William Tell & Family

There are many legends concerning the person of William Tell who was a Swiss folk hero of the late 15th-century. What isn't generally known is that he was a devoted family man. He married early in life to a fair maiden from the next town named Ida Nechts.

Ida had strong convictions as to women's rights and took William's last name with hyphenation. Thus she became Ida Nechts-Tell. She bore him three fine sons: Hough, Bagga, and Fore. As they grew up, the boys were encouraged to join their parents in the sport of lawn bowling.

Lawn bowling was in its infancy at that time, but in due course leagues were formed and prized awarded for the leaders. Since there were five already in the Tell family, they had their own team. Eventually, as their skill began to rise, they were offered a sponsorship by a local businessman. He provided jerseys with his company name across the back, and this tradition still remains even in modern times.

What is unfortunate is that no portraits were ever produced of the Tell family so that historians have never discovered for whom the Tells bowled.