Why did Tottenham Hotspur take the name Hotspur?
The 'Hotspur' in London's Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is
derived from the 14th/15th century knight Sir Henry Percy, known as
"Harry Hotspur". The Percy family owned substantial tracts of land
in Tottenham and Henry himself had lived there for a time. Killed
at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, he had a great reputation as a
fearless and heroic warrior even in his own lifetime and was called
"hotspur" because of his dashing willingness to charge into the
thickest part of battle. This dashing attacking spirit has come to
symbolise the character of the club, reflected in their motto
"Audere Est Facere" (To Dare Is To Do).