Northampton Saints: Grave of first rugby captain to be repaired

Northampton Saints captain Alex Waller said the state of original skipper Jim Barker's grave was 'disappointing'

The captain of Northampton Saints rugby club has pledged to help renovate the grave of the first man to hold the position.

Alex Waller said it was "disappointing" the resting place of Jim Barker, who captained the club in 1880-81, had been allowed to fall into disrepair.

Barker's grave is covered in weeds and has no headstone, following his burial at Dallington Cemetery in 1929.

Waller said: "It is showing that it is almost 100 years old."

Barker, from St James in Northampton, worked as a painter and decorator during the week, before leading the team out on a Saturday afternoon.

He had moved to the town as a teenager and joined the St James Church choir.

Jim Barker (top right) was captain of the Saints during their first season in 1880

Barker had also joined a boys' improvement class which was run out of the church by its curate, Rev Samuel Wathen Wigg.

It was that class that eventually became Northampton Saints rugby club.

According to the Saints website, "the class was started as a way to let the area's 'high-spirited' boys let off steam in a constructive way".

Unlike Rev Wigg and many other Saints' captains down the decades, Barker has been largely forgotten, despite being the first captain.

Waller, who has captained Saints since 2018, told BBC Radio Northampton he had not known much about Barker, but "as the first captain, he's pretty special".

Jim Barker's grave at Dallington Cemetery has fallen in to disrepair, with moss covering his name

He said the club would be keen to honour Barker's memory.

"The grave has seen better days," he said. "Hopefully we can do something to help tidy this up and pay him the respect he deserves.

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"Northampton is one of the clubs with more history than most. To see it in this state is a little bit disappointing.

"To join the company of some of the captains, including Jim, was a great honour for me.

"I'm just a small part of that history, but hopefully we can restore a little bit of this and in 100 years time when mine is looking a bit higgledy-piggledy someone will come and tidy that up as well."