MODERN PEDESTRIANISM.
Since the remote period of Greek and Roman prosperity, nothing analagous
to the Olympic games has been exhibited in Europe, if we except modern
horse-racing, which bears a faint resemblance; or, perhaps, the
tournaments of the middle ages, which presented a nearer similitude.
Although the art of war be now different, in some respects, from that
which was practised among the ancients, it is still not less requisite
in the present than in former times, to strengthen the physical and
intellectual powers of the soldier. To endure the vicissitudes of
climates and seasons--to bear cold, hunger, and thirst--to perform long
marches under the inclemency of the weather--and to preserve his spirit
unbroken amidst the tumult of the battle, are the severe duties of his
profession. It is by EXERCISE that the soldier is gradually inured to
the hardships of the field; and the importance of preparatory training
was well known to the ancients, who accordingly converted the amusements
of the people into a course of military discipline. The exercises of
the gymnasia prepared the youth for the fatigues of the campaign, by
strengthening their bodies, and invigorating their minds; and they
accomplished those brilliant achievements which stand unrivalled in the
page of history.
It is justly remarked by Dr. West[12], “that a wise and prudent governor
of a state may dispose the people to such sports and diversions as may
render them more serviceable to the public; and that, by impartially
bestowing a few HONORARY PRIZES upon those who should be found to excel
in any CONTEST he shall think proper to appoint, he may excite in
the husbandman, the manufacturer, and the mechanic, as well as in the
soldier and the sailor, and men of superior orders and professions, such
an emulation as may tend to promote industry, encourage trade, improve
the knowledge and wisdom of mankind, and consequently make his country
victorious in war, and, in peace, opulent and happy.”
It is admitted, that the new levies in the British army are diminished
more by fatigue, than by the sword of the enemy. Our regiments are
gradually wasted by sickness and disease, for they are not fitted by
a course of preparatory training, to undergo those hardships to which
they are unavoidably exposed; and the sudden transition from a life of
ease to that of great activity, too frequently proves fatal to men of
feeble bodies and weak constitutions. Were the practice of the ancients
imitated, by the erection of schools for gymnastic exercises, and our
young soldiers subjected to a process of training, the lives of many of
them would be saved to their country, and the efficient strength of our
army greatly augmented.
Mr. Edgeworth, while treating on military education, says, “As to
EXERCISE and AMUSEMENTS for the pupils in a military academy, they
should all be calculated to promote and sustain manly dispositions. The
judicious SULLY recommends, in the strongest manner, to military youth,
those sports and exercises which form a graceful carriage, and give
strength to the limbs.”--‘I was,’ says he, ‘always of the same opinion as
Henry IV. concerning these exercises. He often asserted, that they were
the most solid foundation, not only of discipline, and other military
virtues, _but also of those noble sentiments, and that elevation of mind
which gives one nation pre-eminence over another_.’
“A military school should have annual competitions and prizes for
foot-races, leaping, wrestling, fencing, and firing at a target.
Though the prize need not be absolutely wreaths of oak or parsley, yet
whatever they are, they should be more honorary than lucrative. The
victors should be rewarded also with the applauses of the public, the
countenance of the great, and sometimes, perhaps, with the patronage of
the government.”--“All sports,” he farther observes, “without exception,
that promote strength and agility, should be encouraged in our military
schools[13].”
But to every man, the proper exercise of the body is an important object,
as good health and spirits constitute the greatest blessing of nature,
for our pleasures are derived from the capability of enjoying them. Dr.
Churchill justly remarks[14], “that, in the formation of our frames, and
the very nature of our constitution, it was the positive institution of
Providence, to create in us an absolute necessity for exercise, in order
to our well-being.” And he farther says, that “by attention to exercise,
the tone and vigour of the moving powers are wonderfully increased; the
nervous energy and circulation of the blood are materially accelerated;
and this increased impetus of the blood through the whole system
produces an effectual determination to the surface of the skin; and
free perspiration is the consequence. By the same means, the body is
disposed to sleep; the appetite increased; the tone of the stomach and
digestive powers preserved; and the blood is determined from the internal
viscera, which prevents as well as removes obstructions, and powerfully
obviates the tendency to a plethoric fulness of the system. By exercise,
the spirits are enlivened, and the body refreshed; or, as Hippocrates
observes, it gives strength to the body, and vigour to the mind; and it
is an irrefragable truth, that where it is improperly neglected, the
energy and strength of the whole machine falls to decay.”
To the authority of Dr. Churchill, may be added that of the celebrated
Dr. Willich, who, in the Seventh Chapter of his Lectures on Diet and
Regimen, (p. 441-2,) observes, that “motion, or bodily exercise, is
necessary to the preservation of health, which is promoted, while the
bounds of moderation are not exceeded. Too violent exercise, or a total
want of it, are attended with equal disadvantages. Much also depends on
the kind of motion, and the various postures of the body.
“The essential advantages of exercise are the following: Bodily strength
is increased; the circulation of the blood and all other fluids promoted;
the necessary secretions and excretions are duly performed; the whole
mass of the blood is cleared and refined, so that it cannot stagnate in
the minutest capillary vessels; and if any obstruction should begin to
take place, it will thus be effectually removed.
“That exercise is enjoined by Nature, we may learn from the whole
structure of the human body; the number of muscles formed for motion; and
the mechanism in the circulation of the blood itself. There are indeed
no healthier people than those who take strong daily exercise. Man in
a state of health is instinctively excited to muscular exertion; and
children that are perfectly healthy, are constantly running about, and
in almost uninterrupted motion.”
* * * * *
PEDESTRIANISM affords the best species of exercise, and may be said to
include much that is valuable to mankind. Those distinguished persons,
therefore, who by their example, have rendered this branch of the
gymnastic art FASHIONABLE and GENERAL, deserve the highest praise.
To Captain Barclay, Captain Agar, Captain Acres, Lieutenant Fairman,
and many other gentlemen, this country is greatly indebted for their
improvement of this art. It is only the thoughtless and inconsiderate
part of the community that does not discover the benefits resulting from
the exploits of such celebrated professors, because they cannot estimate
the ultimate consequences of individual exertion. But reflecting people
must perceive that, in time, desultory efforts may be reduced into a
system founded on principles calculated to strengthen and preserve both
the health of our bodies, and the energy of our minds, thus facilitating
the acquisition of human knowledge.
Exercise on foot is allowed to be the most natural and perfect, as it
employs every part of the body, and effectually promotes the circulation
of the blood through the arteries and veins.--“WALKING,” says Dr.
Willich[15], “the most salutary and natural exercise, is in the power
of every body; and we can adapt its degree and duration to the various
circumstances of health. By this exercise the appetite and perspiration
are promoted; the body is kept in proper temperament; the mind is
enlivened; the motion of the lungs is facilitated; and the rigidity of
the legs arising from too much sitting, is relieved. The most obstinate
diseases, and the most troublesome hysteric and hypochondriacal
complaints, have been frequently cured by perseverance in walking.”
Pedestrian feats, even when carried to excess, are seldom attended by
any pernicious effects. The exhaustion occasioned by severe exercise
is only temporary; for the wearied frame is speedily recruited by the
luxury of rest and refreshment. But certain rules may be observed, which
will render walking both easy and agreeable. A light, yet firm and manly
step, an erect posture, especially in regard to the head, the breast, and
the shoulders, should be the chief objects of attainment. By care and
attention a person may thus learn to walk gracefully, and with little
bodily fatigue[16].
Early and constant practice gradually forms the pedestrian for the
accomplishment of the greatest undertakings: but even in the common
intercourse subsisting in society, facility of walking is requisite for
individual conveniency and comfort. It should, therefore, be the study of
people of all ranks, to adopt the best method of performing either short
or long journies, by imitating the GAIT and MANNER of those celebrated
men, who, of late years, have so eminently distinguished themselves in
the annals of the sporting world.
The extraordinary exploits of modern pedestrians have been generally
encouraged by the patronage of men of fortune and rank; and FOOT-MATCHES
being made the subject of discussion, a difference of opinion gives
occasion for wagers. Although it was maintained by Sir Charles Banbury,
and some other eminent sportsmen, that a bet should not be taken on a
FOOT-RACE; yet, in reason, there can be no legitimate objection to such
things, as whatever may be deemed doubtful, or of uncertain result, must
be a fair subject of betting.
Many astonishing feats of pedestrianism have been accomplished during
the last and present century; but it does not suit the limits of this
work to record the whole of them, or even to enumerate all the exploits
of every person who has been distinguished.--We can only relate the
most conspicuous performances of those who have acquired celebrity by
their general success, and whose matches, either against others, or
against time, have attracted public attention. It would fill volumes to
particularize every WALK or RACE that exceeds the power of ordinary men;
and, therefore, we shall confine our narration to matches of difficult
accomplishment. Accordingly, and for the purpose of perspicuity, we have
thought proper generally to arrange them into different classes.
First, Matches of several days continuance, and which required
great strength and perseverance.
Secondly, Those which were accomplished in one day, and shewed
great strength and agility.
Thirdly, Those which were performed in one or more hours, and
required good wind, and great agility; and,
Lastly, Those completed in seconds, or in minutes, and showed
great swiftness.
In accomplishing long matches against time, it must be observed, that
considerable speed is fully as requisite as strength; for no man could
walk a hundred miles in one day, if he were not able to go for several
hours at the rate of six miles an hour; and it will be found, in general,
that those who have performed great distances, were also remarkable for
agility and swiftness.
Robert Bartley, of Hutford in Norfolk, who was born anno 1719, was
distinguished in his youth for extraordinary speed; and, when an old
man, frequently walked from Thetford to London in one day--a distance
of eighty-one miles--and returned the next. He was well known among the
sporting men of Newmarket as a great walker, and died in the sixty-sixth
year of his age.
Reed, the noted pedestrian of Hampshire, in 1774, ran ten miles within
an hour, at the Artillery Ground, London. In 1787, he walked one hundred
miles in one day at Gosport; and on the sands of Weymouth, in 1791, he
performed fifty miles in little more than nine hours.
In May 1762, Child, the miller of Wandsworth, walked forty-four miles
in seven hours and fifty-seven minutes, on Wimbledon Common; and in
August the same year, Mr. John Hague of Binns near Marsden, performed one
hundred miles in twenty-three hours and fifteen minutes.
Mr. Foster Powell was the most celebrated pedestrian of his time; and in
the performance of long journies has seldom been equalled.--In 1773, he
walked from London to York, and back again, in six days, for a wager of
one hundred guineas. In the same year, he beat Andrew Smith, a famous
runner, on Barham Downs, in a match of one mile. In 1776, he ran two
miles in ten and a half minutes, on the Lea-bridge road, but lost his
match by half a minute. In September 1787, he walked from the Falstaff
Inn at Canterbury to London Bridge, and back, in ten minutes less than
twenty-four hours, being a distance of one hundred and nine miles. On the
8th June 1788, he set out from Hicks’ Hall on a second journey to York,
and back again, which he accomplished in five days, nineteen hours, and
fifteen minutes. In the July following, he walked one hundred miles in
twenty-two hours. In 1790, he took a bet of twenty guineas to thirteen,
that he would walk from London to York, and return, in five days and
eighteen hours, which he performed in less time than was allowed, by one
hour and fifty minutes. He was so fresh on his return, that he offered
to walk a hundred miles the next day for a considerable wager. In the
same year, he went from Hyde Park corner to Windsor, and back, in seven
hours. In July 1792, he undertook to walk from London to York, and back,
in five days and fifteen hours, which he accomplished within his time by
an hour and twenty-five minutes. In 1792, when in the fifty-seventh year
of his age, he offered to walk six miles in one hour; to run a mile in
five minutes and a half; and to go five hundred miles in seven days. He
required a bet of one hundred guineas on the last undertaking, and twenty
guineas on either of the other two. But no person appearing to accept his
offer, he afterwards declined all pedestrian performances for wagers.
This celebrated pedestrian was born in the year 1736, at Horsforth, near
Leeds, in Yorkshire. He was bred to the profession of the law, and was
clerk to an attorney in New Inn, London. He was beat by West of Windsor,
in walking forty miles on the western road, for a wager of forty guineas.
He was, however, a first-rate walker for either a long or a short
journey; and his stature was no more than five feet eight inches; but his
legs and thighs were stout, and well calculated for performances of this
kind.
Mr. Joseph Edge, of Macclesfield in Cheshire, in 1806, when at the age
of sixty-two, walked one hundred and seventy-two miles in forty-nine
hours and twenty minutes. He started from the Angel Inn at Macclesfield,
at twelve o’clock on Wednesday night, and arrived at the Swan with Two
Necks, Ladlane, London, at twenty minutes past one on Saturday morning.
This performance is remarkable from the age of the pedestrian, who walked
at the rate of three miles, three furlongs, thirty-five perches, and
11/74ths feet per hour.
Long journies have been frequently performed at the rate of from fifty to
eighty miles a day, for four, six, eight, ten, or more successive days,
which have evinced the great strength and perseverance of the pedestrians.
In July 1788, John Batty, when fifty-five years of age, walked seven
hundred miles in fourteen days on Richmond Course. He performed this
long journey at the following rate: first day, fifty-nine miles: second,
fifty-five and three-quarters: third, fifty-two and three-quarters:
fourth, fifty-one: fifth, fifty-one: sixth, fifty-one: seventh,
forty-three: eighth, forty-two and three-quarters: ninth, forty-four
and three-quarters: tenth, fifty-one: eleventh, fifty-one: twelfth,
fifty-four and a half: thirteenth, fifty-one: and on the fourteenth day,
thirty-six miles and a quarter, having finished the whole distance within
five hours of the time allowed.
In 1792, Mr. Eustace walked from Liverpool to London in four days. He was
then seventy-seven years of age, and the distance exceeds two hundred
miles. On a journey from Chester to London, when eleven years younger, he
went ninety miles the first day.
Mr. Downes is well known as a first-rate pedestrian. In February 1808,
he walked four hundred miles in ten days for a bet of a hundred guineas.
He was greatly fatigued by the exertion; and his weight was reduced
more than two stones. He performed thirty-five miles a day for twenty
successive days, without much difficulty. He walked twenty miles in two
hours and forty minutes, on the 11th of July 1809. He matched himself to
go thirty miles in three hours and a quarter, for a bet of one hundred
guineas; but the task was evidently beyond his power, and he failed
in the undertaking. He was more fortunate, however, in a match with
the celebrated Captain Aiken, which took place this year, on the 26th
September, at Thorpe, in Hampshire. The bet was, which of them should
go the greater distance in forty-eight hours. They started together at
the extremities of a piece of ground of five miles, and met each other.
Mr. Downes walked ninety miles the first day, and rested two hours. His
adversary went eighty-eight miles, and had only an hour to rest. On the
second day, Mr. Downes had accomplished seventy-two miles, and had five
hours to spare. Captain Aiken had done only fifty-six in the same time,
and therefore resigned the match.
In April 1808, Mr. Podgers walked four hundred miles in eight successive
days, for a wager of two hundred guineas. He started at Basingstoke, and
from Hampshire went into the counties of Wilts, Gloucester, Somerset,
Sussex, and Kent, finishing at Maidstone. He walked twelve hours each
day, and slept eight. His weight was fourteen stones, and he did not
appear the least fatigued at any period of the journey.
Mr. Dowler, a publican at Towcester, Northamptonshire, walked five
hundred miles in seven successive days, for a bet of one hundred guineas.
He started on the 3d of November 1808, and finished on the 9th, at three
o’clock in the afternoon.
Captain Howe is a celebrated pedestrian, and walked three hundred and
forty-six miles in six days, for a wager of two hundred guineas. He
started on the 8th of March 1808, at four in the morning, to go from
London to Exeter, and made out sixty-four miles by nine at night, having
stopped at Basingstoke for an hour. On the following day he walked
seventy miles; and on the third day, arrived at Exeter to dinner, where
he stopt three hours, but returned to Honiton to sleep. On the fourth
day, he reached within nine miles of Salisbury; and on the fifth night,
slept at a public house near Basingstoke. He had now forty-nine miles
to perform on the sixth day, which accomplished by six o’clock in the
evening. Captain Howe, on the 28th of the same month, gained a match of
two hundred guineas against Captain Hewetson, having walked eighty miles
in less than twenty-four hours.--He also beat Mr. Smith in a twenty mile
race on the Uxbridge road, about the end of October 1809. Mr. Smith was
the favourite before starting; but Captain Howe performed the distance in
two hours and twenty minutes, beating his adversary by half a mile.
On the 9th of June 1812, Captain Howe undertook to go sixty miles in
twelve hours for a wager of two hundred guineas. He started at four
o’clock in the morning, and did half the distance in twelve minutes less
than six hours. He continued at the rate of five miles in the hour, and
won the match within ten minutes of the time allowed.
Mr. Canning, a gentleman in Hampshire, walked three hundred miles in
less than five days. He started at the turnpike road four miles from
Basingstoke, at four in the morning, and went sixty miles in fourteen
hours. He finished his task two miles from Yeovil in Somersetshire, by
eleven at night, on the fifth day. He was apparently so little fatigued,
that probably he could have continued for several days; but in the course
of the journey, he lost twenty-six pounds in weight.
Mr. Rimmington, a farmer at Holt near Dorchester, in October 1811, walked
five hundred and sixty miles in seven days, at the rate of eighty miles
a day, for a wager of two hundred guineas. He was much emaciated by this
extraordinary exertion, and became very lame towards the close.
Lieutenant Halifax, of the Lancashire militia, walked two miles an hour
for one hundred successive hours, near Tiverton in Devon, in March 1808.
This was a great performance, as he could not have more than fifty
minutes rest at one time, during four days and nights. He was much
distressed: his legs were swollen, and his whole frame was exhausted. His
courage, however, never failed him; and he completed the task amidst the
shouts of the multitude that this extraordinary experiment had attracted.
Thomas Savager, who died in 1809, in the seventy-fifth year of his age,
was a noted pedestrian, although only five feet and four inches in
stature, and lame from his youth. In 1789, he undertook to walk four
hundred and four miles, in six days. The scene of his performance was on
the turnpike road from Hereford through Leominster to Ludlow; and he won
his wager within five hours of the time allowed. When the superfluous
ground over which he walked to his lodgings at Hereford, Ludlow, &c. was
added, it was found that he had walked not less than four hundred and
twenty-nine miles in five days and nineteen hours.
On the 18th of September 1811, Mr. Mealing, a gentleman of fortune in
Somersetshire, started to go five hundred and forty miles, at the rate
of thirty miles a day, for eighteen successive days, and to perform the
distance in eighteen different counties, which he accomplished, and won
five hundred guineas. He was reduced from fourteen stone eight pounds, to
twelve stone four pounds.
To walk one hundred miles within twenty-four hours may be considered an
extraordinary exertion; but that distance has been performed in that time
by several people: and a great deal more has been accomplished by some of
our most celebrated pedestrians.
Mr. Oliver, in July 1811, walked one hundred miles in twenty-three
hours and fifty minutes. He was much fatigued, but that he was not
entirely exhausted, was apparent from his going the last ten miles in
two hours.--Mr. Edward Millen, in July the previous year, accomplished
the same distance in twenty-three hours and twenty-five minutes.--But
we shall have occasion afterwards to record more difficult performances
than these; and, in the meantime, shall take notice of the feats of such
pedestrians as have evinced uncommon strength and agility, and who have
been distinguished by walking a long distance in a short time.
In September this year (1812), Jonathan Waring, a Lancashire pedestrian,
performed one hundred and thirty-six miles in thirty-four hours,
for a wager of one hundred guineas. He started from London to go to
Northampton, and return. He went the first fifty-five miles in twelve
hours, and half the distance in fourteen hours and a half. After resting
an hour and a half, he started on his return, and accomplished the whole
distance in three minutes less than the time allowed. He was excessively
fatigued.
But Glanville, a Shropshire man, accomplished a more extraordinary
performance in the year 1806. He walked one hundred and forty-two miles
on the Bath road in twenty-nine hours and three-quarters. He started from
the 14th mile-stone to go to the 85th, and back, at seven in the morning,
on the 26th of December, and arrived at his journey’s end next day, at a
quarter before one o’clock in the afternoon. He went off at the rate of
six miles an hour, and reached Twyford at five minutes past ten, where he
took a basin of soup. He refreshed again at Marlborough, and arrived at
the 85th mile-stone at ten minutes past eight in the evening. This part
of his journey was performed at the average rate of nearly five miles and
a half an hour. He returned a few miles on his way back, and refreshed
himself on a bed for an hour and a half, and reached Reading at a quarter
past six in the morning of the 27th. He had now twenty-five miles to
go in five hours and three-quarters, and appeared to be much fatigued.
After remaining twenty minutes, he renewed his task, and arrived at
his journey’s end at a quarter before one o’clock--winning, with great
difficulty, by a quarter of an hour.
This performance is the most extraordinary upon record, and bets
were seven to four, and two to one against him; but his strength and
perseverance overcame every difficulty, and thus enabled him to
accomplish the astonishing exploit.
On Friday, the 20th July 1804, John Bell, Esq. engaged to walk from Brook
Green to Hammersmith--a distance of fifty-eight miles--in fourteen hours,
for a bet of two hundred guineas; which he performed, with apparent ease,
in thirteen hours, and forty-five seconds.--A distance of sixty miles
was performed on the 18th of September, the same year, by a butcher
of Whitechapel, in eleven hours and a quarter, for a bet of seventeen
guineas.
On the 14th of August 1807, a distance of sixty-nine miles was performed
near Lyndhurst, in twelve hours, by Wall, a hawker, on the Bath road. He
was matched against Campbell of Dowton, Wilts, a man of local notoriety.
The pedestrians started about four miles from Christ Church, at eleven
o’clock, morning. By four, Wall had gone thirty-five miles. He was at
the same time passed by Campbell; but having rested for half an hour,
he overtook his opponent by nine o’clock. A severe struggle now ensued,
and they kept together until ten; when Wall made an extraordinary push,
and went nearly eight miles in the last hour, beating his adversary
by a mile and a half. In this match, the winner walked five miles and
three-quarters per hour on the average, including the time he refreshed,
which, allowing for the distance, must be considered a very extraordinary
effort.
In August 1809, Captain Walsham, of the Worcestershire regiment of
militia, walked the distance of sixty miles in twelve hours, with
ease; and afterwards rode thirty miles on two curricle horses, in two
successive hours, for a wager of one hundred and twenty guineas.
Mr. Hopper of Canterbury, walked sixty-three miles in eleven hours and
thirty-nine minutes. He started from the turnpike on St. Martin’s Hill,
and at the end of the first hour he had gone seven and a half miles:
second hour, eleven miles, including stoppage for breakfast: third hour,
and five minutes, twenty miles: fourth hour, twenty-six miles: fifth
hour, thirty-four miles: sixth hour, including dinner, thirty-five
miles: seventh hour, forty-one miles: eighth hour, forty-five miles:
ninth hour, fifty-one miles: tenth hour, fifty-five miles: eleventh
hour, sixty miles: and at thirty-eight and three-fourth minutes past the
eleventh hour, he finished sixty-three miles, apparently much fatigued.
A distance of fifty miles was performed in nine hours, on the 28th of
March 1811, by Clough, a groom, on the Bath road, for a wager of fifty
guineas. He regularly walked six miles an hour for the first five hours;
and his average rate of travelling was five miles, one half, and one
ninth part of a mile, per hour.--Eighty miles, at two starts, were
performed by Shoreham, a publican, on the 22d of April the same year.
He started from Paddington to go to Nettlebed, Oxfordshire, and to
return. He went forty miles in six hours and a half, and after resting
three hours, he accomplished the other forty miles in six hours and
forty minutes, having completed the distance in thirteen hours and ten
minutes, which was at the rate of more than six miles per hour.
On the 15th of April 1812, Lieut. Groats undertook for a wager of two
hundred guineas to go seventy-two miles in twelve hours. He went from
Blackfriars road to Canterbury, and thence back to Stroud. He performed
the first fourteen miles in two hours. When he had gone sixty miles he
was much fatigued, but by the aid of refreshment and rubbing, he was
enabled to proceed, and accomplished the distance within six minutes of
the time allowed.
Six miles per hour, for any distance from twenty-four to forty miles,
must be considered as very superior walking, although several of the most
celebrated pedestrians have exceeded that rate.--Mr. Pearson performed
thirty-seven miles in five hours and twenty-seven minutes, for a wager
of one hundred guineas. He started from Pimlico to go to Datchet-bridge
near Windsor, and return, at three o’clock in the morning of the 11th
July 1807. He went off on a shuffling walk, and stopt at Honslow at a
quarter past four, where he refreshed. He halted again at Colnbrook, at
twenty-five minutes past five, and reached Datchet-bridge in fifteen
minutes; half the distance having been performed in two hours and forty
minutes. As he had only gained a few minutes on time, bets were three
and two to one against him; but in returning, he quickened his pace, and
arrived at Honslow, at twenty-seven minutes past seven o’clock, much
fatigued.
On the 13th of January 1810, William Staniland walked fifty-four miles in
seven hours and three-quarters, for a wager of eighty guineas. He set off
from Driffield at seven in the morning to go to Hull, where he arrived at
half-past ten, and having gone round the statue in the market-place, he
returned to Driffield at a quarter before three, being fifteen minutes
within the time allowed.
Mr. Yardly accomplished forty-two miles in six hours and ten minutes,
which was nearly at the rate of seven miles an hour on the average. He
started in the morning of the 12th of June, and went twenty-one miles in
three hours; nineteen miles and a half in the other three hours; and the
remaining mile and a half in ten minutes.
Thomas Miller, of Cowford in Sussex, on the 7th of July 1795, walked
from the market-house at Horsham to Westminster Bridge--a distance of
thirty-six miles--in five hours and fifty minutes, with apparent ease.
John Jones, a Welchman, and William Williams, a Lancashire man, ran
thirty miles on the Hereford road, on Monday the 12th of June 1809, for a
wager of five hundred guineas. Williams had the better of his antagonist
for the first twenty miles; but Jones soon after passed him, and won the
race in three hours and three-quarters.
Spence, a chairman in Paisley, went from the cross of Glasgow to
Edinburgh--a distance of forty-two miles--in seven hours and twenty
minutes, without much apparent fatigue.
Mr. Ensor, clerk of Highgate Chapel, undertook, in September 1806, to
walk twenty-six miles in four hours, for a bet of fifty guineas. He
started from the first mile-stone at Hammersmith, at seven o’clock, and
went the first seven miles within the hour, and accomplished the whole
distance in three hours and forty-three minutes.
On the 26th of October 1805, Mr. King, an optician, undertook to walk the
same distance in the same time, for a bet of thirty guineas. He started
from the first mile-stone at Hammersmith, and reached the 17th, beyond
Colnbrook, in one hour and fifty minutes, and returned to the place
whence he had started seventeen minutes within his time, performing the
whole distance in three hours and forty-three minutes.
A bet of fifty guineas having been made between Captain Hare and Mr.
Cortey of Wigmore Street, that the latter should not go from Sevenoaks
to Blackfriars Bridge, in two hours and forty minutes, on the 17th of
April 1809;--the pedestrian started on the day appointed, and although
the weather was extremely unfavourable, he did nine miles in the first
hour, and eight miles and a half in the second. He had now forty minutes
to perform the remaining five miles and a half; the whole distance being
twenty-three miles. But the weather was so extremely severe as to beat
him to a stand-still a mile from the Bricklayers’ Arms, when he resigned.
On Friday the 4th June 1807, Mr. Stevens undertook to go from the
Woolpack at St. Albans, to Finsbury Square,--a distance of twenty-one
miles--in three hours, for a bet of four hundred and fifty guineas. He
started at a quarter before two o’clock in the morning, and arrived at
his journey’s end by four. He ran in the first hour, seven miles and a
half; in the second hour, ten miles; and in the last quarter, three miles
and a half.
A match for twenty miles was run on the 12th September 1809, on a piece
of chosen ground near Maidenhead, between Mr. Greig and Matthew Mark, for
fifty guineas a side. Mark took the lead at the rate of eight miles an
hour, closely followed by his antagonist. They were equal at ten miles,
having performed that distance in one hour and eight minutes. They both
made play here, and at nineteen miles were together; but Mr. Greig gained
by two minutes only. The race throughout was well contested; and the
whole distance was accomplished in two hours and twenty minutes.
Captain Thomson of the 74th regiment, while stationed at Aberdeen in the
year 1808, undertook to walk twenty-one miles in three hours. He started
on the 5th of May at the 7th mile-stone on the Ellon road, returning to
the 4th, until he should perform the distance, which he accomplished in
four minutes and a half less than the time allowed.
On the 22d of February 1812, James Watson, a glazier, for a wager of £10,
went from Whitechapel Church to Romford in Essex, and back, in three
hours, the distance being twenty-three miles. He started at six o’clock,
and reached Romford at twenty minutes past seven. Having refreshed ten
minutes, he started again on his return, and completed the distance in
four minutes less than the given time.
On the 11th of February 1812, Mr. Webber undertook, for a bet of one
hundred guineas, to ride nine miles within half an hour, and to run five
miles in another half hour. He started at Two-mile Brook, near Colnbrook,
Bucks, and performed the nine miles in a light sulky, in four minutes
less than the given time. He now started on his pedestrian match, and
went four miles in a few seconds less than twenty-four minutes, labouring
under great distress; but he recovered his wind, and won the match in six
seconds within the time.
Mr. Froward of Berkeley-street, on the 14th of April 1812, performed
thirty miles in three hours and fifty-three minutes, for a wager of
twenty guineas.