Alfred Reynolds Downer, 1873-1912, - champion athlete
'Alfred Downer was the fastest man in Victorian England.' Harry Pearson
'The Jamaican-born Scot was the pre-eminent sprinter of the late-Victorian era.' Harry Pearson
'Alfred Downer was the fastest man in Victorian England.' Harry Pearson
'The Jamaican-born Scot was the pre-eminent sprinter of the late-Victorian era.' Harry Pearson
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Alfred Reynolds Downer was born at Shands Pen, May Pen, Clarendon, on January 23, 1873, and was baptised on June 1, 1873, by George William Downer, his uncle, then 'Island Curate' at St. Gabriel's, Four Paths, Clarendon.
His parents were Walter Daley Downer and Mary Reynolds King, who had been married in Kingston in 1869. 
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Register of Baptisms Kept by George W Downer Minister in the parish of Clarendon in the County of Middlesex in the year 1873.
I only learned of A. R. Downer as a result of articles about the current Olympics, particularly two by Arnold Bertram in the Gleaner, in which he gives an account of Downer's achievements as a runner in the 1890s. In an article in 2010 he wrote - 'Downer was born in Jamaica in 1873 to Scottish parents' and in 2012 he wrote - 'Among the athletes preparing for the first Olympic Games was a Jamaican, Alfred Downer, born of Scottish parents in the hills of St Andrew in 1873.' This was very intriguing, and I set out to try and find out how Jamaican, or Scottish, A. R. Downer actually was.
From the records I have found (all online) it seems fairly clear that the Downers of the late 19th century must be considered 'Jamaicans' having been in the island for at least three generations, from c.1760. The Revd. George William Downer, who was Rector of the Kingston Parish Church from 1873 to 1908, provided a (probably accurate!) record of the family's history.
FamilySearch.org, the invaluable service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints., provides information on the births of A. R. Downer's parents -
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Walter Daly Downer
birth: 20 Sep 1828, St. Andrew, Surrey, Jamaica parents: George Pierpoint Maxwell Downer, Isabella Ann Downer |
Mary Reynolds King
christening: 08 Jun 1841, St. Andrew, Surrey, Jamaica parents: John King, Catherine |
The Jamaica Almanacs confirm that Walter D Downer was an Inspector of Police, and that the other surviving brother, Richard John, was an attorney-at-law; this supports Arnold Bertram's statement -
'He [A. R. Downer] took pride in the land of his birth, for his autobiography, Running Recollections , published in 1908, begins with his claim to citizenship and the place occupied by his family in the administration of the island.'
[I wait with interest the arrival of a copy - fairly battered but relatively
cheap - of A. R. Downer's book, from a UK bookshop. The copy has arrived - in fine condition - and is a fascinating document. JL.]
'He [A. R. Downer] took pride in the land of his birth, for his autobiography, Running Recollections , published in 1908, begins with his claim to citizenship and the place occupied by his family in the administration of the island.'
[I wait with interest the arrival of a copy - fairly battered but relatively
cheap - of A. R. Downer's book, from a UK bookshop. The copy has arrived - in fine condition - and is a fascinating document. JL.]
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On November 1, 1883, the Gleaner carried the report -
Died At Colon, on the 24th Oct., Walter Daly Downer, brother of the Rector of Kingston, in the 55th year of his age. |
So far, I have found nothing further about the family of Mary Reynolds King, but it seems likely that the Kings provide the link to Scotland which let her choose to take her two children to Edinburgh, when, as it seems likely, she and her husband split up in the mid-1870s.
[It is recorded that a John King from Scotland was a merchant in Kingston around 1760 - Mary R King's great-grandfather perhaps?]
[It is recorded that a John King from Scotland was a merchant in Kingston around 1760 - Mary R King's great-grandfather perhaps?]
An item in the Gleaner in 1869 may explain why Mary King and her children finally settled in Edinburgh:
'August 11, 1869
Married
On the 15th ult., at Christ Church, Hampstead, by the Rev. J. H. Bukersteth [Bickersteth?], M. A., assisted by the Rev. Charles Dallas, John Ballantyne, Esq., of Edinburgh, to Alice, youngest daughter of the late John King, Esq., of Stony Hill.'
'August 11, 1869
Married
On the 15th ult., at Christ Church, Hampstead, by the Rev. J. H. Bukersteth [Bickersteth?], M. A., assisted by the Rev. Charles Dallas, John Ballantyne, Esq., of Edinburgh, to Alice, youngest daughter of the late John King, Esq., of Stony Hill.'
So, Mary's younger sister Alice married John Ballantyne of Edinburgh, in the same year that Mary married W. D. Downer. When things went wrong, apparently, with Mary's marriage in the mid-1870s, the sisters may well have seen Mary's best course as also going to the U.K.
Later, John King Ballantyne, the son of John and Alice, and therefore the cousin of Alfred Downer, featured as a runner in races at meets where Alfred was a star performer.
Later, John King Ballantyne, the son of John and Alice, and therefore the cousin of Alfred Downer, featured as a runner in races at meets where Alfred was a star performer.
So, as Alfred Downer wrote in his biography
'In the November of 1875, I being then exactly one year [two years?] and ten months old, my mother was compelled to take up her residence in this country [U.K.]. In 1880 she finally went to Edinburgh, where, with the exception of a year or so, she has resided ever since.' Running Recollections
'In the November of 1875, I being then exactly one year [two years?] and ten months old, my mother was compelled to take up her residence in this country [U.K.]. In 1880 she finally went to Edinburgh, where, with the exception of a year or so, she has resided ever since.' Running Recollections
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I am indebted to Arnold Bertram, Gary Ralston, the Scotsman, Harry Pearson, FamilySearch and other online resources, especially newspaper archives, for the information on these pages, which I hope may make Alfred Downer and his remarkable life accessible to a wider audience.
I am particularly grateful for the generous free access to newspaper archives in Australia and New Zealand; in the absence of similar easy access to news-paper archives in the U.K. I have been able to track Alfred Downer's career from Down Under. Joy Lumsden PS: I have now got access to many UK newspaper archives, so should be able to find much more about Downer's reputation there. It is gratifying that the British Library's newspaper collection is now being digitised. I spent many productive days doing research at the Newspaper Library at Colindale, which had been inaugurated in the early 20th century during the administration of Edward Maunde Thompson, the great Jamaican Principal Librarian and Director of the Museum, who is credited with guiding the British Museum into the new century. |
