Now! Then! 2½ days after leaving London, legal clerk Foster Powell walks into York, rests briefly, and starts back

1 December 1773: 2½ days after leaving London, legal clerk Foster Powell walks into York, rests briefly, and starts back

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Foster Powell and Anon. 1774. An Account of the Great Walkers of Ancient and Modern Times, Concluding With a Detail of the Late Astonishing Performance of Mr. Foster Powell to York, and Back Again in Six Days, Signed by His Own Hand. The Town and Country Magazine, Vol. 5. London: Archibald Hamilton. Get it:

Excerpt

I set out from Hickes’s Hall, London, on the 29th of November, 1773, about twenty minutes past twelve o’clock in the morning, for a wager of one hundred guineas, which I was to perform in six days, by going to York, and returning to the above place.

I got to Stamford about nine o’clock in the evening of that day. [92 miles]

November 30, set out from Stamford about five in the morning, and got to Doncaster about twelve at night. [73 miles]

December 1, set out from Doncaster about five in the morning, and got to York at half past two in the afternoon. Departed from York about six the same afternoon, and got to Ferrybridge about ten that night. [34 + 23 miles]

December 2, set out from Ferrybridge at five in the morning, and got to Grantham about twelve at night. [70 miles]

December 3, set out from Grantham at six in the morning, and got to the Cock at Eaton [Socon] about eleven at night. [60 miles]

December 4, set out from Eaton the sixth and last day about four in the morning, and arrived at Hickes’s Hall about half an hour past six in the evening. [58 miles]

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

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Original

[Pedestrianism of the Greeks and Romans, Henry V, Ottoman footmen, George Gnett of Birmingham, an anonymous young woman]

But these feats, extraordinary as they may seem, are trivial compared to the same very surprising performance of Mr. Foster Powell, who went on foot from London to York, and returned to London in six days. So very astonishing a man, having attracted the notice of all Europe, we thought our readers would approve of our not only procuring a drawing from the life, by which our engraver has executed the annexed plate, but giving a circumstantial account of the affair under his own hand.

Mr. Powell is about five feet eight inches high; his body rather slim; but his legs and thighs are stout, and well calculated for performing so very uncommon a journey. He is now in the thirty-fourth year of his age, being born in Horsforth in the county of York, 1739, and is clerk to an attorney in New Inn. He has performed several expeditions with great swiftness, particularly from London to Maidenhead Bridge, and back, in seven hours; but the following authentic particulars will further convince our readers of his extraordinary agility.

What renders this exploit still more amazing is, that he set out in a very indifferent state of health, being compelled, from a pain in his side, to wear a strengthening plaster all the way. His appetite was moreover very indifferent, the accounts in the papers being extremely erroneous, and generally misrepresented; for his most frequent beverage was either small beer or water; and the refreshment he most admired was tea and toast and butter.

I set out from Hickes’s Hall, London, on the 29th of November, 1773, about twenty minutes past twelve o’clock in the morning, for a wager of one hundred guineas, which I was to perform in six days, by going to York, and returning to the above place.

I got to Stamford about nine o’clock in the evening of that day. [92 miles]

November 30, set out from Stamford about five in the morning, and got to Doncaster about twelve at night. [73 miles]

December 1, set out from Doncaster about five in the morning, and got to York at half past two in the afternoon. Departed from York about six the same afternoon, and got to Ferrybridge about ten that night. [34 + 23 miles]

December 2, set out from Ferrybridge at five in the morning, and got to Grantham about twelve at night. [70 miles]

December 3, set out from Grantham at six in the morning, and got to the Cock at Eaton [Socon] about eleven at night. [60 miles]

December 4, set out from Eaton the sixth and last day about four in the morning, and arrived at Hickes’s Hall about half an hour past six in the evening. [58 miles]

535 words.