5'7"  10st.
b. Blackburn 5 October 1866
d. Blackburn 22 April 1910
 

Debut 27 August 1887 (20y 326d) Final Game 9 November 1891 (25y 35d)
First Goal 15 October 1887 Final Goal 18 October 1890
CAREER: King’s Own;Witton;Blackburn West End;Blackburn Rovers '87-'92.
INTERNATIONALS  England 1 app 1 goal
’90 v Ire 1gl.
 

FL           40 apps  2gls
FAC       13 apps  2 gls
Total      53 apps  4 gls  et 30m
LC          11 apps  1 gl
 

The Barton family moved to Blackburn from Preston a few years before John was born in Adelaide Street. His father died when he young and his mother Ellen worked as a housekeeper to keep the family together. All the children, including John worked in the cotton mills but he had a talent for football and was spotted by the Rovers playing with the West End. A classic wing half, who modelled his play on the great Jim Forrest, his only draw-back was a lack of robustness but he was good enough to play for his country. Injury dogged is career and he had to retire prematurely. He became a coach builder but later moved into the licensed trade at the Park Inn on Montague Street and then the Cambridge Hotel on Lower Audley Street. His early death was caused by lingering illnesses  after  contracting pneumonia.