The Fens were the birthplace of British speed skating. Wide expanses of shallow water and a vast network of drainage ditches formed an ideal terrain for skating. Metal-bladed skates were probably introduced into the Fens by Dutch drainage workers in the seventeenth century; in earlier times people had used sharpened animal bones to transport themselves across the ice.
The first records of skating matches in the Fens date from the late 18th century. During severe frosts agricultural labourers were unable to work and welcomed the opportunity to skate for prizes of money or joints of meat. The coming of the railways in the 1840s brought large crowds to see matches, and the top skaters such as Turkey Smart, Gutta Percha See and Fish Smart became household names.
In 1879 the National Skating Association was set up in Cambridge and organised professional and amateur championships. International races took place at Lingay Fen near Cambridge and Littleport. For a variety of reasons, including milder winters, fen skating declined in popularity during the 20th century.
|
|
19th century fen skates, also called pattens or Whittlesey runners. Metal-bladed skates like these were introduced by Dutch drainage workers during the 17th century. (Skates courtesy of Sue Kemsley)
|
|
|
Albert Tebbit beating Fred Hiam in an amateur race at Swavesey in 1893. Albert Tebbit was four times British amateur champion and competed in the first Winter Olympics at Chamonix in 1924, coming 20th in the 5000 metres. (Cambridgeshire Archives: 695/Z29)
|
Bandy
Bandy, a game very similar to modern ice hockey but played with a ball rather than a puck, probably originated in Russia during the Middle Ages. In Britain it was first played on the frozen Fens during the exceptionally bad winter of 1813-1814, where it was called "bandy" because the way in which the ball kept going to and fro reminded people of the way that ideas get "bandied around."
Charles Tebbutt of Bluntisham-cum-Earith in Huntingdonshire was responsible for the first English published rules of bandy in 1882, and he also introduced the game into Holland and Sweden. Tebbutt's own bandy stick can be seen today in the Norris Museum in St Ives.
Although no longer popular in the UK, bandy is still an international sport. The current (2008) World Champions are Russia.
|
The Tebbutts of Bluntisham in Huntingdonshire. The Tebbutts were skilled Bandy players. (Cambridgeshire Archives: L5/10/48)
|