User:Chester Regatta

“The Field” magazine of 11th August 1883 refers to a local print of Chester Regatta dated 1733. This makes it 100 years older than the the Boat Race (1829) and Henley Royal Regatta (1839). It is a City regatta, not a club regatta; a cooperative effort by all the rowing clubs on the Dee at Chester (Royal Chester Rowing Club, Grosvenor Rowing Club, The King's School, Chester Boat Club, Queens Park High School Rowing Club and Rex RC).

Rowing is one of the oldest competitive sports, with races held in ancient Rome and Egypt in oared galleys. Records show rowing in Chester for more than a millennium. In 973AD King Edgar visited Chester following his coronation in Bath and was rowed on the River Dee by “eight kings of Britain”. This event is commemorated with a detailed plaque at King Edgar’s Field park in Handbridge, Chester. Another account says in 1541 the scholars of The King’s School, Chester rowed Henry VIII on the River Dee.

In the 1700’s the sport became very popular. In Chester, the contests on the River Dee were in coracles and fishing boats between professional watermen, women and apprentices. Betting was an important element in the competitions and racing was often between public houses with a cash prize. Early amateur rowing consisted mostly of private events and long river trips in galleys to garden parties. Over about a century, Chester Regatta changed from contests between professional watermen to the sort of amateur rowing races we know today.

In Joseph Hemmingway’s History of the City of Chester, written in 1831, there is specific reference to Chester Regatta. “1814, June 17, the City illuminated in the commemoration of the General peace … a regatta took place on the Dee.” He also described the regatta of 1817; “… when Liverpool and other aquatic minded cities sent boat crews to compete in the races … the surface of the Dee was covered with boats decorated in all the gaudy splendour of various covered floats.”. In 1814 there were three events – an open race for a prize of four guineas, an event for women for a purse of two guineas and another for boys of a purse of two pounds. The crews started opposite the Snuff Mills, raced upstream to the bottom of the Groves and back again, twice. Contemporary reports say the 1814 Chester Regatta was preceded by “an ordinary at Mrs Jones’s at the Bear and Billet; Dinner on the table at one o’clock”.

A poster from the Chester Regatta held on 4 June 1819 still exists, printed "by order of the committee by J Davies 105 Eastgate Street", held in celebration of the King's birthday George III. A "Valuable Silver Cup" was the prize for "boats rowed by four men", and other "valuable prizes" were presented for two man fishing boats, boys (up to 17 years old) and coracle races.

In 1831 Chester Regatta was held on the birthday of George III, 22 August. A silver medal from that year shows a six-oared gig called, “Sherman Heath”. It illustrates the fact that until the latter part of the 19th Century crews raced under the name of the boat rather than club colours. One of the first rowing clubs to be established was Leander Club in 1818; Royal Chester Rowing Club was established in 1838 and Grosvenor Rowing Club founded in 1869.

To celebrate the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838, Chester Regatta consisted of “seven races open to competitors from all parts”. Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg in 1840 and to mark the occasion the Rt Hon Lord Robert Grosvenor, MP, donated the Prince Albert Cup to the Regatta, “in honour of her Majesty’s nuptials, to be rowed for on the waters of the Dee”. The poster for the 1840 Chester Regatta listed twelve events including the Prince Albert Cup, fisherwomen’s boats, a coracle race and “skiffs rowed by mechanics”.

The Chester Regatta Regulations published in the Chester Chronicle of 31st July 1869 stipulated that “all entries must be made under the name of the boat, the place from which it comes, the name of the club if any to which the boat belongs, names of the crew and colours”. It was not until the formation of the Amateur Rowing Association (now British Rowing) in 1882 that it was ruled entries to regattas had to be made by named clubs rather than boats. These new rules may be because members of the growing number of rowing clubs preferred to race under club colours rather than under the name of a boat.

Chester Regatta has been run over different courses on the River Dee over the years, both long distance and sprint. Today racing commences at The Red House, in keeping with the public house tradition of 1733, finishing at Sandy Lane Park. More information can be found at www.chesterregatta.org. <Keith Osborne></1000 Years of Rowing on the Dee>