The history of early college boat racing is not strictly that of the University boat race itself, but it is closely wound up with it, and it was, moreover, the origin of that aquatic rivalry between the two Universities which led to the first match of 1829.
Oxford had inaugurated eight-oared rowing; that introduced inter-college bumping races. Cambridge followed suit and established similar races, and hence arose the constant study of aquatics which produced the first match. For these reasons, we think that the history here given will be read with interest by all University oarsmen, the more so because it, to the best of our knowledge, has never before appeared in print. No official record of their early races has been preserved; the oldest boating record in Oxford is the Brasenose Club Book, dating 1837. That of the O.U.B.C. commences with its establishment, 1839. The ‘Charts’ of the boat races from 1837, published by Messrs. Spiers & Sons, and which were not invented till after the year 1850, obtain the retrospective racing, prior to the time when they first appeared, from the MS. records of the B.N.C. book, the contents of which were communicated to the publishers by the late Rev. T. Codrington. But prior to 1837 all is blank. For the lost history here unearthed we are indebted to the reminiscences and diaries of oarsmen of those days still in the land of the living.
Oxford started college boat racing before Cambridge. It does not seem quite clear as to when bumping races actually commenced. Two or three colleges had boat clubs and manned eight oars, and at first it seems to have been the practice for out-college men to join the club and crew of colleges to which they did not belong.
The eight oars seem to have been in the habit of going down to Sandford or Nuneham to dine, and of rowing home in company. From Iffley to Oxford they were inclined to race to see who could be home first. They could not race abreast, so they rowed in Indian file, and those behind jealously tried to overtake the leaders. Hence began the idea of starting in a fixed order out of Iffley Lock, of racing in procession, and of an overtaken boat giving place to its victor on the next night of procession.
In 1822, at all events, there were bumping races. Christ Church seems to have been head. There was a disputed bump between B.N.C. and Jesus, and some violence seems to have occurred, B.N.C. trying to haul down the Jesus flag, and the Jesus men defending their colours. The dispute was finally closed by Post of B.N.C. saying, ‘These cries of “Jesus” and “B.N.C.” remind me of the old saying:—
Different people are of different opinions;
Some like leeks, some like onions.’
(The oars of Jesus were decorated with leeks.) The quarrel was made up, and the crews went together to Nuneham in their racing boats. Unfortunately Musgrave, one of the party, fell overboard and was drowned during the festivities. In 1823 there were no eight-oared races, the sad accident of the year before having cast a gloom over the pursuit. But several boats were manned. Christ Church refused to put on a boat in consequence of Stephen Davis, the boat-builder, rowing in the B.N.C. eight, and Isaac King (who eventually took Davis’s business) in the Jesus boat. Some strong feeling was displayed on this point. When the B.N.C. boat came up the river, the Christ Church men used to run alongside of it for many nights shouting, ‘No hired watermen.’ After this year no watermen rowed in the college crews. Exeter had a boat afloat that year, built by Hall of Oxford. She was called the ‘Buccleuch’ in honour Of the Duke of that ilk.
Among the Exeter men was one Moresby, who was a relative of a naval captain of that name, and through his advice Exeter ordered an eight-oar of Little, of Plymouth. She was finished in time to be put on in 1824, and became famous as the ‘Exeter white boat.’ Stephen Davis was sent with a carriage constructed for the purpose, to meet the boat at Portsmouth, whither she was brought by sea. As this boat was built of deal, a raft was provided to receive her—the first use of a raft for this purpose at Oxford. The oars sent with the boat were such as are used at sea, and made of ash. They were discarded in favour of ordinary oars, such as those already in use for fresh-water rowing. She was found to be too high out of the water, so Isaac King cut her down one streak. The boat, as depicted in Turner’s water-colour drawing of her, was taken when she was afloat and unmanned; her crew were painted in her afterwards; consequently she rides too high out of the water. The boats on the river in 1824 were, at the beginning of the season, Christ Church 1, B.N.C. 2, Exeter 3. Exeter bumped B.N.C. under the willows on the first night; the next night of racing Christ Church took off, and Exeter became head by the other’s default. The races were renewed another day, and B.N.C. bumped Christ Church. This was the last year in which the boats started out for Iffley Lock. The racing has hitherto been conducted on this principle; the start between the boats were just so much as the dexterity of the stroke could obtain. He, the stroke, stood on the bow thwart, and ran down the row of thwarts; pushing the boat along with his shoulder against the lock gates, he reached his own thwart, by which time the impetus had shot the boat clear of the lock, he dropped on to his own seat, and began to row. The oarsmen had their oars ‘tossed’ meantime. The boat next in order then followed the same process, and so on. The boats lay in échelon while waiting for the start. Bulteel, who was stroke of B.N.C. in the disputed race of 1822 (above mentioned), and who afterwards was elected Fellow of Exeter in 1823, was especially skilful at this. The Exeter crew of 1824 were: Wareing, Dick, Parr, Dowglass, J. C. Clutterbuck, Cole, R. Pocklington (father of D. Pocklington, stroke of Oxford in 1864), Bulteel (stroke), S. Pocklington (cox.) The Rev. J. C. Clutterbuck, now rector of Long Wittenham, near Abingdon, is well known as a conservator of the Thames, to whom the Universities and rowing men are much indebted for the clauses in the Conservancy Acts which give that body powers to clear the river for boat racing. The names of the other two crews of 1824 have not come fully to posterity, but among B.N.C. are Meredith, North and Karle (stroke); and in the Christ Church crew were Hussey, Baring and Smyth (stroke).
In 1825 the boats started in line along the bank, each having its umpire to regulate the distance between it and its neighbours (one length). The boats at starting were Exeter, Christ Church Worcester, Balliol (in this order). Exeter had discarded their old love, and had got a ‘black boat,’ larger than the old ‘white boat,’ but not so fast, according to later experiments. However, they elected to row in her at first, and Christ Church bumped them, also Worcester on a subsequent night. Later on Exeter rebumped Worcester, and at the close of the racing the order was: Christ Church, Exeter, Worcester, Balliol. Smyth was again stroke of Christ Church, and R. Pocklington stroke of Exeter, in which Messrs. Clutterbuck, Parr, Dowglass, Cole, and Wareing rowed again, with Messrs. Harndon and Day as recruits.
The term ‘Torpid’ seems to have arisen about this date, and to have been applied to the ‘second’ boats of colleges, such as Christ Church, who launched a second boat in 1826. Later on the ‘Torpids’ took to racing among themselves as a separate class, and under distinct qualifications.