Alfred Cecil Dicker (12 March 1852 – 8 December 1938) was an English clergyman and

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...

who won the

Diamond Challenge Sculls The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders w ...

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...

three times and the

Wingfield Sculls The Wingfield Sculls is a rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England, on the Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake. The race is between single scullers and is usually on the Saturday three to four weeks before the S ...

twice. Dicker was born at St John's Wood, London, the son of John Campbell Dicker. He was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

and entered

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

in 1871, migrating to

Downing College, Cambridge Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 650 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to Cambridge University between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the olde ...

in 1877 and gaining his BA in 1879. He kept up rowing throughout his time at Cambridge, rowing for

Lady Margaret Boat Club The Lady Margaret Boat Club (abbreviated to "LMBC" and known as "Maggie") is the rowing club for members of St John's College, Cambridge, England. The club is named after Lady Margaret Beaufort, founder of the College. History LMBC was found ...

. He challenged for the Wingfield Sculls in 1872. In 1873 he won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley. He also won the Wingfield Sculls beating the previous champion

Clement Courtenay Knollys Sir Clement Courtenay Knollys (1849 – 16 December 1905) was a British rower and colonial administrator and governor. Knollys was the son of Rev. Erskine Knollys and his wife Caroline Augusta North. His father was rector at Quedgeley, Gloucester ...

and the Colquhoun Sculls at Cambridge University. In 1874, he won both the Diamond Challenge Sculls and the Wingfirld Sculls again. In 1875, he won the Diamond Challenge Sculls again, but lost the Wingfield Sculls to Frank Lumley Playford. Dicker remained at Cambridge to study for Holy Orders and took part in the 1876

Boat Race Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

. His style was described "rows fairly hard, but in a very ugly humped-up form and with little swing." His elder brother Gerard Dicker had been in the crew the previous year. Lowick northamptonshire church

Dicker was ordained

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in 1879 and priest in 1880. He became curate of St Mary's Kilburn in 1879 and in 1881 became vicar of All Saints' Church, Newchurch where he instigated a restoration of the church in 1883.J C Cox ''Isle of Wight : its churches and religious houses'' (1911)
/ref> In 1893 he became rector of St Maurice's with St Mary's Kalendar and St Peter's Colebrooke,

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

. In 1904 this also included St Lawrence Church, Winchester and he remained in Winchester until 1906 when he moved to become rector of

St Peter's Church, Lowick St. Peter's Church, Lowick, is the Church of England parish church of Lowick, Northamptonshire, England. Description and history Although the church has early 14th-century origins, it is mainly late 14th and early 15th century, being built for ...

with Slipton,

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

. He retired in 1925 and lived at Boar's Hill, Oxford. Dicker died at the age of 86 and was buried at Wootton. Dicker married novelist Constance Ellen MacEwen at Portsea in 1885.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dicker, Alfred 1852 births 1938 deaths People educated at Winchester College Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Alumni of Downing College, Cambridge English male rowers 19th-century English Anglican priests 20th-century English Anglican priests