The 5th Boat Race took place on 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 ...

on 14 April 1841. It was the fourth of the University Boat Races, a side-by-side rowing competition between the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, to be contested in London. The race was held between Westminster Bridge and Putney Bridge and was won by Cambridge, whose crew featured two pairs of brothers rowing, who defeated Oxford by a distance of 22 lengths in a time of 32 minutes and 30 seconds. The victory took the overall record in the event to 4–1 in Cambridge's favour.

Background

The Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. There are separate men's ...

is a side-by-side rowing competition between the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

(sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") and the

(sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). The race was first held in 1829, and takes place on the

in southwest London. Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having won the previous year's race by three-quarters of a length. There was some disagreement over the day selected for the race, mainly in an attempt to coincide with a suitable tide. The Cambridge cox for the 1839 race,

Thomas Selby Egan Thomas Selby Egan (25 December 1814 – 11 May 1893) was a coxswain, a rowing coach, and a German scholar. As a coxswain for Cambridge University, he coxed the first Cambridge boat to win The Boat Race. Egan was born in London, the son ...

, along with Oxford's R. G. Walls were

umpires An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

for the race along with referee Edmund Antrobus from

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

. Both universities rowed in boats constructed by Searle of Stangate; the vessels were "justly and generally admired", the only significant difference between them being that Oxford's boat was

carvel built Carvel built or carvel planking is a method of boat building in which hull planks are laid edge to edge and fastened to a robust frame, thereby forming a smooth surface. Traditionally the planks are neither attached to, nor slotted into, each ...

while Cambridge's was

clinker built Clinker built (also known as lapstrake) is a method of boat building where the edges of hull planks overlap each other. Where necessary in larger craft, shorter planks can be joined end to end, creating a longer strake or hull plank. The techni ...

. The race took place on a five-and-three-quarter-mile (9.2 km) stretch of the Thames between

Westminster Bridge Westminster Bridge is a road-and-foot-traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, linking Westminster on the west side and Lambeth on the east side. The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the H ...

and

Putney Bridge Putney Bridge is a Grade II listed bridge over the River Thames in west London, linking Putney on the south side with Fulham to the north. The bridge has medieval parish churches beside its abutments: St Mary's Church, Putney is built on the s ...

. No arrangements had been made for the police to keep the course clear: according to Cambridge's number seven

George Denman George Denman (23 December 1819 – 21 September 1896) was an English barrister, High Court judge, and Liberal politician. Early life Denman was born at 50 Russell Square, London, the fourth son of Thomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman, of Dov ...

"it was often ticklish work for the coxswains to decide whether to go ahead or astern of a train of barges catering across the river".Dodd, p. 88 According to a report in ''

The Morning Chronicle ''The Morning Chronicle'' was a newspaper founded in 1769 in London. It was notable for having been the first steady employer of essayist William Hazlitt as a political reporter and the first steady employer of Charles Dickens as a journalist. It ...

'', "both crews ... have agreed that the match will be off if any of the steamers attempt to lead". Oxford arrived at the Thames fifteen days prior the race, and rowed the full course; Cambridge started their practice runs four days later, often racing against a crew from the Cambridge Subscription Room (who subsequently 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 ...

at the

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 ...

).MacMichael, pp. 84–85 George Denman suffered an injury during practice, struck "by a tremendous blow on the shoulder" which was all but cured by the application of "just one leech". Oxford's crew was not settled until three days before the race, when they competed against a crew from

Leander Club Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and the oldest non-academic club. It is based in Remenham in Berkshire, England and adjoins Henley-on-Thames. Only three other surviving clubs were founded prior to ...

Crews

The Cambridge crew weighed an average of 11 st 4.625 lb (71.8 kg), per rower more than their Dark Blue opposition.MacMichael, p. 89 Cambridge's crew contained three

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

: John Matthew Ridley,

Francis Penrose Francis Cranmer Penrose FRS (29 October 1817 – 15 February 1903) was an English architect, archaeologist, astronomer and sportsman rower. He served as Surveyor of the Fabric of St Paul's Cathedral, and as President of the Royal Institute of ...

and Charles Marsh Vialls, all of whom had rowed in the previous year's race. Similarly, Oxford saw the return of four members with Boat Race experience: Jacob G. Mountain, E. Royds, G. Meynell and J. J. T. Somers-Cocks. For the first time in the history of the race, two pairs of brothers rowed for Cambridge, the Crokers (Joseph and William) and the Denmans (George and Lewis).Burnell, p. 42Drinkwater, p. 19 George Denman Wells

Race

Cambridge were considered favourites for the race, mainly as they had won the previous three races on the Thames. The Light Blues won the toss and elected to start at the first arch from the centre of Westminster Bridge on the

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. ...

side, Oxford from the next arch along. The race commenced at 6:10 p.m., with the Light Blues making the better start, taking an early lead, and getting clear by

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

. A lead of at least two lengths by

Vauxhall Bridge Vauxhall Bridge is a Grade II* listed steel and granite deck arch bridge in central London. It crosses the River Thames in a southeast–northwest direction between Vauxhall on the south bank and Pimlico on the north bank. Opened in 1906, it ...

was extended to around six lengths by

Battersea Bridge Battersea Bridge is a five-span arch bridge with cast iron, cast-iron girders and granite pier (architecture), piers crossing the River Thames in London, England. It is situated on a sharp bend in the river, and links Battersea south of the riv ...

.MacMichael, p. 88 Cambridge won by 22 lengths in a time of 32 minutes 30 seconds. It was their fourth consecutive victory and took the overall record to 4–1 in their favour. Despite earlier fears, "the steamers were well managed, and offered no obstruction to the boats".

References

Notes Bibliography * * * *

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boat Race 1841 1841 in sports The Boat Race