William Crofts (rower)
Encyclopedia
William Carr Crofts was an English schoolmaster and rower
who won the Diamond Challenge Sculls
at Henley Royal Regatta
twice and was an influential teacher of Rudyard Kipling
.
Crofts was born at Hampstead, the eldest son of William Crofts, a barrister. He attended Bedford School
, where he was head boy, and in 1864 he went to Merton College, Oxford
. After a year he gained a first in Moderations, and was awarded a scholarship to Brasenose College, Oxford
. He won the Reading Prize and became a Hulme Exhibitioner. He studied "Greek, Latin, Logic, Philology and elegant translation". In his second year he became involved in rowing and in 1867 won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley. In 1868 he lost the Diamond Challenge Sculls to Stout, but won the Silver Goblets with W B Woodgate. He won the Diamond Challenge Sculls again in 1869. At Oxford he was Captain of the Brasenose College Eight, but did not take part in the Boat Race.
Distracted by rowing and other social activities, he managed a third in his finals, and a year after graduation he joined the staff of a prep school. He moved school four times in six years before arriving in 1875 at the United Services College
at Westward Ho!
. In 1879 he became senior classics master and senior housemaster. It was at the school that he taught Rudyard Kipling
. Crofts has been seen as the model for Kipling's character "Mr King" in Stalky & Co.
He resigned from USC in 1892 after differences with the proprietor and moved between jobs as a tutor and a partner in Lunn's travel agency. He settled on the island of Sark
where he took a swim in the sea regularly throughout the year and was drowned in one of these outings in November 1912.
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
who won the Diamond Challenge Sculls
Diamond Challenge Sculls
The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England...
at Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
twice and was an influential teacher of Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
.
Crofts was born at Hampstead, the eldest son of William Crofts, a barrister. He attended Bedford School
Bedford School
Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Modern School or Bedford High School or Old Bedford School in Bedford, TexasBedford School is an HMC independent school for boys located in the town of Bedford, England, United Kingdom...
, where he was head boy, and in 1864 he went to Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
. After a year he gained a first in Moderations, and was awarded a scholarship to Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
. He won the Reading Prize and became a Hulme Exhibitioner. He studied "Greek, Latin, Logic, Philology and elegant translation". In his second year he became involved in rowing and in 1867 won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley. In 1868 he lost the Diamond Challenge Sculls to Stout, but won the Silver Goblets with W B Woodgate. He won the Diamond Challenge Sculls again in 1869. At Oxford he was Captain of the Brasenose College Eight, but did not take part in the Boat Race.
Distracted by rowing and other social activities, he managed a third in his finals, and a year after graduation he joined the staff of a prep school. He moved school four times in six years before arriving in 1875 at the United Services College
United Services College
United Services College was an English private boys' public boarding school for the sons of military officers, located at Westward Ho! near Bideford in North Devon...
at Westward Ho!
Westward Ho!
Westward Ho! is a seaside village near Bideford in Devon, England. The A39 road provides access from the towns of Barnstaple, Bideford and Bude...
. In 1879 he became senior classics master and senior housemaster. It was at the school that he taught Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
. Crofts has been seen as the model for Kipling's character "Mr King" in Stalky & Co.
Stalky & Co.
Stalky & Co. is a book published in 1899 by Rudyard Kipling, about adolescent boys at a British boarding school. It is a collection of linked short stories in format, with some information about the charismatic Stalky character in later life. The character Beetle, one of the main trio, is partly...
He resigned from USC in 1892 after differences with the proprietor and moved between jobs as a tutor and a partner in Lunn's travel agency. He settled on the island of Sark
Sark
Sark is a small island in the Channel Islands in southwestern English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. It is a royal fief, geographically located in the Channel Islands in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of laws based on Norman law and its own parliament. It has a population...
where he took a swim in the sea regularly throughout the year and was drowned in one of these outings in November 1912.