logan and the rest of the Republican caucus, but finally consented to vote for Logan. The assembly erupted in cheers for Logan, who finally had 103 votes.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois, Election
With a Republican victory close at hand, Democrats no longer passed the opportunity to vote and started to cast votes for Tree. In a last-ditch effort, some Democrats threw their support behind Republican Charles B. Farwell, hoping to splinter the Republican vote. For the next hour, Democrats petitioned Speaker Haines to change their vote from Tree to Farwell. After Democratic senators cast their votes, Farwell only had the support of 96 Democrats and had not elicited support from any Republicans. With the results all but secure, Republicans agreed that a second roll call of Democrats should be held.


1885 United States Senate election in Illinois, Election
Democratic senators cast their votes for Tree. Tree received most of the Democratic votes, with two votes going to Black, and one each to Morrison, to Chicagoan John R. Hoxie, and to Judge Charles J. Schofield. Haines held a last call, but no one changed their votes. Logan was elected to the US Senate with 103 votes to Tree's 96. Republicans cheered for the next ten minutes, then Logan gave an accepting speech and the meeting was adjourned.


1885 United States Senate election in New York
The 1885 United States Senate election in New York was held on January 20, 1885, by the New York State Legislature to elect a U.S. Senator (Class 3) to represent the State of New York in the United States Senate.


1885 United States Senate election in New York, Background
Republican Elbridge G. Lapham had been elected to this seat in a special election in 1881 to succeed Roscoe Conkling who had resigned. Lapham's term would end on March 3, 1885.


1885 United States Senate election in New York, Background
At the State election in November 1883, 19 Republicans and 13 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1884-1885) in the State Senate. At the State election in November 1884, 73 Republicans and 55 Democrats were elected for the session of 1885 to the Assembly. The 108th New York State Legislature met from January 6 to May 22, 1885, at Albany, New York.


1885 United States Senate election in New York, Candidates, Republican caucus
The caucus of Republican State legislators met on January 19, President pro tempore of the State Senate Dennis McCarthy presided. 19 State senators and 73 assemblymen attended. The Evarts faction required the nomination to be made by viva voce vote, which was opposed by the Morton faction, but was carried by a vote of 64 to 28. The caucus nominated Ex-U.S. Secretary of State William M. Evarts on the first ballot.


1885 United States Senate election in New York, Candidates, Democratic caucus
The Democratic caucus nominated Ex-Mayor of New York Edward Cooper.


1885 United States Senate election in New York, Result
William M. Evarts was the choice of both the Assembly and the State Senate, and was declared elected.


1885 United States Senate election in New York, Result
Note: The votes were cast on January 20, but both Houses met in a joint session on January 21 to compare nominations, and declare the result.


1885 United States Senate election in New York, Aftermath
Evarts served a single term, and remained in office until March 3, 1891. The seat became vacant on March 4, 1891, because Gov. David B. Hill was elected to succeed Evarts in January 1891, but Hill remained in office as Governor until December 31, 1891, and took his seat only on January 7, 1892.


1885 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania
The 1885 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 20, 1885. J. Donald Cameron was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.


1885 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Results
The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, convened on January 20, 1885, to elect a Senator to fill the term beginning on March 4, 1885. Incumbent Republican J. Donald Cameron, who was elected in an 1877 special election and re-elected in 1879, was a successful candidate for re-election to another term. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:


1885 United States gubernatorial elections
United States gubernatorial elections were held in 1885, in seven states.


1885 United States gubernatorial elections
Mississippi and Virginia at this time held their gubernatorial elections in odd numbered years, every 4 years, following the United States presidential election year. New York at this time elected its governors to a three-year term. Massachusetts and Rhode Island both elected its governors to a single-year term, which they would abandon in 1920 and 1912, respectively. Iowa and Ohio at this time held gubernatorial elections in every odd numbered year.


1885 United States gubernatorial elections
In Ohio, the gubernatorial election was held in October for the last time; the next gubernatorial election would be held on the same day as federal elections.


1885 VFA season
The 1885 Victorian Football Association season was the 9th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the South Melbourne Football Club. It was the club's second VFA premiership.


1885 VFA season, Association membership
The senior metropolitan membership of the Association (including Geelong) increased from eight to ten clubs in 1885. The two new clubs were Richmond and University, both of which were newly formed this season.


1885 VFA season, Association membership
At this time, five other provincial senior clubs were full Association members represented on the Board of Management: Ballarat, Ballarat Imperial, South Ballarat, Horsham Trades and Horsham Unions. Due to distance, these clubs played too few matches against the rest of the VFA to be considered relevant in the premiership.


1885 VFA season, 1885 VFA premiership
The 1885 premiership was won by the South Melbourne Football Club, which finished the season undefeated from a total of 25 matches. Essendon, which lost only two of its 21 matches, finished as runner up, and the defending premiers Geelong finished third.


1885 VFA season, 1885 VFA premiership, Club senior records
The below table details the playing records of the ten clubs in all matches during the 1885 season. Two sets of results are given:


1885 VFA season, 1885 VFA premiership, Club senior records
The clubs are listed in the order in which they were ranked in the Sportsman newspaper. The VFA had no formal process by which the clubs were ranked, so the below order should be considered indicative only, particularly since the fixturing of matches was not standardised; however, the top three placings were later acknowledged in publications including the Football Record and are considered official.


1885 Virginia gubernatorial election
The 1885 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1885, to elect the governor of Virginia.


1885 WAFA season
The 1885 WAFA season was the first season of senior Australian rules football in Perth, Western Australia.


1885 WAFA season
The first WAFL game was played at the Esplanade Reserve between Rovers and Victorians on Saturday 6 June 1885. Rovers won the game by a goal. The final score was Rovers 1.6 (12) defeated Victorians 0.6 (6).


1885 Waimea by-election
The 1885 Waimea by-election was a by-election held on 3 June 1885 in the Waimea electorate during the 9th New Zealand Parliament.


1885 Waimea by-election
The by-election was caused by the resignation of the incumbent MP Joseph Shephard on 15 April 1885.


1885 Waimea by-election
The by-election was won by John Kerr. The runner up was William Norris Franklyn (who, at some point, was chair of Waimea County Council) by three votes, with six candidates having contested the election.


1885 Wakanui by-election
The 1885 Wakanui by-election was a by-election held on 11 December 1885 in the Wakanui electorate during the 9th New Zealand Parliament.


1885 Wakanui by-election
The by-election was caused by the resignation of the incumbent MP John Grigg on 4 June 1885.


1885 Wimbledon Championships
The 1885 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament ran from 4 July until 17 July. It was the 9th staging of the Wimbledon Championships, and the first Grand Slam tennis event of 1885. There was a change in the draw method, to use the Bagnall Wild system, in which all byes were restricted to the opening round, instead of being distributed through all the rounds until the final. There were 3500 spectators for the Challenge Round.


1885 Wimbledon Championships, Champions, Gentlemen's Doubles
Ernest Renshaw /  William Renshaw defeated  Claude Farrer /  Arthur Stanley, 6–3, 6–3, 10–8


1885 Wimbledon Championships – Gentlemen's Doubles
Ernest Renshaw and William Renshaw defeated Claude Farrer and Arthur Stanley 6–3, 6–3, 10–8 to win the Gentlemen' Doubles tennis title at the 1885 Wimbledon Championships.


1885 Wimbledon Championships – Gentlemen's Singles
Herbert Lawford defeated Ernest Renshaw 5–7, 6–1, 0–6, 6–2, 6–4 in the All Comers' Final, but the reigning champion William Renshaw defeated Herbert Lawford 7–5, 6–2, 4–6, 7–5 in the Challenge Round to win the Gentlemen's Singles tennis title at the 1885 Wimbledon Championships.


1885 Wimbledon Championships – Ladies' Singles
Maud Watson defeated Blanche Bingley 6–1, 7–5 to win the Ladies' Singles tennis title at the 1885 Wimbledon Championships.


1885 World Series
The 1885 World Series (the "World's Championship") was an end-of-the-year playoff series between the National League champion Chicago White Stockings and American Association champion St. Louis Browns. The Series was played in four cities (Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati). It ended in a disputed 3–3–1 tie.


1885 Yale Bulldogs football team
The 1885 Yale Bulldogs football team represented Yale University in the 1885 college football season. The Bulldogs finished with a 7–1 record. The team recorded six shutouts and outscored its opponents by a combined total of 366 to 11. Its only loss was against rival Princeton by a 6–5 score.


1885 Young colonial election re-count
In December 1885 the Elections and Qualifications Committee overturned the 1885 general election for Young, in which Gerald Spring and William Watson had been declared elected, with William Watson having a margin of 2 votes over James Mackinnon.


1885 Young colonial election re-count
The petition made 2 main complaints (1) the returning officer at Bendick Murrell had marked the ballot papers with the electoral number of the voter, allowing anyone to ascertain how each elector had voted and (2) votes for Mackinnon were improperly rejected as informal. The members of the committee were Robert Smith (Chairman), John Burns, Henry Clarke, John Purves, George Reid, Septimus Stephen and John Sutherland.


1885 Young colonial election re-count
The Elections and Qualifications Committee declared that William Watson had not been elected the member for Young, however no by-election was conducted. Instead instead the committee declared that James Mackinnon had been elected with a margin of 48 votes. No reasons were published.


1885 college football season
The 1885 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing Princeton as having been selected national champions. The season was notable for one of the most celebrated football plays of the 19th century - a 90-yard punt return by Henry "Tillie" Lamar of Princeton in the closing minutes of the game against Yale. Trailing 5–0, Princeton dropped two men back to receive a Yale punt. The punt glanced off one returner's shoulder and was caught by the other, Lamar, on the dead run.


1885 college football season
Lamar streaked down the left sideline, until hemmed in by two Princeton players, then cut sharply to the middle of the field, ducking under their arms and breaking loose for the touchdown. After the controversy of a darkness-shortened Yale-Princeton championship game the year before that was ruled "no contest," a record crowd turned out for the 1885 game. For the first time, the game was played on one of the campuses instead of at a neutral site, and emerged as a major social event, attracting ladies to its audience as well as students and male spectators. The Lamar punt return furnished the most spectacular ending to any football game played to that point, and did much to popularize the sport of college football to the general public.


1885 college football season, Conference standings
The following is a potentially incomplete list of conference standings:


1885 hangings at Battleford
The hangings at Battleford refers to the hanging on November 27, 1885, of eight Indigenous men for murders committed in the North-West Rebellion. The executed men were found guilty of committing murder in the Frog Lake Massacre and in the Looting of Battleford, These murders took place outside the actual fighting that took place during the North-West Rebellion.


1885 hangings at Battleford
The trials and hangings followed the Looting of Battleford, where the judge himself had suffered material loss.


1885 hangings at Battleford
Prior to the North-West Rebellion the Canadian government's actions in the District of Saskatchewan resulted in starvation, disease, and death among the Indigenous peoples of the area. Traditional means of self-support, such as buffalo disappeared with the sale of lands.


1885 hangings at Battleford
At both Frog Lake and Battleford, some people took up arms against the wishes of their leaders. Some were sentenced to prison terms or death. Others fled to the United States.


1885 hangings at Battleford, Trial and charges of bias against Stipendiary Magistrate (Judge) Charles Rouleau
The Frog Lake Massacre saw Indian Agent Thomas Trueman Quinn shot in the head. Quinn was a notoriously harsh Indian agent, who kept Indigenous people near Frog Lake on the brink of starvation ("no work, no rations"). Quinn treated the Cree with harshness and arrogance. Before dawn on April 2, 1885, a party of Cree warriors captured Quinn at his home. He refused to go to another location with the Cree warriors, and Wandering Spirit shot him dead. In the moments of panic following Quinn's shooting, eight other settler prisoners were shot dead.


1885 hangings at Battleford, Trial and charges of bias against Stipendiary Magistrate (Judge) Charles Rouleau
Following the end of the rebellion, marked by the capture of Batoche, the participants of the events at Frog Lake were taken to Battleford. Wandering Spirit pleaded guilty and was sentenced to hang on September 22, 1885.


1885 hangings at Battleford, Trial and charges of bias against Stipendiary Magistrate (Judge) Charles Rouleau
The major trial condemning six of the eight men to death by hanging was heard by Battleford Resident Stipendiary Magistrate (Judge) Charles Rouleau. He was described as a "heavy loser pecuniarily" after the Looting of Battleford in the December issue of the Saskatchewan Herald following the hangings - in reality, his house had been burned to the ground, and he reportedly threatened that "every Indian and Half-breed and rebel brought before him after the insurrection was suppressed, would be sent to the gallows if possible."


1885 hangings at Battleford, Trial and charges of bias against Stipendiary Magistrate (Judge) Charles Rouleau
The Cree-speaking men who were sentenced to hang were not provided with translation at their trial.


1885 hangings at Battleford, People sentenced to death at Battleford
The following people were sentenced to die in Battleford. The first six names relate to murders which occurred at the Frog Lake Massacre, while the final two relate to murders which occurred during Looting of Battleford.


1885 hangings at Battleford, Hangings
There are a number of first-hand historical records that exist of the Hangings at Battleford. The majority of accounts are written from the perspective of settlers in the area. Blood Red the Sun, a work by William Bleasdell Cameron, first published in 1926 as The War Trail of Big Bear, describes the events leading up to the Frog Lake Massacre and the executions in significant detail. Cameron's friends and colleagues were killed at the Frog Lake Massacre, and he was an HBC employee whose life was spared by Wandering Spirit. Cameron testified at the trials against the accused men.


1885 hangings at Battleford, Hangings
A number of sources indicate that children from Battleford Industrial School were brought from the school to witness the hangings as a "warning".


1885 hangings at Battleford, Historical significance
In his 1970s-era histographical account of Indian policy in Canada, Prisons of Grass, Howard Adams points to the significance of the hangings at Battleford:


1885 hangings at Battleford, Historical significance
"Every member of the Indian nation heard the death-rattle of the eight heroes who died at the end of the colonizers rope and they went quietly back to their compounds, obediently submitting themselves to the oppressors. The eight men who sacrificed their lives at the end of the rope were the champions of freedom and democracy. They were incomparable heroes, as shown by their last moments."


1885 hangings at Battleford, Rediscovery of the gravesite
After the hangings, the bodies were placed in a mass grave near the fort. It remained unmarked and forgotten for many years. In 1972, the gravesite was rediscovered by students who followed old plans of the fort in order to find the burial location. The location was marked with a concrete pad and chain fence. In later years, this was removed and replaced with a modern headstone bearing the names of the executed men. There is also an interpretive panel explaining the history of the burial site.


1885 hangings at Battleford, Rediscovery of the gravesite
The gravesite is located on public property in the Town of Battleford at  near the Eiling Kramer Campground and Fort Battleford.


1885 in Argentina
This article is about events that occurred in 1885 in Argentina.


1885 in Australia
The following lists events that happened during 1885 in Australia.


1885 in Australian literature
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1885.


1885 in Australian literature, Births
A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1885 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.


1885 in Australian literature, Deaths
A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1885 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.


1885 in Australian soccer
The 1885 season was the second season of competitive association football in Australia. The South British Football Soccer Association introduced their NSW football league (now known as the National Premier Leagues NSW).


1885 in Australian soccer, NSW Football League
The NSW state league began on 6 June 1885. Caledonians won the annual championship as the remaining fixtures were not played.


1885 in Australian soccer, Representative matches
After the end of the NSW football league, New South Wales XI played a match against the Victoria XI and was played on 16 July 1885 at East Melbourne Cricket Ground. Victoria won the match 4–0 with two goals by H. Dunbar and one goal each from F. Ware and U.F. Robbins.


1885 in Australian soccer, Honours
(Note: figures in parentheses display the club's competition record as winners/runners-up.)


1885 in Belgium
The following lists events that happened during 1885 in the Kingdom of Belgium.


1885 in Canada, Historical documents
Two settler women travel with Chief Big Bear's Cree band after Frog Lake Massacre


1885 in Canada, Historical documents
Convicted of treason, Chief Big Bear pleads for relief of his people


1885 in Canada, Historical documents
Report of psychiatric physician who visited Louis Riel in prison


1885 in Canada, Historical documents
Montrealers' resistance to vaccination during smallpox outbreak turns to rioting


1885 in Canadian football, Canadian football news in 1885, Final regular season standings
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points


1885 in Canadian football, Dominion Championship
1885 Dominion Championship Game: University of Toronto Lawn - Toronto, Ontario


1885 in Chile
The following lists events that happened during 1885 in Chile.


1885 in Liberia
The following lists events that happened during 1885 in Liberia.


1885 in Michigan, Population
In the 1880 United States Census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 1,636,937. By 1890, Michigan's population had increased by 27.9% to 2,093,890.


1885 in Michigan, Population, Cities
The following is a list of cities in Michigan with a population of at least 5,000 based on 1880 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1870 and 1890 is included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases.


1885 in Michigan, Population, Counties
The following is a list of counties in Michigan with populations of at least 30,000 based on 1880 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1870 and 1890 are included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases.


1885 in New Zealand
The following lists events that happened during 1885 in New Zealand.


1885 in New Zealand, Sport, Rugby union
The Nelson union is formed. It is now part of the Tasman Rugby Union.


1885 in Norwegian music
The following is a list of notable events and releases of the year 1885 in Norwegian music.


1885 in South Africa
The following lists events that happened during 1885 in South Africa.


1885 in Wales
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1885 to Wales and its people.


1885 in architecture
The year 1885 in architecture involved some significant architectural events and new buildings.


1885 in association football
The following are the association football events of the year 1885 throughout the world.


1885 in association football, Events
During the summer of 1885, there was pressure put on the Football Association to accept professionalism in English football, culminating in a special meeting on 20 July, after which it was announced that it was "in the interests of Association Football, to legalise the employment of professional football players, but only under certain restrictions". Clubs were allowed to pay players provided that they had either been born or had lived for two years within a six-mile radius of the ground. There were also rules preventing professional players playing for more than one club in a season, without obtaining special permission, and all professional players had to be registered with the F.A.


1885 in baseball
The following are the baseball events of the year 1885  throughout the world.


1885 in baseball, Champions, Major League Baseball
Post-season playoff: the Chicago White Stockings played the St. Louis Browns, which ended with both teams going 3–3–1 in a best-of-seven series. Game 1 finished in a tie called after eight inning due to darkness; Game 2 was awarded to Chicago by forfeit after six innings because St. Louis refused to continue after disputing an umpiring decision. Both teams dispute series and claim championship.


1885 in film
The following is an overview of the events of 1885 in film, including a list of notable births.


1885 in literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1885.


1885 in literature
You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'; but that ain't no matter. That book was made by a Mr Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly.


1885 in paleontology
Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1885.


1885 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).


1885 in poetry, Births
Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:


1885 in poetry, Deaths
Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:


1885 in rail transport
This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 1885.


1885 in science
The year 1885 in science and technology involved some significant events, listed below.


1885 in sports
1885 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.


1885 in the Congo Free State
The following lists events that happened during 1885 in the Congo Free State


1885 population census in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The 1885 population census in Bosnia and Herzegovina was the second census of the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina taken during the Austro-Hungarian occupation.


1885 speed skating race at Frognerkilen
The speed skating race at Frognerkilen in 1885 was a duel between Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen and Dutch skater Renke van der Zee. The race took place on the fjord ice on the bay of Frognerkilen, Kristiania, on 26 February 1885. Paulsen had been named "amateur champion of the world" following a series of victories in the United States in 1883 and 1884, and he was challenged by Dutch skater van der Zee. The competition was met with huge interest from the local population. A crowd of between 20,000 and 30,000 spectators witnessed the duel. The newspaper Morgenbladet published a special edition on the event. The duel was fought over a length of 3 English miles (4,827 meter). Paulsen won the race, finishing about one minute ahead of van der Zee. The prize money was 1,800 kr to the winner.


1885 speed skating race at Frognerkilen
The organizing committee was headed by consul general Peter J. K. Petersen.


1885–86 Bolton Wanderers F.C. season
The 1885–86 season was the fourth season in which Bolton Wanderers competed in a senior competitive football competition. The club entered the FA Cup in October 1885, but were knocked out in the third round by Preston North End and subsequently disqualified for professionalism.


1885–86 British Home Championship
The 1885–86 British Home Championship was the third annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. As common for the time, the matches were punctuated by some high scorelines and for the first time two teams finished level on points at the top of the table, thus sharing the championship as goal difference would not be introduced to separate teams for over nearly 90 years.


1885–86 British Home Championship
England and Scotland were the joint winners, with Wales third and Ireland last with zero points. The tournament began in February 1886 with a match between Wales and Ireland which Wales won comfortably 5–0. Ireland next played against England and Scotland, suffering two heavy defeats in which they conceded 13 goals for three in reply. With the three leaders therefore equal on points, England and Scotland played their match, sharing points in a 1–1 draw. Wales then played against England and Scotland in the final games but lost both, resulting in England and Scotland sharing the title.


1885–86 Dumbarton F.C. season
The 1885–86 season was the 13th Scottish football season in which Dumbarton competed at a national level.


1885–86 Dumbarton F.C. season, Scottish Cup
Dumbarton had an easy passage through the early rounds of the Scottish Cup before losing out to Hibernian, the East of Scotland Shield holders, in the fifth round after a 2-2 draw.


1885–86 Dumbarton F.C. season, Dumbartonshire Cup
Dumbarton failed to hold on to the Dumbartonshire Cup and were defeated at the semi-final stage by Dumbarton Athletic.


1885–86 Dumbarton F.C. season, Glasgow Charity Cup
It was at the semi final stage of the Glasgow Charity Cup that Dumbarton also tasted defeat, this time to rivals Vale of Leven.


1885–86 Dumbarton F.C. season, Dumbartonshire Association Tournament
At the start of the season a tournament was played across the county in order to raise funds for the Dumbartonshire association. There were 8 invitees with the first rounds being played in two groups at Alexandria on 4 August and at Helensburgh a week later, where Dumbarton were due to have met Yoker, but their opponents having failed to turn up, the Dumbarton players entertained the crowd by playing a six-a-side match. The semi finals were played at Boghead where Dumbarton drew with Vale of Leven - the replay took place five days later. In the final against Dumbarton Athletic on 27 August Dumbarton won 2-0.


1885–86 Dumbarton F.C. season, Friendlies
Despite the growing competitive calendar, 22 'friendly' matches were played, including home and away fixtures against Rangers, Queens Park, Vale of Leven and Vale of Leven Wanderers, together with matches against Glasgow Cup holders Cambuslang, and Forfarshire Cup holders, Dundee Harp. In addition a four match tour of the north of Scotland was undertaken during the New Year holidays. In all, 14 were won, 5 drawn and 3 lost, scoring 72 goals and conceding 42.


1885–86 Dumbarton F.C. season, Player statistics
Of note amongst those donning the club's colours for the first time was Tom McMillan. At the same time two internationalists were lost from the club's squad:- Robert 'Sparrow' Brown's club career spanned seven seasons, and in addition to his international caps was a member of the Scottish Cup winning side of 1882-82. - Jock Hutcheson travelled south to join Bolton Wanderers. He served the club for over a decade, and was also a member of the cup winning squad. He was perhaps unlucky not to earn a Scottish cap, having played in 4 international trials without success.


1885–86 Dumbarton F.C. season, Player statistics
Only includes appearances and goals in competitive Scottish Cup matches.


1885–86 Dumbarton F.C. season, Player statistics, International caps
An international trial match was played on 13 March 1886 to consider selection of teams to represent Scotland in the upcoming games in the 1886 British Home Championship. James McAulay played for the 'Probables' and Ralph Aitken and Joe Lindsay for the 'Improbables'. The latter won by 6-3 with Lindsay scoring a hat-trick and Aitken getting another.


1885–86 Dumbarton F.C. season, Player statistics, International caps
Subsequently, five Dumbarton players were selected to play, as follows:


1885–86 Dumbarton F.C. season, Player statistics, International caps
- Ralph Aitken, Michael Paton, James McAulay and Joe Lindsay earned their first, fifth, seventh and eighth caps respectively against England.


1885–86 Dumbarton F.C. season, Player statistics, Representative matches
Four representative matches were played during the season by the Dumbartonshire Football Association, and Dumbarton players were selected to play as follows:


1885–86 Dumbarton F.C. season, Player statistics, Representative matches
In addition, the Scotland XI who played against Ireland (including Leitch Keir) subsequently played a friendly against Dundee Harp on 8 April 1886 - and lost 1-3.


1885–86 Eastville Rovers F.C. season
The 1885–86 season was the third to be played by the team that are now known as Bristol Rovers, and their second playing under the name Eastville Rovers.


1885–86 Eastville Rovers F.C. season, Season review
As with their first two seasons, Eastville Rovers continued to play only friendly matches during the 1885–86 season. A new blue-and-white hooped shirt with white shorts was adopted this year, replacing the original black and gold kit, and it was first worn during a truncated match against Bristol side Right Against Might on 17 October 1885. Only 40 minutes of play was possible in this game due to poor light – Right Against Might had failed to arrive at the ground until 5:10pm, not long before sunset.


1885–86 Eastville Rovers F.C. season, Season review
The Boxing Day fixture away to St George was also a shortened affair, with the game being abandoned after just 20 minutes due to one of the home team's players suffering a broken leg. With the score standing at 1–0 to St George, Mr E. Fleming attempted to kick the ball, but missed and instead his shin hit a Rovers player's knee. The sound of Fleming's leg breaking was reportedly heard 60 yards away. A benefit match was played for Fleming four weeks later between a combined Warmley and St George XI and a Bristol & District representative side. The game, played in difficult conditions on a partially frozen pitch, ended 2–0 to Warmley & St George.


1885–86 Eastville Rovers F.C. season, Season review
Where results are known, Rovers ended the season with three wins, a draw and two defeats, but they played at least nine other games on top of these.


1885–86 Eastville Rovers F.C. season, Results
In addition to these games there were also matches played against Bristol Wagon Works, Cardiff, Melksham and Wotton-under-Edge, the dates, venues and results of which are not known.


1885–86 FA Cup
The 1885–86 Football Association Challenge Cup was the fifteenth staging of the FA Cup, England's oldest football tournament. One hundred and thirty teams entered, sixteen more than the previous season, although six of the one hundred and thirty never played a match. Blackburn Rovers retain the cup for the third time in a row. As of 2020, they were the last side to achieve an FA Cup hat-trick.


1885–86 Heart of Midlothian F.C. season
Season 1885–86 was the eleventh season in which Heart of Midlothian competed at a Scottish national level, entering the Scottish Cup for the eleventh time.


1885–86 Heart of Midlothian F.C. season, Overview
Hearts reached the second round of the Scottish Cup and were knocked out by Edinburgh rivals Hibs. They had to play their first round tie twice due to a protest by St Bernard's they won both games.


1885–86 Hibernian F.C. season
Season 1885–86 was the 10th season in which Hibernian competed at a Scottish national level, entering the Scottish Cup for the 9th time.


1885–86 Hibernian F.C. season, Overview
Hibs reached the semi - final of the Scottish Cup, losing  2–0 to Renton


1885–86 Luton Town F.C. season
The 1885–86 season was the first season in the history of Luton Town Football Club. The club had been in existence for less than three months on the season's start, and as Luton did not enter any league competition the team's first competitive match came on 31 October, an FA Cup tie against Great Marlow which was lost 3–0.


1885–86 Luton Town F.C. season
This article covers the period from 1 July 1885 to 30 June 1886.


1885–86 Luton Town F.C. season, Background
Luton Town Football Club was formed on 11 April 1885 at a meeting convened "for the purpose of considering the advisability of forming a town football club". The new club was a merger of the two leading local teams, Luton Town Wanderers and Excelsior; Excelsior's Dallow Lane became the home stadium of the new club. Some of the Wanderers players were not enthusiastic, as they had extended their name to Luton Town Wanderers only three months before; these players made the decision to continue separately to the new amalgamated club. Despite this, Luton Town's early line-ups consisted of six players from one of the former clubs and five from the other.


1885–86 Luton Town F.C. season, Review
Luton Town played only one competitive match during the season, an FA Cup first round tie at Great Marlow which was lost 3–0.


1885–86 Millwall Rovers F.C. season
This is the first season of Millwall Rovers, the club that was to become Millwall. The club's first match was against Fillebrook FC on 3 October 1885.


1885–86 Millwall Rovers F.C. season, Background
Millwall Rovers were formed by the workers of J.T. Morton's canning and preserve factory in the Millwall area of the Isle of Dogs in London's East End in 1885. First founded in Aberdeen in 1849 to supply sailing ships with food, the company opened their first English cannery and food processing plant at Millwall docks in 1872 and attracted a workforce from across the country, including the east coast of Scotland, primarily Dundee.


1885–86 Millwall Rovers F.C. season, Background
The club secretary was seventeen-year-old Jasper Sexton, the son of the landlord of The Islander pub in Tooke Street where Millwall held their meetings. Millwall Rovers' first fixture was on 3 October 1885 against Fillebrook, a team that played in Leytonstone. The newly formed team were well beaten 5–0.


1885–86 Millwall Rovers F.C. season, Season summary
Club secretary Jasper Sexton submitted to the Football Annual the following record, of played 24, won 17, drawn 3 and lost 4. Goals 45 for and 28 against. After the away loss to Fillebrook, their first home game was against St Luke's, which they won 2-1. They won their next five games, then a draw, a defeat and four more wins.


1885–86 Millwall Rovers F.C. season, Kit
Navy blue shirts and white trousers. The initials of the club MRFC were embroidered on the shirt.


1885–86 Morton F.C. season
The 1885–86 season was Morton Football Club's ninth season in which they competed at a national level, entering the inaugural Scottish Cup. The club competed in the Scottish Cup.


1885–86 Newton Heath LYR F.C. season
The 1885–86 season was Newton Heath LYR's third season of competitive football. The only competition that the club entered their first team in this season was the Manchester Cup, a competition in which they had reached the final at the first attempt the previous season. It was a case of "second time lucky" for the Heathens, as they went one better in the 1886 competition, beating Manchester 2–1 in the final to claim the first trophy in the club's history.


1885–86 Newton Heath LYR F.C. season
The Lancashire Cup, which the club had entered and been soundly beaten in both of the two previous seasons, split into "Senior" and "Junior" competitions in 1885. Believing that the club's status was better suited to the Junior competition, the Heathens entered their reserve team for the 1885–86 season.


1885–86 Newton Heath LYR F.C. season, Manchester and District Challenge Cup
After reaching the final of the Manchester Cup in 1884–85, the team would have been determined to go one better in 1885–86. Like the previous season, they were drawn at home to Eccles in the first round. Goals from Gotheridge and Watkins secured a 2–0 win for the Heathens and passage to the Second Round. Only the results of the Second and Third Round matches remain, with Newton Heath beating Gorton Villa 5–0 in the Second Round and Thornham 10–0 in the Third.


1885–86 Newton Heath LYR F.C. season, Manchester and District Challenge Cup
This set up a semi-final with Hurst to be played on a neutral venue in Salford. Gotheridge and Watkins were again on the scoresheet, Watkins getting a brace in a 3–1 win. As in the previous season, the final of the competition was played at Whalley Range, where Newton Heath were to play against Manchester. A strong wind and the incline of the pitch aided Newton Heath in the first half, and they went into half-time 2–0 up, goals coming from Watkins and Sam Black.


1885–86 Newton Heath LYR F.C. season, Manchester and District Challenge Cup
There was a certain amount of controversy about Watkins' goal, the Manchester players believing not only that Davies was offside before striking the original shot, but also that Watkins had diverted the ball into the net with his hand. Despite the Manchester appeals, the goal stood. Farrington scored a consolation goal for Manchester in the second half, but Newton Heath managed to hang on for the win, the first trophy in their history.


1885–86 Rangers F.C. season
The 1885–86 season is the 12th season of competitive football by Rangers.


1885–86 Scottish Cup
The 1885–86 Scottish Cup was the 13th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. Queen's Park won the competition for the eighth time after they beat defending champions Renton 3–1 in the final.


1885–86 Scottish Cup
Arbroath set a world record in the first round when they defeated Bon Accord 36–0 on 12 September 1885. The score remains a record in British senior football and globally for a match that was not fixed or thrown. Coincidentally, on the same day, Dundee Harp recorded an equally one-sided victory as they beat Aberdeen Rovers 35–0.


1885–86 Scottish Cup, Teams
All 134 teams entered the competition in the first round.


1885–86 Scottish Cup, First round
Alloa Athletic, Dykehead, Pilgrims and Queen of the South Wanderers received a bye to the second round.


1885–86 Scottish Cup, Second round
Cartvale, Partick Thistle, Thornhill and West Calder received a bye to the third round.


1885–86 Scottish Cup, Fourth round
Port Glasgow Athletic received a bye to the fifth round.


1885–86 Scottish Cup, Quarter-final
Queen's Park, Renton and 3rd Lanark RV received a bye to the semi-finals.


1885–86 Scottish Districts season
The 1885-86 Scottish Districts season is a record of all the  rugby union matches for Scotland's district teams.


1885–86 Scottish Districts season
It includes the East of Scotland District versus West of Scotland District trial match.


1885–86 Scottish Districts season, History
The Hamilton Crescent ground was being re-turfed, so the Inter-City was played at Hampden Park for the first time that any rugby match was played there. The match was played in splendid weather. The Leeds Mercury reported that the match was the finest rugby match ever played in Glasgow; and that the attendance was the largest ever for a rugby match in Glasgow.


1885–86 Scottish Districts season, Results, Inter-City
Glasgow District: F. McIndoe (Glasgow Acdemicals), A. E. Stephen (West of Scotland), M. F. Reid (West of Scotland), R. G. Eaglesham (West of Scotland), C. E. Orr (West of Scotland), C. F. P. Fraser (Glasgow University), G. Ker (Glasgow Acdemicals), W. A. Walls (Glasgow Acdemicals), J. French (Glasgow Acdemicals), J. G. Mitchell (West of Scotland), D. Morton (West of Scotland), C. J. B. Milne (West of Scotland), J. E. Orr (West of Scotland), W. A. Macdonald (1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers), D. McLeod (West of Scotland).


1885–86 Scottish Districts season, Results, Inter-City
Edinburgh District: Cameron (Watsonians), G. Maitland (Edinburgh Institution F.P. ), Morrison (Edinburgh Institution F.P. ), Evans (Edinburgh Institution F.P. ), A. G. G. Asher (Edinburgh Wanderers), A. R. Don-Wauchope (Edinburgh Wanderers), C. Reid, W. Huskie, T. Ainslie (Edinburgh Institution F.P. ), J. McLeod (Edinburgh Institution F.P. ), G. Henderson (Edinburgh Institution F.P. ), J. Horsburgh Duke (Royal HSFP), J. Tod (Watsonians)


1885–86 Scottish Districts season, Results, Other Scottish matches
North of Scotland District: Back, C. Low (Dundee High School); halt-backs, A. Stewart (St Andrews University), A. Wills (High School), and H. P. Stiven (Panmure); quarter-backs, J. C. Baird and R. Lawson (St Antirews); forwards, M. McKerracher, J. Hill, and T. Bell (St Andrews), T. C. Ferguson (captain), P. G. Grant, and E. Carmichael (High School), C. M. Stewart and F. Hay (Panmure), P. Stewart (Kirkcaldy).


1885–86 Scottish Districts season, Results, Other Scottish matches
Glasgow District: Back, F. Macindoe (Glasgow Academicals) ; half-backs, A. E. Stephen (West of Scotland), C. J. Higginbotham, and W. Robertson (Glasgow University) ; quarterbacks, C. E. Orr (West o£ Scotland) and C. F. P. Fraser (University); forwards, A. W. Young, J. B. Brown (captain), and J. French (Academicals), J. G. Mitchell, D. Morton, J. E. Orr, W. Neilson, and D. G. Findlay (West), and H. Edmiston (Clydesdale).


1885–86 Scottish Districts season, Results, Other Scottish matches
East: J. P. Veitch (Royal HSFP), R. H. Morrison (Edinburgh University), G. Wilson (Royal HSFP), R. D. Sewell (Fettesian- Loretonians), P. H. Don-Wauchope (Fettesian- Loretonians), A. R. Don-Wauchope (Fettesian- Loretonians), A. G. G. Asher (Fettesian- Loretonians), C. Reid (Edinburgh Academicals), T. W. Irvine (Edinburgh Academicals), J. Rankin (Watsonians), T. Ainslie (Edinburgh Institution F.P.) [ captain], A. P. Clay (Edinburgh Academicals), M. McLeod (Edinburgh Wanderers), M. C. M‘Ewan (Edinburgh Academicals), A. Duke (Royal HSFP), G. Henderson (Edinburgh Institution F.P.).


1885–86 Scottish Districts season, Results, Other Scottish matches
West: F. McIndoe (Glasgow Academicals), A. E. Stephen (West of Scotland), M. F. Reid (West of Scotland), W. Robertson (Glasgow University), C. F. Fraser (Glasgow University), H. Nelson (West of Scotland); J. B. Brown (Glasgow Academicals) [ captain], J. French (Glasgow Academicals), W. A. Walls (Glasgow Academicals), H. T. Ker (Glasgow Academicals), C. J. B. Milne (West of Scotland), J. G. Mitchell (West of Scotland), G. Findlay (West of Scotland), D. A. Macleod (Glasgow University), W. A. Macdonald (1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers).


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season
The first match played by what is now Southampton Football Club, from Southampton in southern England, was by a team from St. Mary's Young Men's Association (YMA) on 21 November 1885. Since then, the club established themselves as a major force in local and regional football before moving up to national level, winning the FA Cup in 1976 and being founder members of the Premier League in 1992.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Background, National
The game of association football ("football") had been popular in England for many years, having its origins in the Middle Ages. The game was played under various rules, all of which were considerably different from the modern game. By the mid-19th century, attempts were being made to unify the rules, with these culminating in the foundation of the Football Association in October 1863.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Background, National
The FA organised the first national tournament when they founded the Football Association Challenge Cup in 1871. At first, the cup was dominated by southern amateur sides, with the cup finals for the first ten years up to 1881 all being contested by teams from various public schools and similar institutions. Within the next two years, however, there had been a complete shift with Blackburn Rovers being the first northern club side to reach the final in 1882. The following year, the cup was won by a predominately working class side, when Blackburn Olympic defeated the Old Etonians.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Background, National
This was the last occasion that a public school side reached the final, and it was not until 1900 that a team from the south of England again reached the Cup Final, when Southampton were defeated by Bury, with Tottenham Hotspur going on to be the first southern professional club to win the cup in the following year.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Background, National
This shift in football power to northern England was also reflected in the foundation of organised league football. By 1885, the FA had grudgingly accepted professionalism in football. The newly emerging professional clubs needed more regular competitive football and in 1888, The Football League was founded, involving 12 clubs from the midlands and north of England. The first southern side to be admitted to the Football League was Woolwich Arsenal, who joined the Second Division in 1893.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Background, Local
The earliest known association football club in Southampton was Southampton Rangers, who had been founded in 1878. The team comprised workers, many of whom had been recruited from northern England, at the Oswald & Mordaunt (later Vosper Thorneycroft) shipyard and played their early games on Southampton Common. Among their players was a teacher, Mr. A. Wood, who became the club's secretary. Wood was later to be instrumental in the foundation of the Deanery football club.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Background, Local
In the 1870s however, the predominant winter ball game in Hampshire was rugby with at least seven Rugby sides having been established in Southampton by 1880. In November 1880, a 19-year-old clerk, Stanley Gibbs, was killed (with a broken spine) as a result of a collapsed scrummage in a rugby match played on Porters Mead (now Queens Park) between Trojans and Romsey Rangers. Following the inquest, John Cooksey J.P. the mayor of Southampton, attempted to ban all forms of football on public lands in Southampton.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Background, Local
The ban was reported in the national press, with the Athletic News declaring that Mr. Cooksey was "maternally disposed" who bore the "senile temerity of bumbledom" upon his face. Although no football was played in Southampton on the day of Gibbs's funeral, on the following weekend the fixtures continued as normal.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Background, Local
Nonetheless, it appears that the tragic accident did precipitate a gradual shift towards association football. The Deanery club, which was founded in 1882 as an offshoot of the Deanery Cricket Club, decided from the outset to play "soccer". Writing some years later, A. A. Fry (who was to play in the Y.M.A. 's first match) recalled: "So far as I know, the first organised association football match in Southampton was played between two teams of teachers ... on the old Porter's Mead. Usually Rugby football was played there, and one day during a particularly fierce game one player was killed. This cast a shadow over the game for a time in the town, and it was then we began to play association football regularly".


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Background, Local
The Deanery club folded in 1883, when the Town Council converted Porters Mead into a public park, with the last report being of a match in November 1883. By 1885, however, six soccer teams existed in the town and by 1893 the only rugby team still playing was Trojans (who still exist today). Among the soccer clubs was a team from Freemantle, then just outside the town boundary; the "Magpies", as Freemantle were known, were formed in 1884 and appear to have had strong links with Christ Church, Freemantle. Other clubs were Southampton Harriers, Spring Hill, Banister Court School and Somnambulists, a short-lived offshoot of Trojans Rugby Club, as well as Geneva Cross, a team from the Royal Victoria Military Hospital, based at Netley, to the south of the town.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Background, Local
The Harriers had started life as the Temperance Amateur Athletic Association but changed their name in 1885.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, St. Mary's Young Men's Association
St. Mary's Young Men's Association had been formed in the early 1880s under the auspices of St. Mary's Church, Southampton. The parish of St. Mary's had encompassed most of the eastern part of the town of Southampton, including across the River Itchen (what is now Woolston) and northwards to South Stoneham. By 1866, the parish had been sub-divided into several smaller parishes leaving St. Mary's Church presiding over the inner areas of Chapel, Crosshouse and part of Kingsland, although it remained the "mother church" for the town, having been founded in the 7th century. The present church was rebuilt under the auspices of Canon Basil Wilberforce, with the rebuilding starting in 1878 and being finished in 1884.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, St. Mary's Young Men's Association
The parish contained some of the poorest parts of the town, with in excess of 8,000 parishioners, with the associated problems of violence, drunkenness and prostitution. The members of the YMA were (according to the St. Mary's Parish Journal  of March 1886) "believers in muscular Christianity (who) think that the advantage of strong developed limbs, a supple frame, and a quick eye, cannot be overestimated". "Our young men ... use their physical strength and freedom as to make their power the handmaiden to that moral strength and decision of character, that shall free them from the world's slavery and bondage".


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, St. Mary's Young Men's Association
The "Young Men" were generally middle class, "well-connected and well-educated", and were expected to attend regular Bible classes and carry out duties within the parish, including singing in the choir and teaching at Sunday school. They helped out at clubs for the working classes including the Crow's Nest, a night school "for a rough and neglected class of lads", and the Fo'c'sle, a "club for working lads".


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, St. Mary's Young Men's Association
By 1886, the YMA had separate football, cricket, athletics and gymnasium sections as well as its own choral society and an entertainments committee, who organised a series of lectures on a diverse range of subjects.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Formation of the Football Club
In early November 1885, the members of St. Mary's Young Men's Association held a meeting at Grove Street schoolrooms to discuss the formation of a football club. The meeting was chaired by the Rev. Arthur Baron Sole (1853–1903) who was a curate at St. Mary's Church. Following the meeting, a match was arranged against Freemantle to be played on the "backfield" of the County Ground in Northlands Road, where the Hampshire Bowling Club was later established.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Strip
The players wore white shorts, black knee-length socks and "white tunics" with a red sash worn diagonally. Early photographs show the sashes worn from either shoulder in a rather haphazard fashion. In the club's 125th season (2010–11), the players wore a stylised version of the original strip, with the "sash" diagonally from right to left. It has also has been released again for the 2020–21 season. The third kit being the closest representation to the original sash design worn, the shirt also celebrates the clubs 135th year of its formation back in 1885.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, The first match
The following report appeared in both the Hampshire Independent and Southampton Times newspapers in the week after the match:


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, The first match
The football club which has just been formed in connection with St. Mary's Young Men's Association, played their first match on Saturday last according to "Association Rules", when they showed that they have among their members the materials with which to form a fairly strong club by practice. During the first half, St. Mary's scored four goals rather quickly, three of these being obtained from corner kicks. The game became much faster during the second half, and shortly after the change, St. Mary's scored another point.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, The first match
Freemantle then obtained a goal through the ball from a corner kick passing off one of the St. Mary's team and so through the posts. Up to the call of time, no further point was scored, so that St. Mary's were the victors by five goals to one. The goals were obtained by Bromley (three) and Fry (2). The Freemantle team showed some good play during the latter part of the game, while the good individual play of each of the St. Mary's team was well sustained throughout.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, The first match
The match reports did not contain a list of players for either side. In 1912, the Southampton Pictorial published a feature on the history of Southampton Football Club. Members of the original side were consulted who came up with this line-up:


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, The first match
The reliability of this list of players has been called into question; A. G. Fry is later recorded as playing for Southampton Harriers in two matches against St. Mary's. The match reports for the remaining games do include team lists, and neither Ruffell nor McDonald are included in these. Of the players listed, four (A. A. Fry, A. G. Fry, George McIvor and George Gandy) had previously played for the Deanery Association Football side.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Other matches
In the first season, the club arranged eight matches, although details of some of these have been lost; for example, a match was arranged against Totton on 16 January 1886 but no further details are available, although the St. Mary's Parish Magazine notes that the game was "lost".


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Other matches
On 9 January, the club played Southampton Harriers on Southampton Common; the Harriers had started life as the Temperance Amateur Athletic Association but changed their name in 1885. The Southampton Times described the match as "a very exciting football match (played) under Association Rules" "before a good concourse of people".


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Other matches, Results
The results of those matches that are known were as follows:


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Aftermath
Over the next few years, the St. Mary's club gradually established itself as the premier club in Southampton, winning first the Hampshire Junior Cup for three consecutive years from 1887–88 to 1889–90 followed by the Hampshire Senior Cup which was won in 1890–91 and 1891–92. By now known as Southampton St. Mary's F.C., the club first entered the FA Cup in 1891–92, reaching the final in 1900 and 1902, eventually winning the cup in 1976.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Aftermath
The club joined the Southern League in 1894 (simplifying its name to Southampton F.C.) and were champions for six of the next ten years. In 1920, Southampton were founder members of the Football League Third Division, gradually working their way up through the divisions, to reach the First Division in 1966. In 1992, they were founder members of the Premier League where they remained until 2005; following a series of financial problems, the club dropped back down to the third tier of English football before successive promotions restored them to the Premier League in 2012.


1885–86 St. Mary's Y.M.A. season, Players
The following is known about the eleven men who played in the inaugural match:


1885–86 Stoke F.C. season
The 1885–86 season was the third season Stoke took part the FA Cup.


1885–86 Stoke F.C. season, Season review
Stoke fared little better in the 1885–86 FA Cup again failing to go beyond the first qualifying round, losing to nearby Crewe Alexandra in a replay after extra time.


1885–86 Welsh Cup
The 1885–86 FAW Welsh Cup was the 9th edition of the annual knockout tournament for competitive football teams in Wales.


1885–86 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season
The 1885–86 season was the eighth season in the history of West Bromwich Albion Football Club. In what was their inaugural season as a professional club, Albion moved to the Stoney Lane ground after leaving their previous home at Four Acres. The team also changed the colour of its kit, wearing blue and white striped jerseys for the first time. As league football had not been introduced in England at the time, the team competed solely in cup competitions and friendly matches throughout the season, playing 52 matches in total.


1885–86 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season
West Bromwich Albion won two regional cup competitions in 1885–86. They defeated Walsall Swifts by a single goal in the replayed final of the Birmingham Senior Cup, while in the Staffordshire Senior Cup a replay was again required as Stoke were beaten 4–2 following a goalless draw in the original tie. Albion also progressed through seven rounds to reach the FA Cup Final for the first time, becoming the first Midlands team to do so. However, after initially drawing 0–0 with Blackburn Rovers, they lost 2–0 in the replay.


1885–86 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season, Off the field
Football was an amateur game until July 1885, when the Football Association decided to legalise payments to players. West Bromwich Albion held a committee meeting the following month, at which it was decided that the club should become professional. Albion's first professionals earned 10 shillings (50 pence) per week, with no training allowance provided.


1885–86 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season, Off the field
After deciding not to renew the lease on the Four Acres, Albion moved to their fifth ground, Stoney Lane, in time for the 1885–86 season. The ground was located close to the Plough and Harrow public house, which served as the club's headquarters at the time. Albion took out an initial seven-year lease on the Stoney Lane site, paying an annual rent of £28 to its owner, a local undertaker named Mr Webb. The pitch was returfed and levelled, with ashes spread around the perimeter, and a wooden grandstand was built that came to be known as 'Noah's Ark'. The ground cost £370 to build, a sum that was offset by a number of friendly matches that took place early in the season.


1885–86 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season, Off the field
During their early years, West Bromwich Albion had played in whatever coloured kit was available locally. However, at a committee meeting held in September 1885, the club decreed that blue and white striped jerseys should be adopted on a permanent basis. With the exception of a brief trial of scarlet and blue broad stripes early in the 1889–90 season, the team have worn these colours ever since, although initially the blue was of a lighter shade; the navy blue stripes were not introduced until after the First World War.


1885–86 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season, Off the field
Due to the club's financial situation, the reserve team had their wages halved early on in the season, and by January 1886 the payments made to reserve players were withdrawn altogether, although there was a possibility of them receiving a bonus at the end of the season if funds permitted. This resulted in Albion's second team refusing to play against Small Heath Alliance and the game was cancelled. Some of the players were suspended as a result of their actions, but were later re-instated.


1885–86 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season, FA Cup
In their third season in the FA Cup, West Bromwich Albion were drawn at home in every round prior to the semi-final. In the first two rounds, they defeated Aston Unity 4–1 and Wednesbury Old Athletic 3–2. The team then received a bye to the fourth round, where they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers by a 3–1 scoreline. Old Carthusians were defeated by a single goal in the fifth round. A hat-trick from Jem Bayliss—the first by an Albion player in the FA Cup—contributed to a 6–0 quarter-final victory over Old Westminsters, putting the club into the FA Cup semi-final for the first time.


1885–86 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season, FA Cup
The semi-final took place at Aston Lower Grounds and was against one of Albion's local rivals, Small Heath Alliance. Albion won 4–0—Arthur Loach and George Woodhall each scoring twice—to become the first Midlands club to reach the FA Cup Final. After the game, Small Heath supporters invaded the pitch and then pelted missiles at vehicles bound for West Bromwich, causing several injuries. In the final, Albion met holders Blackburn Rovers at the Kennington Oval, drawing 0–0.


1885–86 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season, FA Cup
No extra time was played, so a replay was arranged at Derby Cricket Ground, the first time that an FA Cup Final match had taken place outside London. Albion were beaten 2–0 as Rovers lifted the FA Cup for the third year in succession. This was the first of three successive FA Cup Finals in which West Bromwich Albion participated.


1885–86 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season, Birmingham Senior Cup
Due to a congested fixture list, Albion fielded a reserve side in the first two rounds of their fifth Birmingham Senior Cup campaign, beating Sparkhill Alliance 6–0 and Burton Swifts 4–1. Tommy Green scored a hat-trick in the third round match away at Notts Rangers, as Albion ran out 7–2 winners. Burslem Port Vale were defeated 5–0 in the semi-final, which took place at a neutral venue, Aston Lower Grounds. The team drew 1–1 with Walsall Swifts in the final, which was also at Aston Lower Grounds. The replay took place at the same venue and George Woodhall scored the only goal of the game as Albion won the trophy for the first time.


1885–86 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season, Staffordshire Senior Cup
Albion, taking part in the Staffordshire Senior Cup for the fourth time, defeated Stafford Rangers 4–0 in the first round replay (following a goalless draw). In round two, a George Woodhall hat-trick helped to achieve a 5–2 win against Leek, after which Albion were handed a bye to the fourth round. They then beat Stoke Free Wanderers 5–0, while in the semi-final Burton Wanderers were defeated 3–0 at Stoke's Victoria Ground. The final took place at the same venue as Stoke themselves provided the opposition. The match finished goalless and Albion won the replay 4–2 at Stoney Lane in front of 5,500 supporters. Two goals from Jem Bayliss and one each from Tommy Green and George Woodhall gave Albion their second victory in the competition.


1885–86 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season, Friendlies and benefit matches
After the move to Stoney Lane, Albion held four exhibition games to help cover the cost of the ground. The first of these was a 4–1 win against Third Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers on 5 September 1885, in front of 2,122 spectators. Tommy Green scored a hat-trick, including the first goal to be scored at Stoney Lane. As league football had yet to be established, the club also played in a number of other friendly matches throughout the season.


1885–86 West Bromwich Albion F.C. season, Friendlies and benefit matches
Their 31 friendly matches included 21 wins and 9 defeats, while one match against Bolton Wanderers was abandoned with the game still scoreless. Albion's joint biggest friendly victories of the season were their 7–0 wins against Small Heath Alliance, Aston Unity and Halliwell. The season's heaviest friendly defeat was the 0–7 reverse at home to Preston North End. Albion also took part in the Walsall Senior Cup and Birmingham Charity Cup, but entered a reserve team for both competitions.


1885–86 in English football
The 1885–86 season was the 15th season of competitive football in England.


1885–86 in English football, National team
England were joint winners of the 1886 British Home Championship with Scotland.


1885–86 in English football, National team
Note – see Talk page re query on goalscorers against Wales.


1885–86 in English football, Honours
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition


1885–86 in Scottish football
The 1885–86 season was the 13th season of competitive football in Scotland.


1886
1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar, the 1886th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 886th  year of the 2nd millennium, the 86th  year of the 19th century, and the  7th   year of the 1880s decade. As of the start of 1886, the Gregorian calendar was 12 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.


1886 Alabama gubernatorial election
The 1886 Alabama gubernatorial election took place on August 2, 1886, in order to elect the Governor of Alabama.


1886 Altrincham by-election
The 1886 Altrincham by-election was held on 26 March 1886 after the incumbent Conservative MP, John Baguley Brooks died. The seat was retained won by the Conservative candidate, Sir William Cunliffe Brooks.


1886 American Cup
The 1886 American Cup was the second installment of the soccer tournament directed by the American Football Association. Clark ONT, as holders of the trophy, had successfully defended their title and receiving along with the trophy a pair of leg guards donated by the Alma Cricket and Football club.


1886 American Cup, Participants
The Domestic club had withdrawn while the Almas, New York Rovers and Trenton were added. The clubs still all came from New York and New Jersey, though there were now four different cities represented.


1886 American Cup, First round
Trenton- E.H.Openshaw(c), J.James, J.Mart, H.Everingham, T.Baddely, D.Baggley, J.Mardel, W.Emery, T.McNichol, Frank Gee, R.Rhodes. Kearny Rangers: GK D.Ferguson, DF J.Hood, J.Lennox, MF T.Burke, W.Hood, D.Morris, FW R.Raeburn, W.Taylor, J.Young, J.Taylor, H.Ashley.


1886 American Cup, First round
ONT: GK R.Hughes, DF H.Holden, J.Dougherty, MF T.Smith, Joe Swithemby, A.Polisher, FW C.McCann, J.Howarth, Jack Swithemby, J.McGurck, J.Swarbrick. Rovers: GK W.Donnegan, DF A.Crawford, W.Dunnan, J.Lachlan, MF W.Lachlan, B.Wilson, H.Westbrook, FW J.White, F.Malcomb, W.Harris, A.Campbell.


1886 American Cup, First round
Almas: GK Hollenback DF Starmer, Moore, MF Farrow, Morton, Corbey, FW Lucas, Lodge, Maxfield, Gray, Curtin.


1886 American Cup, Second round
ONT: GK Hughes, DF Pollister, Holden, MF Howarth, Joe Swithenby, P.Smith, FW Swarbrick, McGurck, McCann, Devine, Jack Swithenby(c). Thistles: T.Paterson, Chapman, Hall, Williamson, Forsythe, W.Turner(c), Anderson, A.Turner, Donaldson, H.Craig, J.Kane.


1886 American Cup, Second round
Almas: GK Ryker, DF Moore, Conklin, MF Corby, Morton, Hirst, FW Gray, Lucas, Lodge, Curtin, Maxfield. Rangers: GK T.Hood, DF J.Hood, Lennox, MF Buck, W.Hood, Crawford, FW Ashley, William Taylor, Walter Taylor, Raeburn, J.Young.


1886 American Cup, Final round
ONT: GK P.Hughes, DF A.Palister, H.Holden, MF J.Howarth(c), Joe Swithenby, T.Smith, FW J.Swarbrick, J.McGurck, J.McCann, M.Devine, J.Fisher. Rangers: GK Furguson, DF J.Hood, J.Lennox(c), MF A.Alsop, W.Hood, T.Burke, FW T.Woods, J.McKell, W.Taylor, R.Raeburn, J.Conley.


1886 Amherst football team
The 1886 Amherst football team represented the Amherst University during the 1886 college football season.


1886 Argentine presidential election
The Argentine presidential election of 1886 was held on 11 April to choose the president of Argentina. Miguel Juárez Celman was elected president.


1886 Argentine presidential election, Background
Confident of his authority following six years of peace and prosperity, President Roca was by then known for his shrewdness as "the fox." Enjoying the support of the agricultural elites - as well as of the London financial powerhouse, Barings Bank - Roca daringly fielded his son-in-law, Córdoba Province Governor Miguel Juárez Celman, as the PAN candidate for president. A number of distinguished candidates appeared, including Buenos Aires Governor Dardo Rocha and Foreign Minister Bernardo de Irigoyen. Roca tolerated no opposition against his dauphin, however, who was selected nearly unanimously on 11 April 1886.


1886 Arkansas gubernatorial election
The 1886 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on September 6, 1886.


1886 Arkansas gubernatorial election
Incumbent Democratic Governor Simon Pollard Hughes Jr. defeated Republican nominee Lafayette Gregg and Agricultural Wheel nominee Charles E. Cunningham with 55.31% of the vote.


1886 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1886 Atlantic hurricane season ran through the early summer and the first half of fall in 1886. This is the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. It was a very active year, with ten hurricanes, six of which struck the United States, an event that would not occur again until 1985 and 2020. Four hurricanes became major hurricanes (Category 3+). However, in the absence of modern satellite and other remote-sensing technologies, only storms that affected populated land areas or encountered ships at sea are known, so the actual total could be higher.


1886 Atlantic hurricane season
An undercount bias of zero to six tropical cyclones per year between 1851 and 1885 and zero to four per year between 1886 and 1910 has been estimated. Of the known 1886 cyclones, Hurricane Seven and Tropical Storm Eleven were first documented in 1996 by Jose Fernandez-Partagas and Henry Diaz. They also proposed large alterations to the known tracks of several other 1886 storms.


1886 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
The 1886 Atlantic hurricane season commenced at 06:00 UTC on June 13. The season was approximately average, featuring 12 tropical storms compared to the 1981–2010 annual average of 12.1. The number of hurricanes, however, was well above average, with 10 forming compared to the annual average of 6.4. The number of major hurricanes—defined as Category 3 or higher on the modern Saffir–Simpson scale—was four, compared to an average of 2.7. Owing to deficiencies in surface weather observations at the time, the total number of tropical storms in 1886 was likely higher than 12.


1886 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
A 2008 study indicated that about three storms may have been missed by observational records due to scarce marine traffic over the open Atlantic Ocean. All but two of the storms in 1886 affected land at some point in the tropical stages of their life cycles. Of these, four hurricanes struck the island of Cuba, a record unsurpassed in any Atlantic hurricane season since then. According to the Cuban Meteorological Society, 1886 coincided with a highly active period, 1837–1910, in which one hurricane struck the island every 9.25 years.


1886 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
Additionally, seven hurricanes made landfall in the United States, establishing a record for the number of hurricane strikes in a single season. The years 1886–1887 featured 11 U.S. hurricane landfalls, setting a record for consecutive seasons until 2004–2005, when 12 such storms hit the country. Hurricane activity centered on the Gulf of Mexico: all seven landfalls in 1886 occurred on the U.S. Gulf Coast, with no hurricanes making landfall along the Atlantic Seaboard.


1886 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
Although other storms may have gone undetected, tropical activity definitely began by the middle of June with the formation of the first named storm over the western Gulf of Mexico on June 13. Two other storms formed before the end of the month and also reached the Gulf of Mexico. The first three storms of the season each attained hurricane intensity and eventually made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast with winds of 100 mph (155 km/h).


1886 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
A mid-July storm that formed over the western Caribbean moved northward and struck the west coast of Florida as a hurricane, after two earlier, stronger storms had already done so. Never before or since have so many hurricanes struck Florida in the same season before the month of August. Three storms, all of which attained major hurricane intensity, formed in close succession, over a span of eight days, in August.


1886 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
The first of these, the Indianola hurricane, was the strongest and most intense tropical cyclone of the season, striking multiple islands in the Greater Antilles before rapidly strengthening over the western Gulf of Mexico. It struck the U.S. state of Texas on August 20 with winds of 150 mph (240 km/h), making it one of the strongest hurricanes on record to hit the state. September was a less active month than August, featuring two hurricanes on and just after mid-month. The final hurricane of the year formed in early October and struck Louisiana with winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). Two additional tropical storms occurred in October, with no further activity confirmed afterward.


1886 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane One
Early in June, unsettled weather prevailed over the western Caribbean Sea, causing heavy rain and strong winds over Jamaica as early as June 7–8. However, ship reports and data from weather stations first confirmed that a low-pressure area formed off the coast of South Texas. Based on the data, HURDAT analyzed that a tropical storm formed about 140 miles (225 km) east-southeast of La Pesca, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, on the morning of June 13. Moving generally northward at first, the cyclone quickly intensified through the day as it gradually turned to the north-northeast, paralleling the Texas coast.