William Palmer (1887–1955) was an English professional footballer who played for eight different clubs in over a seventeen-year span that was interrupted by the First World War.
In 1912 he joined Southern League club Bristol Rovers, where he earned the nickname "Lady Palmer" because he rarely dirtied his shorts during a match.
His twenty-three appearances for Rovers were of sufficient quality for Everton to pay the Bristol club £800 for his services, then a very large fee, and to take him for a second spell in Division One of the Football League.
[1] His time at Everton ended when League football was suspended due to the First World War, after having made 22 appearances in the First Division.
[1] Palmer played one unofficial wartime match for Bradford City, before returning to one of his former teams, Bristol Rovers for a further three years.