The 21st Boat Race, an annual side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and

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 ...

along 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 ...

, took place on 14 March 1864. Umpired by

Joseph William Chitty Sir Joseph William Chitty (28 May 1828 – 15 February 1899) was an English cricketer, rower, judge and Liberal politician. Early life Chitty was born in London, the second son of Thomas Chitty (himself son and brother of well-known lawye ...

, Oxford won by nine lengths in a time of 21 minutes 4 seconds, the fastest winning time since the event was held on

The Championship Course The Championship Course is a stretch of the River Thames between Mortlake and Putney in London, England. It is a well-established course for sport rowing, rowing races, particularly the The Boat Race, Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The course ...

in 1845. The race, whose start was moved in order to avoid interruptions from river traffic, was witnessed by the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

Background

King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra - Wedding -1863

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

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 ...

(sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). The race was first held in 1829, and since 1845 has taken place on the

Championship Course The Championship Course is a stretch of the River Thames between Mortlake and Putney in London, England. It is a well-established course for rowing races, particularly the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The course is on the tidal reaches of th ...

on the

in southwest London. The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities and followed throughout the United Kingdom and worldwide. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having won the 1863 race by ten lengths, with the overall record tied on ten victories each. The location of the start of the race was moved to approximately upstream of

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 ...

in order to reduce interruptions to the race from steamers. Indeed, both boat club presidents had issued a caution to the steamer captains, indicating that the race would be conducted on the ebb tide should any interruption take place which would risk the steamers becoming grounded at

Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes. For many centu ...

.Drinkwater, p. 54 The finish was moved the corresponding distance upstream to maintain the traditional length of the race. Oxford rowed in the same boat as the previous race, which was constructed by J. and S. Salter while Cambridge utilised a new vessel built for them by Taylor of Newcastle.MacMichael, p. 308 Oxford were coached by George Morrison who had rowed in the

1859 Events January–March * January 21 – José Mariano Salas (1797–1867) becomes Conservative interim President of Mexico. * January 24 ( O. S.) – Wallachia and Moldavia are united under Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Romania since 1866, final u ...

1860 Events January–March * January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusett ...

and 1861 races and was non-rowing president for the 1862 race. The race was umpired by

who had rowed for Oxford twice in 1849 (in the

March March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...

and December races) and the 1852 race, while the starter was Edward Searle.Drinkwater, p. 55

Crews

The Cambridge crew weighed an average of 11 st 11.5 lb (74.9 kg), per rower more than their Dark Blue opposition. Cambridge's crew, however, was tall, averaging over per rower. Oxford's crew contained three rowers from the previous years race in

William Awdry William Awdry (24 January 1842 – 4 January 1910) was the inaugural Bishop of Southampton and Bishop of Osaka, Osaka who subsequently served Bishop of South Tokyo, South Tokyo. He was the fourth son of John Wither Awdry, Sir John Wither Awdry ...

, F. H. Kelly and W. B. R. Jacobson. The Cambridge boat also saw three participants from the 1863 race: bow John Hawkshaw, number five

Robert Kinglake Robert Alexander Kinglake (9 June 1843 – 10 June 1915) was an English rower and barrister. Kinglake was born at Taunton. He was the second son of John Alexander Kinglake, MP for Rochester, and his wife Louisa Rebecca Liddon, daughter ...

and

cox Cox may refer to: * Cox (surname), including people with the name Companies * Cox Enterprises, a media and communications company ** Cox Communications, cable provider ** Cox Media Group, a company that owns television and radio stations ** ...

Francis Archer (who had also coxed the Light Blues in the 1862 race) returned. WilliamAwdry

Race

The weather on the day of the race was sunny with a mild breeze.MacMichael, p. 306 The

, future King of the United Kingdom

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

was in attendance;MacMichael, p. 305 as a result, the start time was moved forward to enable the Prince to leave for another engagement. Oxford were pre-race favourites, and won the toss, electing to start from the Middlesex station, handing the Surrey side of the river to Cambridge. The Cantabrigians made the better start, and soon led by a third of a length. However, by Finch's field, Oxford had recovered to draw level and started to leave the Light Blues behind. Half a mile into the course, the Dark Blues held a half-length lead which they extended to a length by

Craven Cottage Craven Cottage is a football ground in Fulham, West London, England, which has been the home of Fulham F.C. since 1896.According to the club'official website The ground's capacity is 22,384; the record attendance is 49,335, for a game against M ...

. With a clear water advantage, they crossed in front of Cambridge and were three lengths ahead by the Crab Tree pub, extending to "four or five lengths" by

Hammersmith Bridge Hammersmith Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the River Thames in west London. It links the southern part of Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, on the north side of the river, and Barnes in the London Borough ...

.MacMichael, p. 307 They were so far ahead at

Barnes Bridge Barnes Bridge railway station, in Travelcard Zone 3, is on The Terrace, Barnes in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, in south west London. The station and all trains serving it are operated by South Western Railway. It is on the Houn ...

their advantage in lengths was impossible "to be accurately counted".MacMichael, p. 308 Misinterpreting the position of the finish line, the Oxford crew stopped rowing early, but once aware of their mistake, rowed on to the finish, winning by nine lengths in a time of 21 minutes 4 seconds. It was their fourth consecutive victory and was, at the time, the fastest winning time in the history of the event.

References

Notes Bibliography * * * *

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boat Race 1864 1864 in English sport The Boat Race 1864 in sports March 1864 events