Charles Campbell (1805 – July 1851) of

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

was the first recognised professional world champion single sculler. At the time, (1831) he became the Champion of the Thames which was effectively the Champion of England although the Tyne scullers might have disagreed. See Also

English Sculling Championship The English Sculling Championship developed out of informal competitions between working watermen on rivers such as the Thames and the Tyne. Various matches were made on a casual basis but in time these were more formalised. The first recognised Ch ...

. After the English title gained the world status in 1876, earlier winners were retrospectively given the World Champion Title. Campbell was born in 1805 at

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

. During his racing career he was stated to be , and weighed . His races included pair and four oar events as well as single sculls.

Title races

The first single sculls world title match took place on 9 September 1831 between Campbell and John Williams of Waterloo Bridge on the Thames course between Westminster and Hammersmith. Campbell was the winner although no time for the race was recorded. Campbell was reported to weigh 11.5 stone. The next time he raced for the title was when he was challenged by Robert Coombes. The stake was £50 a side and the match was run on 1 November 1838. The course was again on the Thames between Westminster to Putney – a distance of approximately 4.5 miles. Campbell was an easy winner and the time recorded was a slow 42 minutes, but the boats used were slow, old-fashioned wherries. Future races were to feature faster wager boats. Campbell's third title race occurred on 19 August 1846 again after being challenged by Coombes. This time the stake was £100 a side. This was the first title race held on what became known as the

Championship Course The Championship Course is a stretch of the River Thames between Mortlake and Putney in London, England. It is a well-established course for rowing races, particularly the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The course is on the tidal reaches of th ...

of Putney to Mortlake on the Thames. The match had been eagerly anticipated by many sportsmen and there was considerable speculation as to the outcome. It was noted that one of the famous Clasper brothers was a spectator. The boats used by the contestants were stated to be of the most approved modern construction and were within two pounds weight of each other; Campbell's being the heavier at forty pounds. A large number of spectators were on the banks and in boats to watch the proceedings. Although a fresh wind was blowing the water was tolerably smooth as both men made their way to the start. Just before the start Campbell was seen to be sewing himself up in some sort of sack which came from the sides of the boat to around his waist. It was assumed that this was to keep water out of the boat but its use seemed to cause problems. Both men were described as being in the finest possible condition; Campbell weighed , and Coombes at . The umpire was Edward Searle. At the start Coombes dashed off with the lead but Campbell appeared ill at ease and did not settle in good form, and pulled slowly and unsteadily. Off Finch's Campbell caught a ‘crab’ and appeared much hampered by his bag arrangement which he unsuccessfully attempted to get rid off. Meanwhile, Coombes continued in his uninterrupted manner and by Hammersmith Bridge was about 250 yards ahead. He was not further troubled by his opponent and he covered the distance of nearly 4.25 miles in 26m.15s to take the Title. The margin was two and a half minutes. Campbell was dissatisfied with the result and there was talk of a re-match but this did not eventuate. See also

World Sculling Championship The World Sculling Championship (1863–1957), evolved from the Championship of the Thames for professional scullers. Only the sport of boxing claims an older Championship of the World. It is notable that Jack Broughton, the "Father of Boxing", t ...

Other races

Campbell and J Phelps won a £20 a side race in May 1835. Campbell and Holmes won the St John's West prize

wherry A wherry is a type of boat that was traditionally used for carrying cargo or passengers on rivers and canals in England, and is particularly associated with the River Thames and the River Cam. They were also used on the Broadland rivers of No ...

in August 1835. In a London verses Plymouth match he pulled stroke in a four oar race over 11.5 miles between Westminster and Kew. This race was on 26 July 1837 and the time was 1h.08m.30s with London the victors. He took the same position in a London verses Clyde four oar match with £100 a side on 30 October 1839. The course was four miles which London covered in 28m.15s beating the Clyde crew by 1m.28s.

Death

Charles Campbell died in July 1851.

References

* "The Aquatic Oracle or Record of Rowing from 1835 to 1851", published 1852. * Bell's Life in London, 23 August 1846.
World Professional Sculling Championships
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Charles 1805 births 1851 deaths English male rowers Sportspeople from Lambeth Professional rowers