Herbert Harlee Playford (1831 – 1 January 1883) was a British

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

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 ...

and 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. First run in 1844, it is open to male scullers from all eligible rowing clubs.

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 ...

. He was instrumental in founding

London Rowing Club London Rowing Club (LRC, or colloquially, 'London') is the second-oldest of the non-academic active rowing clubs on the Thames in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1856 by members of the long-disbanded Argonauts Club wishing to compete at ...

and the

Metropolitan Regatta The Metropolitan Regatta is an international rowing regatta. It takes place on Dorney Lake, Buckinghamshire near Eton next to the River Thames in southern England. It attracts crews from schools, clubs, and universities from around the United K ...

Playford was born in

Chingford Chingford is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The town is approximately north-east of Charing Cross, with Waltham Abbey to the north, Woodford Green and Buckhurst Hill to the east, Walthamstow to the ...

, Essex, and was part of a rowing family which included his brother

Francis Playford Francis Playford (1825 – 01 January 1896) was a British rower who won the Wingfield Sculls in 1849 and the pairs oars at Henley Royal Regatta. Early life Playford was born at South Lambeth, London and was part of a rowing family which incl ...

. He was in business 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 ...

as a timber merchant. He won the

in 1854 and later that year won the Wingfield Sculls with a row-over. In 1855 he lost both the Diamond Challenge Sculls and the Wingfield Sculls to A. A. Casamajor who was to be the major force in rowing for the next six years. In 1856 Playford was instrumental, with Casamajor and

Josias Nottidge Josias Nottidge (1828–1873) was an English rower who twice won Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta. Nottidge rowed initially for Wandle Club . He took part in the Wingfield Sculls in 1853 when it was won by James Paine. In the heat, there ...

, in founding the

. and stroked the club's winning crew in the

Grand Challenge Cup The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and best-known event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing cl ...

at Henley in 1857. In 1859 he fainted when competing in the Diamond Challenge Sculls but won them again in 1860, beating E D Brickwood after Casamajor stood aside. Playford was captain of Lowdon Rowing Club and was also responsible for helping to establish the

, in 1866. Playford died at the age of 52. Playford married Louisa Mary Blake in 1856 and had sons Herbert and Louis. Louisa died in 1866 and Playford married again to Selina Boydell in 1873.Office for National Statistics BMD records They lived at Radnor House Malden, Surrey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Playford, Henry 1831 births 1883 deaths British male rowers