143:
against
Liverpool July 1840. The four were known as "The Sons of the Thames." Nearly the same four won the first prize of 1000 franks at the Havre Regatta in July 1840. Coombes rowing stroke in the London crew of four beat a Newcastle crew for £150 a side, over five miles, at Newcastle. Time 29m.31s. 16 July 1842. Again rowing stroke he and three others took the purse at the Henley Regatta in June 1845. At the Thames Regatta the same month Coombes and Wilson beat a number of pairs for the grand prize of a new wherry and a purse of sixty guineas. In 1847 Coombes and his brother Thomas beat R & H Clasper in a pair-oared match with coxswains and for £100 a side on the Thames. The Coombes and Clasper brothers were not always rivals as the four teamed up, with another Clasper as cox, to win the four-oared Champion prize in 1849.
240:
232:
202:. When he was asked to coach the 1852 Cambridge crew, Coombes found himself at the centre of a fierce argument about the use of professional watermen in the training of university oarsmen. Oxford had expressed disquiet on the issue in 1846 and 1849 but on this occasion T. S. Egan, for many years the mentor of Cambridge rowing, was also concerned at Coombes's presence and defected to Oxford, where he trained a crew that won the
164:
Championship Course. The second defence was against Thomas MacKinney on 7 May 1851 on the Thames. Coombes won in a time of 27m.30s. He held the championship longer and rowed the championship course faster than any other man of his time; but on 24 May 1852 when aged 43 he was beaten by half length of clear water by
264:
bottom upwards, over which is thrown a coat and badge, and by the side are broken sculls. This slab is supported by four figures cut out of the solid stonework, one at each corner. The figures represent four champions of the Thames : first, Robert
Coombes, in his rowing costume, holding a broken
113:
A waterman from an early age, Coombes spent his life on the river Thames. Although small even for his time (he was about 5-foot-7-inch (1.70 m) tall and his rowing weight was generally less than 9 stone), Coombes consistently beat men who were his superiors in strength and size through his superior
206:
with ease. It was a decisive moment for certain amateur oarsmen, mainly those from the universities and the more important metropolitan clubs, who subsequently tried to distance themselves from the professionals and any oarsmen of working-class origin. Coombes was never again involved with a boat
142:
Coombes rowed as well as sculled and as an oarsman his achievements were also numerous, both in fours and pairs. Some of these races are as follows; Won with J Phelps an oars match, Westminster to Putney, 30 Sept 1839, beating another pair. Won a four oar match, rowing stroke, the
Champion Purse,
133:
In sculling
Coombes beat the majority of the best professional scullers on the circuit. On 3 October 1888, he beat John Kelley from Westminster to Putney but as Kelley had had a small accident during the race they agreed to meet again the following day, when Kelley was beaten easily. This was the
163:
was considered to be the premier event in professional sculling. In 1876, the
English Title gained the World status and earlier winners were retrospectively given the title of World Champion. His first defence of the Title was on 19 September 1847. He won against Robert Newell, again on the
168:, of Chelsea, who at 25 was almost half Coombes' age. The patrons of Coombes were unhappy with the race and arranged another race on 14 October 1852. It came off with the same result and Coombes was finally compelled to yield his title to the youthful strength of his challenger.
259:
monograph, to this well-known oarsman, who was
Champion of the Thames from 1846 to 1852, was formally uncovered in Brompton Cemetery. It is made of Portland stone, and is 9 ft. high, 6 ft. 6in. long, and 3 ft. 6in. wide. On the top slab is the representation of a
117:
His first public race was for the Duke of
Northumberland's purse of sovereigns on 4 July 1836. In 1841, Coombes in a sculling boat beat a two pairs boat at the Greennock Regatta. His principal sculling matches were against Kipping, John Kelley, Jack Phelps,
247:
After an honourable career, in his later days he fell into poverty. His mind failed and he was removed nine months before his death to the Kent lunatic asylum at
Maidstone where he died on 25 February 1860 and was buried at the expense of his friends at
219:
Coombes was married with four children. His sons Thomas and David were also oarsmen but failed to reach the level of success attained by his father, although David won the
20:
407:
387:
392:
402:
119:
90:
199:
160:
130:, and his most important pair oared raced was rowed with his brother, Tom Coombes, as a partner against the two Claspers.
397:
382:
178:
In speed and style during his time, he was never surpassed and rowed many more races than any man except Harry
Clasper.
172:
266:
220:
195:
186:
Coombes's expertise attracted the attention of the university oarsmen. He trained the losing Oxford crew for the
151:
In
November 1838 he challenged champion Charles Campbell but did not succeed in winning. However he became the
152:
155:
on 19 August 1846 after beating Charles Campbell easily on the Putney to Mortlake course, known as the
377:
372:
274:
156:
203:
194:
There were two races in 1849, and Coombes coached Cambridge on both occasions: Cambridge won the
187:
165:
123:
100:
207:
race crew but he explained his training methods at the end of a small volume published in 1852,
239:
231:
256:
249:
209:
Aquatic Notes or Sketches of the Rise and Progress of Racing at Cambridge by a member of CUBC
277:, of Putney, an athlete in rowing costume. Each figure stands on an octagon dwarf pedestal.
270:
72:
366:
191:
127:
273:, of Kingston, with the coat and badge of the Thames National Regatta; fourth,
255:
On 13 December 1866 the monument (which can be seen in the gallery beneath the
171:
For details of the six World Title races that Coombes was involved in see
252:
on 7 March, when the leading watermen followed his remains to the grave.
24:
134:
first professional match without fouling of which there is any record.
159:. Effectively this was the Championship of England. Before 1876, the
261:
19:(1808 – 25 February 1860), celebrated professional oarsman and
238:
230:
341:
London Cemeteries: An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer, 1994
347:
The Gentleman's Magazine, January – June 1860 p. 525
318:
The Aquatic Oracle, or Record of Rowing From 1835 to 1851
344:
Baily's Magazine of Sports & Pastimes – p. 112
269:, with the peculiar pineapple button ; third,
96:
86:
78:
67:
59:
51:
39:
32:
314:Illustrated London News, 29 May 1852, p. 436
311:, edited by Leslie Stephen. Volume 12 p. 109
285:This monument was erected by public subscription
359:GC Drinkwater & TRB Sanders, published 1929
324:Boat Racing or The Arts of Rowing and Training
305:Annual Register, 1853, edited by Edmund Burke
265:scull; second, Tom Cole, of Chelsea, wearing
8:
29:
190:and the victorious Cambridge boat in the
294:Champion Sculler of the Thames and Tyne
126:, Tom MacKinning, Robert Newell, and
7:
329:The Field, 3 March 1860, p. 176
288:by the warm friends and admirers of
14:
332:Bells life, 23 Aug 1846 p. 8
326:by Edwin Brickwood, 1874 edition.
309:Dictionary of National Biography
408:19th-century British sportsmen
353:by WB Woodgate, published 1888
114:skill and attentive training.
1:
338:North Otago Times 26 Feb 1867
161:English Sculling Championship
388:Burials at Brompton Cemetery
393:19th-century English people
173:World Sculling Championship
424:
243:Brompton Cemetery monument
235:Brompton Cemetery monument
91:Charles Campbell (Oarsman)
403:Sportspeople from Surrey
357:The University Boat Race
267:Doggett's Coat and Badge
221:Doggett's Coat and Badge
335:Bells life 4 March 1860
280:The inscription reads:
297:
244:
236:
153:Champion of the Thames
282:
242:
234:
398:Professional rowers
383:English male rowers
157:Championship Course
245:
237:
227:Death and memorial
166:Tom Cole (Oarsman)
101:Tom Cole (Oarsman)
257:Brompton Cemetery
250:Brompton Cemetery
106:
105:
415:
320:, published 1852
120:Charles Campbell
30:
21:Champion Sculler
423:
422:
418:
417:
416:
414:
413:
412:
363:
362:
302:
271:James Messenger
229:
217:
184:
149:
140:
111:
71:World champion
47:
44:
35:
12:
11:
5:
421:
419:
411:
410:
405:
400:
395:
390:
385:
380:
375:
365:
364:
361:
360:
354:
348:
345:
342:
339:
336:
333:
330:
327:
321:
315:
312:
306:
301:
298:
296:
295:
292:
291:ROBERT COOMBES
289:
286:
228:
225:
223:race in 1864.
216:
213:
188:1840 Boat Race
183:
180:
148:
145:
139:
136:
110:
107:
104:
103:
98:
94:
93:
88:
84:
83:
80:
76:
75:
69:
65:
64:
61:
57:
56:
53:
49:
48:
45:
41:
37:
36:
34:Robert Coombes
33:
23:, was born at
17:Robert Coombes
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
420:
409:
406:
404:
401:
399:
396:
394:
391:
389:
386:
384:
381:
379:
376:
374:
371:
370:
368:
358:
355:
352:
349:
346:
343:
340:
337:
334:
331:
328:
325:
322:
319:
316:
313:
310:
307:
304:
303:
299:
293:
290:
287:
284:
283:
281:
278:
276:
272:
268:
263:
258:
253:
251:
241:
233:
226:
224:
222:
214:
212:
210:
205:
201:
198:but lost the
197:
193:
189:
181:
179:
176:
174:
169:
167:
162:
158:
154:
146:
144:
137:
135:
131:
129:
128:Henry Clasper
125:
121:
115:
108:
102:
99:
95:
92:
89:
85:
81:
77:
74:
70:
66:
62:
58:
54:
50:
42:
38:
31:
28:
26:
22:
18:
356:
350:
323:
317:
308:
279:
275:Harry Kelley
254:
246:
218:
208:
185:
182:Rowing coach
177:
170:
150:
141:
132:
116:
112:
16:
15:
378:1860 deaths
373:1808 births
215:Family life
147:Title races
87:Predecessor
60:Nationality
367:Categories
300:References
138:Crew races
109:Early life
27:, Surrey.
204:boat race
97:Successor
82:1846-1851
124:Tom Cole
25:Vauxhall
351:Boating
73:sculler
63:British
46:England
262:wherry
200:second
196:first
68:Title
192:1846
79:Term
55:1860
52:Died
43:1808
40:Born
369::
211:.
175:.
122:,
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
