The Remarkable Mrs Wiltshire: 'Greatest Female Pedestrienne in the World!'

Turnbull Library Record, Volume 45, 1 January 2013, Page 13

The Remarkable Mrs Wiltshire: 'Greatest Female Pedestrienne in the World!'

DAVID COLQUHOUN

On a Friday evening in 1876, a crowd gathered at the City Hall on Auckland's Queen Street for an entertainment rather different from the usual night at the theatre. Mrs Wiltshire, pedestrienne, was about to attempt a walk of 100 miles in 24 hours. The hall had been carefully measured that morning. The inside circumference was 62 yards. That meant 2,833 circuits before her scheduled finish time on Saturday night. 1

There had been considerable interest beforehand. It was, said the Auckland Star , 'A feat which has never before been attempted by any female inhabitant of our planet'. 2 At that time the barrier of 100 miles in 24 hours had something of the mystique of the four-minute mile many decades later. Some of the best long-distance male walkers had only recently achieved it. Just a month earlier, an Englishman had extended the record to 109.5 miles. 3

Mrs Wiltshire's abilities were already known in the city. Two weeks before, her pedestrian husband had completed a walk of 250 miles in 100 hours, and Mrs Wiltshire had accompanied him each evening, doing several timed miles with piano accompaniment - her best was a fast 7 minutes 57 seconds. 4 There was no doubt, concluded the Daily Southern Cross , that she was 'the fastest female walker against time that has ever appeared in the colonies'. 5

Some wondered if a woman, especially one so petite - she weighed just seven stone (44 kg) - could possibly manage 100 miles. 'Her physique does not give token of much power of endurance', commented a New Zealand Herald reporter. 6 Well-known Queen Street merchant F. H. Lewisson was a keen supporter though. He advertised his willingness to bet on her success. In response, the publican of the Occidental Hotel put up £25 that she would fail. 7 Her good looks added to the interest. 'She is both graceful and pleasing, and of good figure', said the New Zealand Herald reporter, just one of many such comments throughout her walking career. 8 It all added to the anticipation that Friday night. At 8.30 Mrs Wiltshire was introduced on the stage by her husband. She was

in her walking costume, described on another occasion as like that 'usually worn by trapeze performers'. 9 As she stepped onto the floor the Artillery Band began to play, and she began her circuits around the seated audience. They soon began to melt away for there was not much to see yet. As with all such long-distance pedestrian events, most entertainment came nearer the finishing time.

Through the early morning hours Queen Street revelry inevitably intruded. For several hours a tipsy sailor walked along in the lead, carrying a flag, singing and chatting to whoever would listen. 10 It is unlikely Mrs Wiltshire was amused. By then she was struggling with ankle pain and lack of sleep. She was grateful though for the arm and respectable company of Mrs Dennes, the wife of another prominent Queen Street businessman, who walked with her for 20 miles through Saturday morning. ll

By the afternoon she was recovering. At 6.30 p.m., with just 2.5 miles to go, she took a break, getting ready for a strong finish. By 7.30 the hall was full. The Artillery Band struck up and she stepped up the pace. Her backer, Mr Lewisson, had advertised that he would join her for the last miles, but he could not keep up - 'he had to make short runs to avoid being distanced altogether', reported the Daily Southern Cross, and had to 'divest himself of his coat, collar and necktie ... the perspiration streamed from his face'. Meanwhile, the paper went on to say,

the constant clapping of hands and waving of hats and handkerchiefs as Mrs Wiltshire successively appeared at each corner, culminated at the last few rounds into a perfect furore of excitement. The band had struck up 'See the conquering hero comes', and Mrs Wiltshire retired to the last notes of that appropriate air amid deafening applause from the audience. 12

It was her greatest pedestrian moment. Perhaps she really now was what her advertising had already claimed - The Greatest Female Pedestrienne in the World!' 13 Reports of her success were published throughout Australasia. 14 Lewisson sent a photograph of her in her walking costume to the popular British weekly Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, which published a drawing copied from it (along with Lewisson's statement that she was 'the best bit of pluck that ever wore petticoats'). 15 It is the only image so far found of Mrs Wiltshire at the height of her fame. The following is an account of the remarkable, and forgotten, pedestrian careers of Mrs Wiltshire and her husband, and discuss their unusual place in the history of early New Zealand sport and entertainment.

Pedestrianism was the name given to foot-racing (both running and walking) in the early and middle decades of the nineteenth century. It had become a very popular sport in parts of England, the United States, and the eastern colonies of Australia. 16 By the early 1870 s that pedestrian enthusiasm had spread to New Zealand. When the English runners Frank Hewitt and A. E. Bird, along with Australian J. G. Harris, arrived in Auckland in 1871 for a national tour, for example, a local paper reported 'a perfect mania for pedestrianism has affected our fellow citizens and for weeks past running matches have been of almost daily occurrence'. 17

Foot-racing had always been part of the Anniversary Day fetes and other holiday festivities from the early 1840 s. From the 1860 s, Caledonian games and other community sports days became a popular part of the sporting summer in most New Zealand towns, with foot-racing always one of the core events. 18 Over time prize money increased, competition became more intense, times were kept, distances measured, and the best pedestrians began to acquire national reputations. Through the 1870 s and 1880 s the best-known pedestrians also relied on contests organised between themselves, or by publicans and other entrepreneurs, often for stakes provided by gambler backers. 19 As in Britain, the respectable middle classes also began to take an interest in foot-racing. They formed New Zealand's first amateur athletic clubs, and tried to segregate themselves from the professional taint of working-class pedestrianism, although it was many more years before their competitions had wide popular appeal. 20

For most spectators and participants pedestrianism involved races ranging from sprints to walking or running races over several miles, usually outdoors, on a suitable paddock. However, walking extremely long distances, usually around very small indoor courses, was also part of the sport, with a long history. The most famous pedestrian of all in the 1870 s was still Captain Barclay Allardice, whose best-known feat was his 1,000-mile walk in 1,000 hours at Newmarket, near London, in 1809. What made that particularly challenging was not the actual distance, given he had almost six weeks to do it, but the commitment to one mile every hour, without fail. That meant walking one mile at the end of an hour and one at the beginning of the next hour, allowing a 1.5-or-so hour break between each session. Few had thought it possible, and he won £16,000 in wagers. 21

Barclay's walks entered pedestrian folklore. Many years later others still sought to emulate him, including two Australian women in 1859 and 1860. One of them, Mrs Douglas, went on to do it three times. 22 By the 1870 s New Zealand newspapers were reporting on new long-distance walking exploits such as the epic trans-Atlantic match-ups between the Americans Edward Weston and Daniel O'Leary, and the Englishman William Perkins. 23 No-one had attempted such longdistance walking in New Zealand, though, before the arrival of the Wiltshires.

The Wiltshires met on the voyage to New Zealand, on the immigrant ship Pleiades, in late 1872. Joseph Lewis Wiltshire was a 30-year old railways plate layer from Berkshire. Catherine Sara Rider was 19, described in official documents variously as a servant or a dressmaker. She was from St Pancras in London, daughter of a private in the British Army. Four months after their arrival they were married in Christchurch. 24

Joseph had been a long-distance pedestrian in England and was soon planning to impress his new country with something never before seen in New Zealand - a solo 1,000-mile walk in 1,000 hours, following the same strict one-mile-in-every-hour regime as Captain Barclay. It took place on a paddock near the Christchurch railway station, where he built a paling fence enclosure, 135 yards in circumference, with a roof over the track, lights so that he could be seen at night, and an internal room for his rest breaks. Newspaper advertisements and posters were paid for, two timekeepers were hired, and someone to look after the gate - all a very big undertaking for a wage labourer. He hoped that admission charges (1 shilling, or a season ticket of £1), and wagers against him succeeding, would make him a profit. At least £l5O was bet on the event, although it is not known if he received any of it. 25

Those who paid their shilling got to see what the Press described as 'a man of middle size, powerfully built' (he was regarded as good looking), with 'a fresh springy style of getting over the ground'. 26 At a time when most people walked everywhere the walking itself was hardly unusual, although if there was a crowd he would often demonstrate his speed. It was the endurance aspect that was the novelty. Attendance increased as he struggled to the end of his 41.5 days and nights of walking. 27 Overall, though, there was not the public interest he had hoped for. As a Press humorist put it:

I can get up a decent amount of interest over ordinary pedestrian business, such as the annual hurdle race at the pedestrian sports, where one-half of the competitors are expected by the audience to fall into the water-jump, but to see a man walk a mile, even it be the 999th, excites no thrillment in my mind. 28

Nevertheless, Joseph declared his willingness to do it all again 'for an adequate consideration'. One of the best-known pedestrians of the time, 'Young' Austin, offered to take him on for £SOO-a-side. But nothing came of it, possibly because Joseph could not find a backer willing to put up the money. 29

Catherine's debut came a year later, in Dunedin. Joseph was attempting his second 1,000-miler, this time inside a marquee beside the Princess Theatre in High Street. Catherine set about walking 500 miles, a half-mile every hour, during her husband's rest breaks. The novelty of a woman pedestrian meant much more public interest, and the newspaper coverage provides some insight into what the spectators saw. She 'was dressed in a very neat walking costume', reported the Otago Daily Times, 'and occasionally shook her beautiful jet black curls as she advanced on her journey'. Other little details add to the picture, such as the 'knobby little stick' she carried, 'which she occasionally makes good use of by knocking the heads of little boys who endeavour to peep through the canvas'. 30

It was, those visiting the marquee were told, 'the greatest pedestrian feat ever performed in the southern hemisphere', but in the end they both failed to finish. After 630 miles Joseph fell sick, 'becoming very dizzy, and ... going into several fits'. He recovered, although at times 'his unsteady gait... was proof he could only be partly conscious'. Catherine was struggling too - 'on one occasion there was a difficulty in rousing her - she having to be carried into the ring and roughly handled'. 31 Around about this time a local doctor volunteered to give his services free, because of 'his scientific view of the subject'. 32 Many spectators shared his fascination, although the Otago Witness columnist failed to see the point of it all. 'Mrs W. may faint, Mr W. may get dizzy', he wrote, but the doctor was the only one to gain as 'he will be able to inform the public in a neatly got up pamphlet how many miles and half-miles it takes to kill a man and a woman in a given time'. 33

At around the three-quarter mark Catherine gave up. 34 Without the main attraction Joseph soon withdrew too, even though he had done 800 miles and was walking well again. He was penniless, he explained to the press, and had he continued 'others would have reaped the benefit'. 35 By then there were court charges against him for the non-payment of printers' bills. 36 Most likely costs were outrunning gate takings once Catherine succumbed.

This disappointment did not dissuade the Wiltshires. They turned instead to shorter pedestrian performances, more suited to the professional theatre and music hall circuit. Quite likely inspiration came from the benefit concert organised for them after their Dunedin failure by sympathetic local thespians. The Wiltshires took part, each walking a timed mile for the audience's entertainment. 37 The next month Joseph organised a similar two-night variety show at the Masonic Hall in Oamaru, their home town. He headed the bill, doing a three-quarter mile in 6.25 minutes, with support acts of singers, comedians and dancers. On the second night Mrs Wiltshire, 'in a suit of tartan', joined in with a five-minute half mile. The local paper gave it a very mixed review, but it was the start of the Wiltshires' unique brand of theatrical pedestrianism. 38 There was a lull in their performing careers in 1875. Catherine had their first

child, Charles, who sadly died at the end of the year, aged just four months. 39 They were living in Oamaru, and Joseph was making a living doing contract manual work, regularly advertising for 'excavating, fencing, well-sinking etc'. 40 Both, though, maintained their passion for pedestrian performance. In August Joseph completed a 250-miler, in 100 hours, two-and-a-half miles each hour, in the Oamaru Volunteer Hall, starting on a Tuesday and finishing on Saturday night. It was a great success, for pedestrianism was very popular in Oamaru just then. At the local cricket ground the previous weekend William Edwards, an Australian pedestrian well known throughout New Zealand, had defeated the Oamaru favourite in front of a large crowd. 41 The following Saturday afternoon another well-known pedestrian, 'Young' Delaney, demonstrated his abilities. 42 That evening the locals crowded the Volunteer Hall to cheer on one of their own. After Joseph's fast last mile, proud speeches were made and, the local paper reported, 'the couch on which Mr Wiltshire was reclining was then carried shoulder high to his residence, headed by the band playing, and followed by hundreds of people'. 43

A few months later Catherine also had a successful solo debut in Milton, with an attempt to walk 12 miles in two hours. There was a very large attendance', reported the Clutha Leader. Backed by the Milton Brass Band, who 'played several first class selections and gallops', she finished with a 'splendid spurt' over the last mile, which carried her home with one minute to spare. 44

In early 1876, after the death of Charles, the couple commenced their most intensive period of pedestrianism. Their new act combined the two walking feats they had separately trialled in Oamaru and Milton - Joseph would do his 250 miles in 100 hours, with Catherine joining him in the evenings to demonstrate her speed, usually with some kind of musical accompaniment. The first performance was in Timaru, followed by Christchurch, Wellington, Napier and Auckland. It was after their Auckland 250-miler, in April, that Catherine did her best-known walk, the 100 miles in 24 hours described in the opening to this article.

Catherine's speed aroused considerable interest among the followers of footracing. Some wondered how fast she really was compared with the best male race walkers. In Wellington, that led to a unique challenge - a walking competition between her and William Edwards - a rare example of a man-against-woman match-up in early New Zealand sport. It took place in the Oddfellows Hall on Lambton Quay, watched by a big and noisy Saturday night crowd (which would have pleased the Wiltshires, for they received the gate takings). Catherine was to walk six miles to Edwards's seven. She went first and did a fast 57 minutes 40 seconds, but Edwards managed to do his seven miles 15 seconds quicker. Nevertheless, pedestrian enthusiasts were impressed. Despite her 'somewhat slender' appearance, commented a reporter, there was 'an air of determination about her which showed she was capable of great things'. 45

After the 100-mile walk in the Auckland City Hall theatre there was another male challenge, this time from J. Mahon, a local walker of lesser ability than Edwards, for £2O-a-side, over six miles. Over 600 people crowded into a small Lome Street hall to watch. Mahon went first, starting fast and finishing in 65 minutes. Catherine started more slowly and was soon behind schedule, but then increased the pace. There was 'quite a furore', wrote the Auckland Star, with "her sprightly tripping in the last two miles', but she finished three minutes outside Mahon's time. A reporter commented that she would have done better if she had waited another week to recover from her 100-mile effort. 46 Catherine must have agreed because she challenged Mahon to compete over the same distance again, this time for £IOO-a-side, but he refused. 47

The Wiltshires' final Auckland engagement was much less successful. The promoter of the Ellerslie Gardens track, the main venue for professional footracing in Auckland at that time, hired her to do a demonstration walk. Catherine was backed £2O to walk a mile in seven-and-a-half minutes, and £3O to do two miles in 16.5 minutes. 48 Those were times she could have done on a hard hall floor, but she had never race-walked on an outdoor course before, or worn the spiked shoes necessary for the rough and damp surface. Her mile took a disappointing 12 minutes. Most of the small crowd had left before the two-mile attempt began. 49

By then, though, the Wiltshires had already launched a new act - Wiltshire's United Pedestrian and Comedian Troupe - an improved version of the variety show put on in Oamaru two years earlier. They opened in Thames in late May 1876. Along with the Wiltshire's timed walks, an Irish comedian, vocalists and dancers, was the 'first appearance of the Little Wonder', which seems to have been a dramatic piece featuring Catherine's singing debut. 50

No doubt the plan was to hone the act in smaller towns before offering it to city theatre promoters. It was not to be. From Thames they went to New Plymouth for a three-night season, where the local paper gave a positive if slightly bemused review. 51 That was as good as it got. At Waitara the crowd was enthusiastic but very small. By then debts were outrunning income and the troupe attempted a quick getaway by local schooner. Unfortunately for them, reported the Taranaki News, 'Nemesis... who is said to avenge unpaid washerwomen on cheating sailors, maintained the defence of unpaid printers and others by driving the fugitives back to the Waitara.' 52 Presumably the bills were paid, and the troupe disbanded.

It was not quite the end of the Wiltshires' pedestrian careers. They were in Greytown, just the two of them, the following month, offering a show at the Town Hall, to be followed by a quadrille ball. The local paper urged attendance - 'Mrs Wiltshire's pedestrian powers are really splendid and require to be seen to be believed' - but it was a very small house. The following day there was a two-mile match between two local walkers. Afterwards the loser walked against Catherine, and the local paper reported that he 'as a matter of course, permitted the lady to win.' 53 We will never know if he was being gallant, or if Catherine was just too fast.

The final act took place back in Wellington, where Joseph commenced one last 1,000-miler, following his usual 'Captain Barclay' regime of one mile every hour. This time his walking circuit was inside a timber enclosure adjoining the Waterloo Hotel at Kaiwharawhara. 54 He added to the interest by organising running races, every Saturday afternoon, during one of his rest breaks. They proved popular, despite the tiny size of the track. 55 Soon, though, Wellington's winter southerlies proved too much and he moved to the Victoria Grounds on Abel Smith Street. 56 He managed to finish, despite his exhaustion over the last few hundred miles.

Catherine did no walking this time. Possibly she was pregnant again. She was there, though, supporting her husband when, about halfway through his walk, he was charged in court with assault with a revolver. Still walking, Joseph countercharged the complainant with threatening language. Eventually the charges were withdrawn, but not before Catherine had appeared for him in court and created some alarm by waving the revolver around in a way, wrote one reporter, 'which suggested the painful thought that it might go off and kill somebody'. 57 After his 1,000 miles Joseph told a local reporter of new pedestrian plans,

including a 1,500-mile walk in Melbourne. But perhaps Catherine had had enough. Instead the couple moved to Marton. The following year they opened a new hotel there. Later they moved to Palmerston North, where Joseph established a small advertising agency for visiting theatre acts. His name appears regularly in newspaper reports about local affairs, but very little is known of Catherine's later life. She raised a large family and, according to family accounts, was a renowned singer and active in her church. 58

When Joseph died in 1906 an obituary in the local paper mentioned his early walking achievements, but not those of Catherine. 59 She outlived another husband, and married a third. After her death in 1925, though, she was reunited with Joseph in the Terrace End cemetery in Palmerston North. There was no obituary.

The Wiltshires gave up long-distance pedestrianism at a time when international interest in it was reaching new levels of excitement. That interest had faded away again by the late 1880 s in favour of professional and amateur track racing that much more closely resembled modern athletics. Before then, though, British and American gamblers and spectators flocked to smoky halls to cheer on their favourites in 24-hour, 100-mile, six-day and other variants of the long-distance walking race. In America, women also took up long-distance pedestrianism. One study suggests that the public reaction to such women performers was initially relatively positive, but became much less so as the events became more competitive, and distances more extreme. 60

In New Zealand, too, interest in long-distance walking increased, although such events were inevitably more low-key than in the big overseas cities. The local hero was Joseph Scott who, in 1875, at just 15, walked 100 miles in a faster time than Edwards had done the previous month. During the next few years he won nearly everything he competed in, including victories in Australia, before finishing his career with a 'world championship' title in a 12-hour-a-day, six-day race in London in 1888. 61

These new pedestrian match-ups were rather different to the pedestrianism of the Wiltshires. Joseph always preferred the 'Barclay' style, of one person walking to achieve a distance or time target, and throughout his New Zealand walking career seems never to have competed in a long-distance event against an opponent. He often advertised his willingness to do so, but it is likely that he actually preferred to perform solo or with Catherine, in venues organised by himself, on his own terms.

For Catherine the options were more limited. There were no other pedestriennes in New Zealand to compete against. Her experiment of competing against male walkers was not likely to be lucrative if she was always destined to lose. More importantly, it ran the risk of besmirching her reputation. The professional male version of her long-distance pedestrianism was a sometimes disreputable activity, seen by some as too closely associated with public houses, betting and male rowdiness. 62

Instead she and her husband turned to the world of theatre, where woman performers were accepted. One popular writer has recently written, in regard to the American pedestriennes, that there was 'something sleazy and daring about it: pedestriennes weren't much better than actresses', 63 but the Wiltshires were aiming for a higher tone than that. Their first variety show, in Oamaru in 1874, had been criticised for some unseemliness, but they quickly toned down the offending act for the second night. 64 Later reviews and accounts of their various performances suggest that their shows were seen as a more respectable entertainment, suitable for ladies, compared with the arenas of male pedestrianism. Their performances were even seen as morally improving. The Herald review of the opening night of the Auckland 250-miler, for example, praised the Wiltshires for:

their endeavours to direct the attention of all to the desirability of improving the mental as well as the physical powers. We would much rather have our young men animated by a desire to emulate and excel in this way, than to see them lounging about the bars and billiard halls of public houses. 65

Even Catherine's sometimes daring performance attire escaped censure. The English Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News could not resist commenting that the costume shown in their illustration reminded them of Byron's line, 'half naked, loving, natural and Greek'. No doubt it was because of the balmy Auckland climate, suggested the writer. 66 She did not always appear in such revealing costume, but throughout her career there was no such innuendo in New Zealand newspapers. 67 Her attire was accepted as necessary for such physical feats. Her good looks were an attraction but her status as a married woman, always appearing with her husband, helped maintain propriety.

Theatre performances, though, were not the way of the future for pedestrianism. No doubt the Wiltshires in full flight would have been worth seeing - circling the audience, to stirring music, a good-looking couple clad in daringly modern sportswear, moving very fast. But those who enjoyed foot-racing would have missed the excitement, gambling opportunities, and unpredictability of competitive sport. For theatregoers, on the other hand, solo pedestrianism was inevitably rather dull, lacking the appeal of song, dance and the artful words of other theatrical entertainments. Ultimately, the Wiltshire brand of pedestrianism was never going to succeed.

Nevertheless, the Wiltshires' remarkable pedestrian exploits deserve to be remembered. Catherine, in particular, has a unique place in the history of New Zealand sport. She is arguably New Zealand's first nationally-known sportswoman, certainly a very fast walker, and a forgotten pioneer of modern athletics.

ENDNOTES 1 Auckland Star, 5 May 1876, p. 3. 2 Auckland Star, 3 May 1876, p. 2. 3 P. S. Marshall, King of the Peds (Milton Keynes: Author House, 2008), pp. 55; 102-3. At almost exactly the same time as Mrs Wiltshire was completing her walk, English pedestrian Flenry Vaughan 'hobbled and staggered' his way to a new mark of 120 miles (p. 103). In New Zealand, visiting Australian pedestrian William Edwards and Dunedin's Joseph Scott had both done the 100 miles in 24 hours in 1874. 4 New Zealand Herald, 21 April 1876, p. 2. On other occasions she was said to have done 7.5 minutes for a timed mile. For those interested in modern-day comparisons the winner of the women's 20,000-metre (just over 12-mile) race walk at the 2012 Olympic Games did each mile in under seven minutes. 5 Daily Southern Cross, 1 May 1876, p. 2. 6 New Zealand Herald, 6 May 1876, p. 5.

7 Auckland Star, 5 May 1876 p. 3; 6 May 1876, p. 3. 8 New Zealand Herald, 20 April 1876, p. 2. 9 Thames Herald, 1 June 1876, p. 2. 10 Auckland Star, 8 May 1876, p. 3. 11 New Zealand Herald, 8 May 1876, p. 2. 12 Daily Southern Cross, 8 May 1876, p. 3. 13 Auckland Star, 18 April 1876, p. 3. 14 See, for example, Argus, 24 May 1876, p. 7; Sydney Morning Herald, 30 May 1876, p. 3 15 Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, 22 July 1876, pp. 414; 416.

16 For a historical summary of early English pedestrianism and athletics, see Peter Lovesay, The Official Centenary History of the Amateur Athletic Association (London: Guinness Superlatives, 1979), pp. 14-23. For America, see John Cumming, Runners and Walkers: A Nineteenth Century Sports Chronicle (Chicago: Regnery Gateway, 1981). For Australia, see Percy Mason, Professional Athletics in Australia (Adelaide: Rigby, 1985), pp. 1-15. 17 Auckland Star, 23 March 1871, p. 2. 18 For an insight into this strand of pedestrianism see G. T. Vincent, '"Stupid, Uninteresting and Inhuman": Pedestrianism in Canterbury, 1860-1885'. Sporting Traditions (November 2001): 47 and Alison Grant's unpublished Doctoral thesis, Feasts and Fasts: Holidays, Religion and Ethnicity in Nineteenth-Century Otago, University of Otago, 2003, pp. 138-154. 19 See G. T. Vincent, "'Stupid, Uninteresting and Inhuman", pp. 43-55; David Grant, On a Roll: A History of Gambling and Lotteries in New Zealand (Wellington: Victoria University Press, 1994), pp. 38-47. 20 G. T. Vincent, '"lmpossibly Elitist and Snobbish": Amateurism in Canterbury, 1850-1880: The Examples of Aquatics and Athletics'. ASS/7 Bulletin (December 1999): 5-12. The history of nineteenth-century New Zealand pedestrianism and athletics is still fragmentary. For a very brief overview see David Colquhoun, 'Athletics', Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.teara.govt.nz (forthcoming 2013). 21 For the impressive Captain Barclay, see Peter Radford, The Celebrated Captain Barclay: Sport, Money and Fame in Regency Britain (London: Headline, 2001); Thor Gotass, Running: A Global History (London: Reaktion, 2011), pp. 93-97.

22 Sydney Morning Herald, 16 April 1859, p. 6; 25 October 1859, p. 3; 11 February 1865, p, 7; Melbourne Argus, 22 September 1859, p. 5. 23 For a summary of Weston's career, see Cumming, Runners and Walkers, pp. 77-128. For an example of New Zealand news reports on such events in the 1870 s, see Grey River Argus, 4 August 1870, p. 4; New Zealand Herald, 13 May 1876, p. 1. 24 Pleiades passenger list, Im 15/28, Archives NZ; Intention to marry register, BDM 201/18, p. 597/2899, Archives NZ. 25 Star, 15 May 1873, p. 2; Press 15 May 1873, p. 2. It is not known if Joseph had a backer, or paid for the set-up costs himself. 26 Press, ibid. 27 Press, 9 June 1873, p. 2. 28 Press, 2 July 1873, p. 3. 29 Lyttelton Times, 7 July 1873, p. 2. 30 Otago Daily Times, 11 July 1874, p. 2.

31 Otago Daily Times, 7 August 1874, p. 2. 32 Otago Daily Times, 5 August 1874, p. 2. 33 Otago Witness, 15 August 1874, p. 20. 34 Otago Daily Times, 13 August 1874, p. 2. 35 Otago Daily Times, 19 August 1874, p. 2. 36 Otago Daily Times, 18 August 1874, p. 3. 37 Otago Daily Times, 25 August 1874, p. 3 ; 26 August 1874, p. 2. 38 North Otago Times, 8 September 1874, p. 3; 15 September 1874, pp. 2,3; Bruce Herald, 25 September 1874, p. 6 39 Timaru Herald, 14 January 1876, p. 3. 40 For example, North Otago Times, 29 May 1875, p. 1. 41 Otago Daily Times, 20 July 1875, p. 3.

42 West Coast Times, 27 July 1875, p. 2. 43 North Otago Times, 27 July 1875, p. 3. 44 Clutha Leader, 14 October 1875, p. 5. 45 Evening Post, 9 March 1876 p. 2; 13 March 1876, p. 2. 46 Auckland Star, 15 May 1876, p. 3; Daily Southern Cross, 15 May 1876, p. 2. 47 Auckland Star, 15 May 1876, p. 3; Daily Southern Cross, 23 May 1876, p. 3. 48 New Zealand Herald, 19 May 1876, p. 1. 49 New Zealand Herald, 29 May 1876, p. 3. 50 Thames Advertiser, 19 May 1876, p. 2. 51 Taranaki Herald, 1 June 1876, p. 2. 52 Taranaki News, 17 June 1876, p. 7. 53 Wairarapa Standard, 18 July 1876, p. 2; 22 July 1876, p. 2. 54 Evening Post, 25 August 1876, p. 2.

55 Evening Post, 4 September 1876, p. 2; 11 September 1876, p. 2. 56 Evening Post, 15 September 1876, p. 2. 57 Auckland Star, 26 September 1876, p. 2. 58 Email communication with Laurell Ardern, September 2012. 59 Manawatu Standard, 10 May 1906, p. 5. 60 Dahn Shaulis, 'Pedestriennes: Newsworthy but Controversial Women in Sporting Entertainment'. Journal of Sport History 26, no. 1 (Spring 1999): 29-50. 61 Marshall, King of the Peds, pp. 657-78; Jane Thomson, 'Scott, Joseph - Biography', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2sß/1. Accessed 12 December 2012. There is some uncertainty over Scott's age. Some have claimed he was even younger when he beat Edwards.

62 See G. T. Vincent, Sporting Traditions, p. 53. 63 Geoff Nicholson, The Lost Art of Walking (New York: Riverhead, 2008), p. 76. 64 North Otago Times, 15 September 1874, p. 2. 65 New Zealand Herald, 19 April 1876, p. 3. 66 Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, p. 314. The piece was later quoted in the Auckland Star, 13 September 1876, p. 2. 67 A journalist reporting on a performance in Wellington just two months earlier, for example, had commented that the 'cumbersome dress she wears much impedes her progress'. New Zealand Times, 1 March 1876, p. 2.