John Henry Walsh
FRCS
Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal C ...
(21 October 1810 – 12 February 1888) was an English sports writer born in
Hackney,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
who wrote under the pseudonym "Stonehenge."
Walsh was educated in private schools and became a fellow of the
Royal College of Surgeons
The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...
in 1844. He worked as a surgeon for several years, but gradually changed his profession after his written works on rural sports became successful. He relocated from the country to London in 1852. The following year he published his first important book, ''The Greyhound'' (3rd ed. 1875), a collection of papers originally contributed to ''
Bell's Life
''Bell's Life...'' was a group of newspapers produced in Australia in the mid-nineteenth century based upon the English publication ''Bell's Life in London''.
Most publications lasted a short duration. The subtitles were usually ''sporting ch ...
.''
In November 1855, his comprehensive and illustrated ''Manual of British Rural Sports'' was published and was enthusiastically received. This was the first of many editions. In April 1856 the second edition was published which corrected minor errors. In the same year he joined the staff of ''
The Field,'' and became its editor at the close of 1857. Among his numerous books published under the name of "Stonehenge" are:
*''The Shot-Gun and Sporting Rifle'' (1859)
*''The Dog in Health and Disease'' (1859; 4th ed. 1887)
*''The Horse in the Stable and in the Field'' (1861; 13th ed. 1890)
*''Dogs of the British Isles'' (1867; 3rd ed. 1885)
*''The Modern Sportsman's Gun and Rifle'' (1882–1884)
He was editor of ''
The Field,'' a magazine whose target audience was the upper class of English society, and those who loved to shoot, fish, and hunt. It was never a pure hunting magazine, but was always concerned with social status; its influence led to the creation of the
Kennel Club. Walsh instituted a series of trials of guns, rifles, and sporting gunpowders. These extended over many years, and contributed to the development of sporting firearms. His influence upon all branches of sport was stimulating and beneficial.
Biography
John Henry Walsh, son of Benjamin Walsh, was born in
Hackney, London
Hackney is a district in East London, England, forming around two-thirds of the area of the modern London Borough of Hackney, to which it gives its name. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Charing Cross and includes part of the Queen E ...
, on 21 October 1810. He was educated at a private school. In 1832, he passed as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons, and became a fellow of the college, by examination, in 1844. For some time, he was surgeon at the Ophthalmic Institution and lectured on surgery and descriptive anatomy at the
Aldersgate School of Medicine. For several years he practiced medicine at
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
, but returned to London in 1852.
He loved sports; he rode well to hounds, kept greyhounds and entered them at coursing meetings, and trained his own
pointers and
setters. He also trained
hawks
Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. This subfamily ...
. He became adept in the management of dogs, and few veterinary practitioners could compare with him in the treatment of dogs' diseases. He was also fond of shooting, and lost a part of his left hand as a result of his gun bursting.
In 1853, under the pseudonym of "Stonehenge," he released his first work, entitled ''The Greyhound: On the art of breeding, rearing, and training greyhounds for public running, and their diseases and treatment'' (3rd ed. 1875). This treatise was based on articles he had written in ''Bell's Life'', and it remains the standard textbook on the subject. Three years later, in 1856, his articles appeared in ''Manual of British Rural Sports'' which deals with the whole cycle of sports and the scientific breeding of horses. Sixteen editions of this work were published up to 1886, with later editions containing articles on special subjects furnished by other writers. In 1856, he originated the ''Coursing Calendar'' and conducted it through fifty half-yearly volumes.
Around 1856, he was connected with ''The Field'' and at the end of 1857 accepted its editorship. He wrote several books; ''The Shot-Gun and Sporting Rifle, and the Dogs, Ponies, Ferrets, &c., used with them in Shooting and Trapping'' and ''The Dog in Health and Disease'' (4th ed. 1887) in 1859; ''The Horse in the Stable and in the Field'' in 1861 (13th ed. 1890); and ''The Dogs of the British Islands'' in 1867 (3rd ed. 1886). In the last two books, he also had the assistance of other writers. In 1882–4 the ''Modern Sportsman's Gun and Rifle'' was published with its first volume devoted to shotguns, while volume two dealt with rifles.
He was a very ambitious person. His activity in conducting ''The Field,'' with the aid of many able coadjutors, was remarkable. He soon instituted the first ''Field'' trial of guns and rifles, in April 1858 in the Ashburnham grounds at
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 ...
, adjacent to the famous
Cremorne Gardens. This trial wound up the controversy about the rival merits of
breech-loader
A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition (cartridge or shell) via the rear (breech) end of its barrel, as opposed to a muzzleloader, which loads ammunition via the front ( muzzle).
Modern firearms are generally bre ...
s and
muzzle-loader
A muzzleloader is any firearm into which the projectile and the propellant charge is loaded from the muzzle of the gun (i.e., from the forward, open end of the gun's barrel). This is distinct from the modern (higher tech and harder to make) des ...
s, but before the final decision, two other trials were held, one at the old Hornsey Wood Tavern in July 1859, and the third at the Lillie Arms,
Brompton, in 1866.
In 1875, the value of the choke-bore system received further elucidation in another trial at the
All England Croquet Club grounds at
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
, of which Walsh was an active promoter. The trial extended over six weeks, with the entire proceedings being carried out under the editor's personal supervision.
Again, in 1878, he endeavoured to make clear the respective merits of
Schultze and
black powder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...
. Besides conducting the actual competition, he carried out numerous experiments himself. One of the consequences was that light pressure with Schultze was found to produce better shooting than tight ramming, while tight wads to prevent the escape of gas and the general system known as the 'Field' loading also resulted. Other experiments led to his invention of the 'Field' force gauge, which gave more reliable results than the paper pads previously in use.
In 1879, another gun trial was carried out to determine the merits of 12-bores, 16-bores, and 20-bores.
In 1883, he instituted the rifle trial at
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 ...
to demonstrate the accuracy of shooting of
Express rifle
The term ''express'' was first applied to hunting rifles and ammunition beginning in the mid-19th century, to indicate a rifle or ammunition capable of higher than typical velocities. The early express cartridges used a heavy charge of black po ...
s at a target, and to ascertain, by measurement, the height of the trajectories of weapons differing in
bore and in the charge used. Subsequently, Walsh organised trials to ascertain the cause of so many breakages in guns, the testing of powders by the lead cylinder method, the various effects of nitro compounds, and the strain on the barrels of small bores. His comments on proof powder in ''The Field'', where he stated that the powder used in testing gun-barrels was fifty per cent below the proof required, led to an action, the Birmingham Proof-house Guardians v. Walsh On technical grounds, a verdict was decided against Walsh with damages of forty shillings (''The Times'', 3 July - 10 August 1885). As soon as the trial was over, he approached the Guardians with proposals for providing security for sportsmen, and ultimately succeeded in obtaining some useful changes.
Walsh was one of the founders of the National Coursing Club and of the
All England Lawn Tennis Club
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, also known as the All England Club, based at Church Road, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members' club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam t ...
. He was heavily involved with the early dog shows and field trials, and was on the committee of the
Kennel Club. He was a good chess player, and served on the committees of several clubs.
Walsh died at 43 Montserrat 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 ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, on 12 February 1888, aged 77, and was buried on 16 February in
Putney Vale Cemetery
Putney Vale Cemetery and Crematorium in southwest London is located in Putney Vale, surrounded by Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park. It is located within of parkland. The cemetery was opened in 1891 and the crematorium in 1938. ...
at
Putney Common
Putney Lower Common is an open Park, parkland space in the London Borough of Wandsworth between the town centres of Putney and Barnes, London, Barnes. It is part of Wimbledon and Putney Commons, lying 1.5 miles from the rest of the common area.
...
. He married three times : first, in August 1833, to Margaret, daughter of Thomas Stevenson of
Claines
Claines is a small village just to the north of Worcester, England, Worcester, England, on the east bank of the River Severn. Claines is situated in the heart of Worcestershire on the A449 between Worcester and Kidderminster. It has a church which ...
,
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
, who died nine months later; next, in 1835, to Susan Emily, daughter of Dr. Malden of Worcester, who died eight months later; and, finally, in 1852, to Louisa, the eldest of the Rev. William Parker, who survived her husband. He left two daughters.
Works
In addition to the books already mentioned, Walsh wrote:
* ''The Economical Housewife, being Practical Advice for Brewing … to which are added Directions for the Management of the Dairy'', 1857.
* ''A Manual of Domestic Economy suited to Families spending from 100l. to 1,000l. a year'', 1857, 4th edit. 1890.
* ''A Manual of Domestic Medicine and Surgery'', 1858.
* ''Riding and Driving'', 1863.
* ''Pedestrianism, Health and General Training'', 1866.
* ''The Modern Sportsman's Gun and Rifle, including Game and Wild Fowl Guns, Sporting and Match Rifles and Revolvers'', 1882–4, 2 vols.
* ''A Table of Calculations for use with the Field Force Gauge for Testing Shot Guns'', 1882.
Walsh edited:
*''The English Cookery Book, containing many unpublished receipts in daily use by Private Families, collected by a Committee of Ladies'', 1858;
*the second edition was entitled ''The British Cookery Book'', 1883.
With William Harcourt Ranking Walsh, edited:
* ''The Provincial Medical and Surgical Journal'', 1849–52;
With John George Wood Walsh, edited:
* ''Archery, Fencing, and Broadsword'', 1863,
* ''Athletic Sports and Manly Exercises'', 1864.
Notes
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, John Henry
1810 births
1888 deaths
People from Hackney Central
British surgeons
British sportswriters
Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons
Burials at Putney Vale Cemetery