Walter Housden
- Born: Abt Sep 1872, Cottenham Cambs
- Marriage: Emma Heard in Sept 1896
- Died: 29 Jun 1953, Swaffham Prior Cambs aged about 80
Notes:
Walter Housden farmed at Duckett farm, Upware, just into Swaffham Fen. The Cam floodbank rose across the rough road outside his front door and over that bank the floods froze in winter and Walter, from an early age, took to the ice. So did many another Upware resident, warming their blood most when the weather was cold, but none could keep up with Walter on skates. He became the Amateur Skating Champion of Great Britain in 1891 and might have retained it if he had not decided to turn professional to make himself some money while young. As such he was also very successful, although he never won the professional championship. In the consecutive races for it between 1895 and 1908 he finished third, third, second, third and second again. He also won the prestigious Hayes Fisher Cup over three miles at Littleport in 1895 over thirteen competitors, a race, however, that was not staged again until 1929 when, at 56, Walter entered, exceeded his old winning time by two seconds yet was unplaced. He was still on the ice in his seventies able to skate backwards faster than most going forwards in the community.
Wicken - A Fen Village by Anthony Day
Published by S.B. Publications - ISBN 1 85770 099 6
Events
• Census, 31 Mar 1901, West Of River Wicken Cambs. Living here were;
Walter Housden, 28, Farmer, b. Cottenham Cambs
Emma Housden, 22, b. Takeley Essex
Archibald Housden, 4, b. Waterbeach
Evelyn Housden, 2, b. Dunmow Essex.
Walter married Emma Heard, daughter of George Heard and Mary Stock, in Sept 1896. (Emma Heard was born in 1878 in Takeley, Essex, christened on 29 Sep 1878 in Holy Trinity, Takeley, Essex and died about 1954.)
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