Agnes Alice Beckwith (24 August 1861 – 10 July 1951) was an English swimmer.
Early life
Beckwith was born on 24 August 1861 at 16b Walcot Place West,
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 ...
, south London. She was the daughter of
Frederick Edward Beckwith, a noted swimmer who was 'professional English champion' and swimming professor at the Lambeth Baths.
By the age of four or five she was performing as a swimmer in shows organised by her father, and by 1871 she and her brother Willie's swimming skills were being shown in Paris.
Her father "Professor Beckwith" had backed
Matthew Webb
Captain Matthew Webb (19 January 1848 – 24 July 1883) was an English swimmer and stuntman. He is the first recorded person to swim the English Channel for sport without the use of artificial aids. In 1875, Webb swam from Dover to Calais in l ...
to be the first person to swim the English Channel. Beckwith organised a spectacle by showing Webb swimming miles in the River Thames. Webb completed ‘nearly six miles’, but the poor public interest meant that her father lost money. Her father lost his protege to another.
In August 1875
Matthew Webb
Captain Matthew Webb (19 January 1848 – 24 July 1883) was an English swimmer and stuntman. He is the first recorded person to swim the English Channel for sport without the use of artificial aids. In 1875, Webb swam from Dover to Calais in l ...
became the first man recorded to have swum the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
. Professor Beckwith and Agnes built on the public interest by swimming five miles down the Thames.
Career
On 1 September 1875, at the age of fourteen, she made swimming history by diving off a boat at London Bridge and swimming five miles to Greenwich. The journey took her one-hour seven minutes and according to the press she ended ‘almost as fresh as when she started', arriving at Greenwich Pier to the reported comment of "See, the Conquering Hero Comes!" No one had succeeded in a Thames swim of this distance, except Captain Webb.
Agnes Beckwith completed numerous record-breaking swims in the Thames. Her 20-mile swim in 1878 received huge press coverage. This time she swam from Westminster to Richmond and back to Mortlake, dressed in a shape revealing amber suit and a stylish little straw hat.
Besides endurance racing Beckwith competed in exhibition races. In 1879 she undertook a challenge against Laura Saigeman who was employed to teaching swimming in Eastbourne. There were three races in Lambeth, Birmingham and Hastings, which Saigemann won by two races to Beckwith's one. These "
naiad
In Greek mythology, the naiads (; grc-gre, ναϊάδες, naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water.
They are distinct from river gods, who ...
s" attracted 1,200 spectators at their final race.
[
Agnes Beckwith - Greatest Woman Swimmer in the World
In 1885 she appeared at the ]Royal Aquarium
The Royal Aquarium and Winter Garden was a place of amusement in Westminster, London. It opened in 1876, and the building was demolished in 1903. The attraction was located northwest of Westminster Abbey on Tothill Street. The building was design ...
in Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
, billed as "The Greatest Lady Swimmer in the World" and her poster boasted of appearing for the Prince and Princess of Wales. Her father had billed himself as the "Greatest Swimmer in the World" in 1851, and her brother was "Baby Beckwith the Wonder of the World" when he was five.1912 Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, bet ...
.
Personal life
On 4 March 1882 Agnes Beckwith married theatrical agent William Taylor and their son, William Walter Beckwith Taylor, was born on 19 February 1903. The family lived in Kennington, south London, during this time.
Literature
* Beckwith appears in ' Downstream: A History and Celebration of Swimming the River Thames' by Caitlin Davies
Caitlin Davies (born 6 March 1964) is an English author, journalist and teacher. Her parents are Hunter Davies and Margaret Forster, both well-known writers. .
/ref>
See also
* Gertrude Ederle - First woman to swim across the English Channel.
* Bill Burgess - second man to swim across the English Channel.
* Annette Kellermann
Annette Marie Sarah Kellermann (6 July 1887 – 6 November 1975) was an Australian professional swimmer, vaudeville star, film actress, and writer.
Kellermann was one of the first women to wear a one-piece bathing costume, instead of the then ...
- Australian swimmer
References
External links
Women Swimming on the Thames
Caitlin Davies
Caitlin Davies (born 6 March 1964) is an English author, journalist and teacher. Her parents are Hunter Davies and Margaret Forster, both well-known writers. , 2016
Daisy Belle: Swimming Champion of the World
Caitlin Davies
Caitlin Davies (born 6 March 1964) is an English author, journalist and teacher. Her parents are Hunter Davies and Margaret Forster, both well-known writers. , 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beckwith, Agnes
1861 births
1951 deaths
English female swimmers
Female long-distance swimmers
Sportspeople from Lambeth
