Society of Thames Watermen - ad for annual rowing race

Doggett's Coat and Badge is the prize and name for the oldest

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

race in the world. Up to six apprentice

watermen A waterman is a river worker who transfers passengers across and along city centre rivers and estuaries in the United Kingdom and its colonies. Most notable are those on the River Thames and River Medway in England, but other rivers such as the ...

of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

compete for this prestigious honour, which has been held every year since 1715. The 4 mile 5 furlongs (7.44 km) race is rowed on the

upstream from

London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...

Cadogan Pier Cadogan Pier is a pier on the River Thames in London, UK. It is located on the North Bank of the river, immediately next to the Albert Bridge on Cheyne Walk near Chelsea Embankment. It has been Chelsea's only river transport link for over 150 ...

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

, passing under a total of eleven bridges. Originally, it was raced every 1 August against the outgoing (falling or ebb) tide, in the boats used by watermen to

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

passengers across the Thames. Today it is raced at a time amenable to spectators, in September, that coincides with the incoming (rising or flood) tide, in contemporary single

sculling Sculling is the use of oars to propel a boat by moving them through the water on both sides of the craft, or moving one oar over the stern. A long, narrow boat with sliding seats, rigged with two oars per rower may be referred to as a scull, it ...

boats. The winner's prize is a traditional watermen's red coat with a silver badge added, displaying the horse of the

House of Hanover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house orig ...

and the word "Liberty", in honour of the accession of

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria ( fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George I of Antioch (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgoruk ...

to the throne. In addition, each competitor who completes the course receives a miniature of a Doggett's Badge for their lapel in a ceremony at

Watermen's Hall The Company of Watermen and Lightermen (CWL) is a historic livery company, City guild in the City of London. However, unlike the city's other 109 livery company, livery companies, CWL does not have a grant of livery. Its meeting rooms are at Wat ...

, in silver for the winner and in bronze for the others. Monetary prizes are also awarded by the

Fishmongers' Company The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers (or Fishmongers' Company) is one of the 110 Livery Companies of the City of London, being an incorporated guild of sellers of fish and seafood in the City. The Company ranks fourth in the order of precede ...

to the rowing clubs of those taking part, with £1,000 to the winner's club, £600 for second, £400 for third and £200 for fourth. In addition to the prizes received, winning Doggett's Coat and Badge in the 18th and 19th centuries would help attract more trade to the talented waterman. While this is no longer the case, winning the Doggett's Coat and Badge is today still seen as very prestigious.

History

Thomas Doggett Thomas Doggett (or Dogget) (20 September 1721) was an Irish actor. The birth date of 1640 seems unlikely. A more probable date of 1670 is given in the Encyclopædia Britannica. Biography Doggett was born in Dublin, and made his first stage app ...

was an Irish actor and comedian who became joint manager of

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drur ...

. He relied heavily upon the

of the Thames, who were then the equivalent of the modern taxi driver, to convey him between the various plying stairs near his workplaces in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

and his residence in

. There is a legend that in 1715 Doggett was rescued by a waterman after falling overboard whilst crossing the Thames near

Embankment Embankment may refer to: Geology and geography * A levee, an artificial bank raised above the immediately surrounding land to redirect or prevent flooding by a river, lake or sea * Embankment (earthworks), a raised bank to carry a road, railwa ...

. Although this has always been dismissed, along with other myths, by the Fishmongers' Company, the story continues that in gratitude for his rescue he offered a rowing wager to the fastest of six young watermen in their first year of freedom, over the course between "The Swan" pub at London Bridge and "The Swan" pub at Chelsea. Rowing wagers were common in those days, but this one was unique: Doggett set the wager to be a traditional red watermens' coat, but, being a "great Whig in Politics", Doggett arranged the race for 1 August each year, and had the coat furnished with a silver badge "representing Liberty", to commemorate the accession to the throne on 1 August 1714 of

of the

. The current badge prominently features both the word "Liberty" and an image of the horse, an emblem of the House of Hanover. The race was organised and financed by Doggett each year from 1715 until his death in 1721. In his will, Doggett left specific instructions for the continuation of the race, which is now held by the

, a livery company of the

. However, over the ages, several particulars have changed: * Originally, the race was run against the tide, but since 1873 it has been run with the incoming tide. * It was intended to be held each "1st day of August forever", but now often occurs in September, with the precise date and time depending on the tides. * The intention was that competitors should race in the boats of their passenger-ferrying trade. At first these boats were four-seater passenger wherries (which could take nearly two hours to row the distance), later "old fashion boats", then "best" boats, then clinker gigs, then modified best boats. Since 1769 the Fishmongers' Company has set regulations; these state that all vessels must be "common Scullers Boats" and examined by the Company. Contemporary

single scull A single scull (or a scull) is a rowing boat designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to minimi ...

s are now used and take about 30 minutes to race the course. * Lots were originally drawn at Watermen's Hall but are now drawn at Fishmongers' Hall due to unfair practices. * As the population of watermen has declined, since 1988 the event has been open to unsuccessful competitors to row again in their second and third years of freedom.

Timeline

* 1 August 1714 – Accession to the throne of

of the

* 1715 – There is a myth that Doggett fell into the Thames, and was saved by watermen * 1 August 1715 – the first Doggett's Coat and Badge race * 1721 – Doggett dies; his will leaves specific instructions for race to continue * 1722 – Race renamed from "The Brunswick Competition" to "Doggett's Coat and Badge". It is won in 1722 by William Morris, thus he was technically the first winner of the Doggett's Coat and Badge. * 1730 – Race won by

Jack Broughton John "Jack" Broughton (c. 1703 – 8 January 1789) was an English bare-knuckle boxer. He was the first person to codify a set of rules to be used in such contests; prior to this the "rules" that existed were very loosely defined and tended to ...

, a champion

pugilist Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

* 1769 – Fishmongers' Company established strict regulations to ensure fair competition * 1819 - Race won by William Emery (1798 -1867), later freeman of Feltmakers Guild and then Beadle of St Martins Church * 1873 – Race rowed with the incoming tide from this year onward * 1880 – Race won by William J. Cobb who was so proud of his victory he became known as 'Doggett Cobb' * 1887 – Race won by William Giles East who went on to win the Sculling Championship of England in 1891, became a Queen's Waterman in 1898, and Barge Master to the King in 1906. * 1894 – Race won by Frederick Pearce of Hammersmith, in 32 minutes, 22 seconds. According to the original conditions the men should have rowed against the tide but the flood was still running when Frederick passed the winning post. 'Sons of the Thames' Pearce came from a long line of watermen and lighterman. * 1916 – Race won by Frederick William Pearce of Hammersmith (His father previously won it in 1894.) Due to the First World War all races were put on hold. The race was next run in 1920. * 1973 – The fastest race yet, won by Bobby Prentice in 23 minutes 22 seconds. * 1988 – Race opened to unsuccessful prior competitors to row in their second and third years of freedom. * 1992 – Claire Burran was the first woman to compete. Sister of 1988 winner Glen Hayes, she came third in rough conditions. * 2005 – 291st race was the closest in recent memory: it was won by only a few lengths, and there was a dead heat for second and third places.

Related information

The race has also given its name to two

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

: "Doggetts Coat & Badge" on the southern end of

Blackfriars Bridge Blackfriars Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge, carrying the A201 road. The north end is in the City of London near the Inns of Court and Temple Chu ...

and " The Coat and Badge", Lacy Road,

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

. There is a pub in

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...

named "The Doggett Coat and Badge".

References

External links

* * {{Cite book, title=Thomas Doggett Deceased, first1=Theodore Andrea, last1=Cook, first2=Guy, last2=Nickalls, author1-link=Theodore Andrea Cook, author2-link=Guy Nickalls, place=London, year=1908, publisher=Archibald Constable, url=https://archive.org/details/thomasdoggettdec00cook A book giving the history of the man and the race he instigated.
''Watermen's Hall'' race history

* ttp://www.portoflondon.co.uk/display_fixedpage.cfm/id/163/site/site/ ''Port of London Authority'' race history
''About.com'' race information and history

* ttp://golondon.about.com/od/julyannualevents/p/doggettsrace.htm ''About.com'' race information History of rowing Regattas on the River Thames House of Hanover 1715 establishments in England Rowing trophies and awards

History

Timeline

Related information

See also

References

External links