Robert Lewis-Lloyd (9 January 1836 – 7 September 1915) was a Welsh

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 ...

and barrister who was High Sheriff of

Radnorshire , HQ = Presteigne , Government = Radnorshire County Council (1889–1974) Radnorshire District Council (1974–1996) , Origin = , Status = historic county, administrative county , Start ...

and who umpired the

Boat Race Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

between 1881 and 1888. Lewis-Lloyd was born at Cardigan, Ceredigion, the son of Thomas Lewis-Lloyd of Nantgwyllt, Radnorshire and his wife Anna Davies.Thomas Nicholas ''Annals and Antiquities of the Counties and County Families of Wales''
/ref> He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and was admitted at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, but migrated to

Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...

. Lewis-Lloyd rowed for

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

in the

in the 1856 race when they won and in the 1857 race. He was C.U.B.C. President in 1858 when Cambridge won the Boat Race again, and also won 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 ...

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 president for the 1859 race when Cambridge sank in the Boat Race. Lewis-Lloyd was admitted at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

on 18 January 1860 and was called to the bar on 6 June 1864. He married Mary Anne Jane Lewis on 6 June 1865. He was a J.P. and Deputy Lieutenant for Radnorshire and was

High Sheriff of Radnorshire History The office of High Sheriff is over 1000 years old, with its establishment before the Norman Conquest. The Office of High Sheriff remained first in precedence in the counties until the reign of Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; ...

in 1872. From 1881 to 1888 he was umpire of the Boat Race. He umpired the 1883 fiasco when the elderly starter Edward Searle, who had started the race since the 1840s, was inaudible to the crews. The race took place in the dark, there was a blizzard and the crews only set off when it was apparent that the following steamers were bearing down on them. The umpire subsequently became the starter and by 1887 Lloyd was starting the race with a pistol.Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race – 1883 Race Report
/ref>

References

1836 births 1915 deaths People from Cardigan, Ceredigion People educated at Eton College British male rowers Cambridge University Boat Club rowers Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge High Sheriffs of Radnorshire English barristers {{UK-rowing-bio-stub

See also

References