72 THE BRIGHTON ROAD 



rate, I have my doubts about the genuineness of the 

 whole affair, for, seeking this " Sir John Lynton ' in 

 the usual books of reference of that period, there is no 

 such knight or baronet to be discovered. 



According to the Sussex newspapers of 1876, over 

 fifteen thousand people assembled in the King's Road 

 at Brighton to witness the finish of the sporting event 

 between Major Penton and an unnamed competitor. 

 Major Penton agreed to give his opponent a start of 

 twenty-seven miles in a pedestrian match to Brighton, 

 on the condition that he was allowed a " go-as-you- 

 please " method, while the other man was to walk in 

 the fair "heel-and-toe' style. The major won by a 

 yard and a half in the King's Road, through the 

 excitement of his competitor, who was disqualified at 

 the last minute by breaking into a trot. 



Freakish sport was at this time decidedly in the 

 ascendant, for the sole event of 1877 was the extra- 

 ordinary escapade of two persons who on September 

 11th undertook to ride, dressed as clowns, on donkeys, 

 from London to Croydon, seated backwards with their 

 faces towards the animals' tails. From Croydon to 

 Redhill they were to walk the three-legged walk — i.e., 

 tied together by right and left legs— and thence to 

 Crawley (surely a most appropriate place) on hands 

 and knees. From that place to the end their pilgrimage 

 was to be made walking in boots each weighted with 

 15 lb. of lead. This last ordeal speedily finished 

 them, for they had failed to accomplish more than 

 half a mile when they broke down. 



John Granby was another of these fantastic persons, 

 whose proper place would be a lunatic ward. He 

 essayed to walk to Brighton with 50 lb. weight of 

 sand round his shoulders, in a bag, but he sank under 

 the weight by the time of his arrival at Thornton 

 Heath. 



In 1878 P. J. Burt bettered the performance of the 

 Chinnerys, ten years earlier, by thirty-three minutes, 

 walking to the Aquarium in 10 hrs. 52 mins. Most 

 authorities agree in making his starting-point the 



