Emma Sharp
Completing the Barclay Match, walking a mile every hour for a thousand hours, first achieved by the eponymous Captain Barclay, was regarded as one of the pinnacles of pedestrianism. Although it demanded remarkable levels of stamina and determination, it was not the preserve of men. Amongst the women inspired to have a go was a Yorkshire woman, Emma Sharp.
Despite the disapproval of her husband who regarded it as unseemly for a woman to attempt and with little, if anything, in the way of training, Emma enlisted the assistance of the landlord of the Quarry Gap Hotel at Laisterdyke to the east of Bradford, who agreed to position the course on his grounds in return for a percentage of the ticket sales and the opportunity to sell refreshments to the spectators.
The course was a roped off piece of land 120 yards long and Emma’s tactics, when she set off on September 17, 1864, was to follow those of Barclay by walking for around 30 minutes, completing a mile in the last quarter of the first hour and the other in the first quarter of the second hour and then resting for 90 minutes. Sensibly, although probably further offending her husband, she dressed like a man, a contemporary account noting that “almost the only indication of her sex being in her large drooping straw hat which was ornamented with a white feather and other feminine adornments”, and carried a stick in her right hand.
Her sex and her appearance helped to draw large crowds, with tens of thousands gathering at times to watch her, and there was considerable press coverage. Much money was bet on whether she would complete the attempt. In the early stages those who had bet against her looked to be on to a winner as she suffered badly from swollen ankles. However, she soldiered on and the problem went away. Her doubters resorted to other tactics, constantly jeering her and around a week before she was due to complete the task, some individuals attacked her with chloroform.
Others threw burning embers in her path, some tried to drug her food while others tried to trip her up. Eventually, eighteen police officers disguised as working men mingled in the crowd for her protection and Emma began to carry a pistol which, during the final two days, she had to fire 27 times to ward off unruly spectators. At around 5.15 am on October 29, 1864 she completed the feat, in front of a crowd of 25,000.
To mark the first successful completion of the Barclay Match by a woman, a band played and an ox was roasted. Missing from the celebrations was Mr Sharp who reportedly hid in the pub, embarrassed by his wife’s antics. He soon changed his tune, though, when he realized how much she had raised from her share of ticket sales, quitting his job at the Bowling Iron Works soon after and opening a rug making business.
It was a man’s world, after all.
