James Nuttall (29 December 1840 – February 1907) was a professional British runner, who broke several records, and is regarded as "one of the best sprinters and quarter milers in England in the 1860s". During his thirteen-year career, Nuttall ran 440 yards in 51.5 seconds, and ran the half-mile in a world's best time of 1:55.5. Born in

Reddish Reddish is an area in Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. south-east of Manchester city centre. At the 2011 Census, the population was 28,052. Historically part of Lancashire, Reddish grew rapidly in the Industrial ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, Nuttall was the maternal grandson of mill-owner Issachar Thorp, who was heir to the Thorp dynasty of

apothecaries ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and Nor ...

and

calico Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...

printing factories in Manchester. Described as "compact, agile and powerful of limb", Nuttall easily won races ranging from 600 yards to half a mile. In 1859, Nuttall became the first Briton to run a quarter mile in fifty-one seconds. In

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

in 1864, he ran 600 yards in 1:13, setting a world record, and defeating the favourite

Siah Albison Siah Albison (1840–1891) was a professional British runner who set a world record in the mile in the 1860s. A weaver from Bowlee near Manchester, Albison earned the mile championship belt of England in 1859. The belt was a creation of Copenha ...

. On 19 August 1865, Nuttall was among ‘the great milers of the 1860s’ who were gathered at Manchester's Royal Oak Grounds to compete for the title of Champion Miler of the World, as well as the Mile Championship Cup. Nuttall led the first two laps in sixty seconds, then hit the half-mile mark in an unprecedented 2:05.5. The crowd cheered him on, but Nuttall's pace was unsustainable. The race was eventually won by William Lang. Nuttall failed to finish the race, which suggests that he was only ever supposed to act as a

pacemaker An artificial cardiac pacemaker (or artificial pacemaker, so as not to be confused with the natural cardiac pacemaker) or pacemaker is a medical device that generates electrical impulses delivered by electrodes to the chambers of the heart eith ...

. In 1867, at Manchester's Copenhagen Grounds, Nuttall beat Scottish runner Robert McInstray's existing half-mile world record, beating John Fleet with 1:55.5. This record stood for four years, until Irishman Frank Hewitt beat it by less than a second. Nuttall and his first wife, Elizabeth Brookfield, were married at

Manchester Cathedral Manchester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George, in Manchester, England, is the mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother ...

on 11 August 1866. When his running career ended, Nuttall and his second wife moved to Ainsworth Street in

Gorton Gorton is an area of Manchester in North West England, southeast of the city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw. A major landmark is Gorton Monastery, a 19th-century Hi ...

(next door to

Belle Vue Zoological Gardens Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was a large zoo, amusement park, exhibition hall complex and speedway stadium in Belle Vue, Manchester, England, opened in 1836. The brainchild of John Jennison, the gardens were initially intended to be an enterta ...

), where he became a clogger. Nuttall's son Stephen later became a prominent

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

leader in

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of ...

.Edmund & Ruth Frow, Engineering Struggles, Manchester Free Press, 1982,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nuttall, James 1840 births 1907 deaths British male middle-distance runners British male sprinters English male sprinters English male athletes People from Reddish Sportspeople from the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport English male middle-distance runners