SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 





against an eight which rowed under the name of 

 the Cambridge Subscription Rooms, London, and 

 was entirely composed of men who had either 

 got their ' blue ' already or won it directly 

 afterwards. It was, in fact, a strengthened 

 university eight. The Oxford crew lost their 

 stroke, Mr. Fletcher Menzies, through illness, 

 just before the start, so they put in their No. 7 

 (the brother of Tom Hughes of Oriel) at stroke, 

 called down Lowndes of Christchurch from bow 

 to seven, and left bow's seat vacant. With only 

 seven oars they won by nearly a length. Part 

 of their boat is still preserved in the Oxford 

 University Barge. 



In 1844 the Diamond Sculls were instituted, 

 and were first won by T. B. Bumsted of London. 

 In the next year two more races were added, 

 namely, the Ladies' Plate, first won by St. 

 George's Club of London, and the Silver 

 Wherries, afterwards known as the Silver 

 Goblets, for pairs, which were first won by Mann 

 and Arnold, of Caius. In 1847 the Wyfold 

 Challenge Cup was first offered for eights ; this 

 event did not become a four-oar race until 1855, 

 when 'Royal Chester' won it. In 1848 the 

 Visitors' Cup for fours was instituted and won 

 by Christchurch. In 1849 Wadham College, 

 Oxford, which had made its mark at the first 

 regatta ten years earlier, carried off both the 

 Grand and the Ladies'. 



By 1850 the regatta had attained to an im- 

 portance which justified the framing for the first 

 time of ' Laws of Boat Racing,' by which the 

 various crews engaged to abide ; and this legisla- 

 tion no doubt laid the foundation of that world- 

 wide influence which the stewards have exercised 

 in the matter of amateurism and fair sport. In 

 the following year the Prince Consort recognized 

 the existence and value of this influence by 

 becoming a patron of what was henceforth to be 

 known as Henley Royal Regatta. 



These early meetings, which seem to have 

 generally taken place about the beginning or 

 middle of June, had apparently become famous 

 for the bad weather which attended them. But 

 in 1856 the unaccustomed sunshine which was 

 vouchsafed the regatta seemed appropriate to the 

 first appearance of a boat which practically 

 revolutionized the art of building racing craft. 

 This was the keelless ship designed by Matt 

 Taylor for the Royal Chester crew, who proved 

 her excellence by winning the Grand Challenge 

 and the Ladies' Plate. In the next year the 

 Visitors' and the Ladies' Plate were apparently 

 restricted to the public schools and the colleges 

 of Oxford or Cambridge or Dublin University. 

 But this regulation, if it ever were such, cannot 

 have been observed, inasmuch as in 1878 a crew 

 from Columbia College, New York, was not 

 only permitted to enter for the Visitors but won 

 the cup and carried it across the Atlantic. 



The year 1861 witnessed a feature which 



ever since has been one of the most popular races 

 of the regatta ; this was the race in which Eton 

 rowed against and beat Radley for the first time. 

 Eton has beaten Radley regularly ever since ; 

 but it is only right to say that there have been 

 many very close finishes. In 1883, for instance, 

 Eton only got home first because No. 4 in the 

 Radley boat broke his slide at Remenham ; and 

 in 1891 when both crews were in the final, 

 Radley was only beaten by a short half-length by 

 an Eton crew including C. M. Pitman and 

 W. E. Crum, besides other good oars. Radley 

 has been coached for the last few decades by 

 Mr. H. M. Evans, and the good done to English 

 rowing by Dr. E. Warre at Eton can best be 

 measured by the number of his pupils who have 

 become members of both university crews. At 

 the Henley of 1 866, for instance, out of twenty- 

 eight medals given for eights and fours, twenty- 

 seven were won by nineteen Etonians ; and of 

 the nineteen no fewer than seventeen were 

 Dr. Warre's pupils. Though Dr. Warre has 

 now retired from active coaching, his influence 

 on oarsmanship is still very strong, particularly in 

 the direction of scientific boat-building. 



In 1868 the stewards as a body gained much 

 in the estimation of the rowing world by electing 

 Mr. Playford and Dr. Warre to be of their 

 number. The same year saw two important 

 innovations : the Thames Cup now one of the 

 most popular races at the regatta was established, 

 being won by Pembroke College, Oxford ; and 

 in the race for the Stewards' Fours the revolu- 

 tionary mind of W. B. Woodgate, the famous 

 old Radleian, initiated the idea of coxswainless 

 fours ; the astonished authorities being obliged to 

 disqualify Brasenose because their gallant steers- 

 man leapt into the water at the word ' go.' This 

 proceeding led to legislation in the next season, 

 and in 1869 a cup was specially given for Cox- 

 swainless Fours, which was won, appropriately 

 enough, by a crew with another old Radleian at 

 stroke, T. H. A. Houblon, now canon of Christ- 

 church. The rules for the regatta were also 

 thoroughly revised, and a steam launch was used 

 for the first time to carry the umpire (Mr. George 

 Morrison) up and down the course ; he had 

 previously been dependent upon crews of water- 

 men. The improved system of starting races 

 from punts in which watermen held the sterns 

 of each boat had been adopted by 1868, and 

 about the same time the boat-house for the use 

 of competitors was built. In 1872 the last of 

 the great developments in the construction of 

 racing boats occurred, sliding seats being used for 

 the first time at Henley. By 1874 the Stewards', 

 the Visitors', and the Wyfolds* were all being 

 rowed in coxswainless boats. 



In 1877 Radley beat Cheltenham in a private 

 match for which special medals were given ; 

 such private matches have occasionally formed a 

 feature in the regatta ever since. 



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