Wakefield Museums and Castles

Wakefield Trinity star, Harper Oliver Hamshaw, wore this woollen kit in the 1880s. He played for the team when they won the Yorkshire Challenge Cup in 1883 and 1887. He also represented England in 1887.  

The shirt comes from Trinity's Rugby Union days. In 1880 the club paid Hamshaw's teammate, Edward 'Teddy' Bartram, a salary of £52. This made him the game's first professional player.

It was a controversial move that changed the sport forever. By 1895 the question of whether to pay players caused rugby to split apart.

Teams in the north of England formed Rugby League so that they could compensate their players for time away from their day jobs.

Trinity have since won all Rugby League’s major trophies. Many of their players have been part of regional and national teams.

Today, they play in the Super League, the top level of the sport.