An Englishman Abroad:
Professor Christopher Butterworth
Part Two

To read Part 1, click HERE 

While a detailed chronology of his activities and movements between 1895 and 1900 remains to be uncovered, Professor Christopher Butterworth’s life course from 1901 until his death in 1934 has been well documented in Canadian government records (Figure 1). His swimming activities were also the focus of several local London, Ontario, newspaper reports, although, disappointingly, many of the dates and sources were omitted from the clippings gathered together in the family scrapbook. This is by no means unusual, of course, since individuals were collecting mementos for their own use and not with future family historians or academics in mind.

The Canadian census returns for 1901 ascribe Canadian nationality to Christopher and Emily whose residence was shown in London, Ontario. Both of them could read and write, and their religion was recorded as Presbyterian. Head of house Christopher was 28 years of age, born on 28 January 1873 in England, and he had been working for at least twelve months as a janitor, while Emily was 27 years of age born on 14 February 1874 in England.[1] This census suggests the year of immigration to Canada was 1895, which has been difficult to reconcile with reports from newspapers and their marriage in England in 1896, but the following two censuses make more sense since they both state the immigration year for the couple as 1896. The 1911 Canadian census for London, Ontario, records Christopher, Emily, and son Henry Benjamin, born 1901, residing with borders Tom Smith and Elizabeth Smith.[2] The 1921 sixth census of Canada noted Christopher as a 48-year-old physical instructor working on his ‘own account’, living with Emily, 47, and Henry B., 20. His year of immigration was 1896, his residence date was 1 June 1921, and he owned his home at 495 Hamilton Rd, London, Ontario, Canada, a single house made of wood with 6/7 rooms.[3]

Exhibiting and Lifesaving

Christopher had taken his swimming skills with him when he migrated to Canada where reports of his demonstrations in London were often fulsome in their praise. That ‘Prof. Chris. Butterworth richly deserves the sobriquet, “the Human Fish” was never more clearly shown than on Saturday night when he gave an exhibition of his wonderful skill before a large audience at the Y.M.C.A’. The professor was master of several tricks which he performed with the most ‘astounding ease’. The reporter thought that many of them were original and that it was ‘doubtful if some of them have ever been attempted before’. Butterworth was virtually at home in the water and out of it was like a fish out of water. A few of the tricks he performed, which caused such a sensation, were walking on the hands, crawling on the bottom of the bath, crab swimming, pushing across the bath without a stroke, revolving on the water, over-arm swimming, long dive, side swimming, long dive with arms folded over his head, and imitation of a torpedo.[4] Some of the difficult feats he added to this repertoire when giving a free swimming exhibition as the ‘Human Fish’ at the Y.M.C.A. in June 1909 included a neat dive, imitation of the bicycle, porpoise swimming, steam tug and Belgian dive. He was described at that stage as the swimming instructor of the London Y.M.C.A. and holder of twenty-five medals as well as a lifesaving medal.[5]

Another undated report noted that a very large crowd had attended the water tournament at the Y.M.C.A on the Saturday night when Prof. Chris Butterworth sustained his excellent reputation as a swimmer by performing a number of seemingly impossible feats in the water. He had won about 30 medals at various events besides the Royal Canadian Humane Society’s medal for lifesaving and he was as much at home in the water as most people were in their own houses. His most sensational act was diving the full length of the plunge with his arms folded across his head. It require a man with nerve to attempt this. Exhibitions of side swimming, revolving on the water, pushing across the baths without a stroke, walking on the hands, and other novelties were much applauded by the crowd. The water polo game was interesting and amusing and the cork-chasing contest was funny, most of the swimmers getting more mouthfuls of water than of cork. A boxing bout on a plank thrown across the tank had ‘more real fun in it than anything seen for a long while’. Another tournament was being arranged for following Saturday evening when races between Messrs. Longdon, Webster and Firth of Morley, Leeds, England, were on the programme, which would undoubtedly prove very exciting as ‘these gentlemen all hold English records for swimming’.[6]

This lifesaving medal referred to was well documented. In November 1900, the Chairman and Board of Investigating Governors of the Royal Humane Association unanimously awarded a medal to Butterworth for conspicuous bravery in saving George Sillipant from drowning in the River Thames on August 5, 1900.[7] Several testimonies were considered including one from Herbert Stein who witnessed the incident (Figure 2).

In April 1901, at the conclusion of a City Council meeting Christopher, the ‘caretaker of the Y.M.C.A. buildings’, was presented by Mayor Rumball, on behalf of the Royal Canadian Humane Society, with the society’s medal for bravery. The previous August Mr Butterworth had been fishing at the ‘Claybanks’, east of the city, when a boy named Sillipant, at the other side of the river, got beyond his depth. Butterworth got Sillipant out in time to save his life. The Council heartily applauded when Mayor Rumball said that he was glad that they had among them a man capable of such daring deeds. He was also pleased that the recipient of the medal was connected with an institution that was trying to save young men from vice and other sins.[8] Reportedly, Butterworth subsequently saved an unknown man from drowning in the river just east of Vauxhall bridge in 1925.[9]

Teaching and Coaching

When Butterworth took charge of the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool he was described as one of the best swimmers in Western Ontario who had taken many prizes in aquatic sports and it was noted that a large number of boys were receiving lessons in swimming from him.[10] Butterworth’s efforts to have the school children of London proficient in the art of swimming attracted public attention for several years and as a result of his good work as instructor in the public playgrounds pupils in the city’s schools came to look upon learning to swim almost as a compulsory part of their education.[11] When competitions in neat diving and long diving for boys were held at the swimming baths this morning under the direction of Mr John J.A. Hunt and Instructor Butterworth he said, ‘There are very few boys now who can’t swim…while as for diving they are as neat a lot of boys as I have seen’.[12] The opening of the sulphur baths to the boys of the city in 1908 was a great success with over 400 youngsters in line with tickets. Butterworth was in attendance and looked after the youngsters, giving them lessons in swimming, and many boys were quick to grasp his suggestions becoming excellent swimmers ‘with but little coaching’. Ald. Armstrong and Parks Commissioner Pearce represented the Playgrounds committee and remained a couple of hours watching the boys swim. The girls had Wednesdays to themselves and Butterworth would again be at the poolside.[13] There was an increase of over 50 per cent in the attendance of girls at the swimming bath on one particular morning due doubtless to the increased interest of the part of the children, the increased confidence on the part of the parents in the care exercised, and the very warm weather. Prof. Butterworth was enabled to offer a number of prizes for competition among the children to take place sometime in August, the prizes having been offered by sympathizers with the professor in his ‘kindly efforts on behalf of the children’.[14]

The opening of the baths for juveniles of both sexes for summer 1909, with the same regulations as were in force in 1908 came under threat because of rising costs and it was ‘decided to appeal to the generosity of the people’. After Mr George C. Gibbons donated a cheque for $50 to the association for the baths it was decided to have the baths as long as the funds of the association held out. In addition, the Professor had found a suitable situation for the opening of a bath in the southeast part of the city at a cost of $250.[15] On 30 December 1909, Donald M. Cameron, Sheriff of Middlesex County, wrote to Butterworth to say that he would calling around to collect him from his home the following day so that they could visit the ‘clay banks’ to see if it was viable to have a ‘swimming pond’ there in the Summer and he wrote again on 27 January 1910, to see if the Professor had made any progress in relation to the ‘east end swimming baths’.[16]

Regular swimming lessons resumed soon after the Armistice was signed and a notice issued from 187 King St. on 23 November 1918 announced that the Y.W.C.A. Swimming Classes would reopen re-open on Thursday November 28 at the Lord Roberts School under Instructor C. Butterworth. Requirements for participation were a medical certificate, Association membership, and registration at Central Y.W.C.A.[17] In the following February a swimming contest for ‘Y’ pupils was organised in which attendance, willingness to try new strokes and dives and excellence in execution would all be considered by Butterworth who was acting a judge. Prizes would be awarded to both beginners and advanced pupils and the contests would take place over ten weeks in the Lord Roberts school pool.[18] The school was opened in 1916 and it was the first school in London, and the only public elementary school, to have an indoor heated swimming pool, which was 13 ft. 6 inches wide, 26 ft. long and average depth 4 ft.[19] In a programme arranged at the YMCA for soldiers returning from WWI Mrs Butterworth sang some songs and a ‘smart aquatic display’ was put on in the swimming bath by Roy Clinger, Chris Butterworth, Jack Wilson and Walter Dutton.[20] On March 31, 1919, the older, employed boys’ club, the Adanacs, held a social evening at the professor’s home and Ben Butterworth was elected as the club secretary.[21]

On October 6, 1934, the Rochdale Observer, reported on the death of Chris Butterworth a former well-known teacher of swimming in Rochdale who had left Rochdale ‘twenty years ago or more’ for London, Ontario, where he had been professor and tutor of swimming for the Y.M.C.A. The fatal accident had occurred on 1 September 1934, when Mr and Mrs Butterworth were on their way to Toronto. Their car collided with a motor lorry at Beach Road and Ottawa Street and Christopher, who was riding in the front seat, received the full force of the impact. He was taken to Hamilton Hospital but, one of the city’s most prominent swimmers and well-known in the field of athletics, subsequently died suddenly on Tuesday 11 September. The ‘dearly beloved husband of Emilie Butterworth of 495 Hamilton Rd’, was buried on 13 September 1934, in Woodland Cemetery after funeral services had been conducted at his home at 2.30 p.m. by Rev. J. Harris. The pallbearers at the largely attended funeral were F. Woolfrey, J. Smith, R. Carswell, W. Chittick, C. Lambert, and R. Taylor, and Evans the undertakers interred the 61-year-old, Presbyterian ‘Dentist’ in the SW area of the cemetery, plot 218, Section R.[22]

Reflections

Living and working at the periphery of the swimming world Butterworth never established a national or international reputation as a swimming coach but that in no way diminishes his impact on swimming at a local level. While newspaper reports and his own writing suggests that his methods may well have been considered a little old-fashioned by his American counterparts there is no doubt that he was much appreciated by his own community and by everyone that he taught to swim, starting with his early days in Rochdale (Figure 3).

 

In 1908, described as ‘perhaps the greatest authority on swimming in Ontario’, Butterworth was considered an ‘instructor whose example will not inspire the boys and girls to greater efforts to become proficient’ but someone who would spare ‘no pains in his endeavour to make them efficient swimmers’.[23] A handsome travelling bag was presented to the Professor by the Children’s Playground executive in July 1908 for his kindness in instructing the children in swimming at the baths the previous summer.[24] When prizes for the boys’ summer swimming and lifesaving tests were presented in September 1919 the ‘recipients made little speeches in which they acknowledged their indebtedness to Mr Chris Butterworth for their ability to swim’.[25] At the conclusion of the girls’ swimming contest at the free baths on August 10, 1925, a vote of thanks was tendered to Professor Butterworth, the instructor, which was carried with ‘uproarious enthusiasm by the 250 or more participants and the spectators who were present. Butterworth’s services had been of ‘inestimable value’ in carrying out this part of the programme of the Playgrounds’ Association and the phenomenal success that have followed the plans of the society this year have been largely due to his energy and enthusiasm and the able assistance of Mr Irwin, who has also acted as supervisor of the playgrounds.[26]

We should never forget when we construct the biographies of these professors that swimming made up only one aspect of a life that extended way beyond the pool and that numerous daily experiences combined to make these men who they were. There is no doubt that swimming professors as a group shared a number of characteristics but, at the end of the day, every life course is unique and it is only when we explore other aspects of individual lives that we can begin to get a richer picture of each swimming professor’s lives and careers.

Butterworth, for example, was reportedly affected by the loss of the RMS Empress of Ireland, a British-built ocean liner that sank near the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River in Canada following a collision in thick fog with the Norwegian collier Storstad on 29 May 1914. A newspaper clipping in the family scrapbook cites Butterworth, described as a professional swimmer who had crossed the Atlantic twenty-six times, three times on the Empress of Ireland, as saying that ‘Many of the crew were my friends. I cannot understand how the awful marine disaster occurred’.[27]

The family scrapbook also records that he met the British Executioner James Berry after Berry’s conversion and that he signed the Professor’s scrap book in 1911 (Figures 4 and 5).

 

As for his home, the old house at 495 Hamilton Road, which was occupied by the Butterworth family from 1896, was an important link in the chain of landmarks that tied the city of London to its earliest days (Figure 6). It was a long, white, two-storey frame structure, colonial in design, which still retained many of the features that had made it a cosy hostelry known as the White Ox Inn for more than 50 years. After Emily Butterworth took the author Carty on a tour of the old hotel he described it as ‘roomy, comfortable and rich with age, a grand old house which…looks good for many more years’.[28]

The house had a quarter of an acre garden full of flowers and trees, including oaks, although Butterworth was proudest of the ‘unusually early vegetables and fruit’ including strawberries, raspberries, and gooseberries. He was not sure how he managed to achieve this, although he cultivated them carefully and was a ‘great believer in toads’ which he collected and distributed in the garden to keep it free from insects.[29] A different side to a man known primarily to us today as a ‘swimming professor’ and a reminder to all biographers that no man or woman is one dimensional.

Nor can any biographer be confident that they have captured all the facets of their subject, no matter how rigorous their research or how extensive are their sources. Family stories surrounding Christopher curated by Judith Butterworth suggest that his devotion to swimming might have been the result of the drowning of an older sibling, that he liked alcohol, and that he had a habit of hiding money, leading his descendants to search the house looking for it after his death. His parents apparently had enough money to buy the house for him at 495 Hamilton Road and he supposedly coached an Olympic swimmer.[30] To date, none of these have been definitively confirmed by research and it is highly likely that most of them will remain as speculation and family mythology. Nevertheless, they point to a unique individual life that was never defined solely by Butterworth’s persona as the ‘Human Fish’.

Article copyright of Prof Dave Day

 

References 

[1] 1901 census for Canada. Family number 234, Division 1, Subdistrict name London – Wards 3 and 4, Subdistrict number D, Middlesex East, District number 87, Page number 22.

[2] Census of 1911. London City, Ontario, Canada. District number 94, Sub-district London, Sub-district number 29, Sub-district description Ward 3. Schedule number 149

[3] 1921 sixth Census of Canada. Municipality Ward 3. Enumeration District 101. Sub-District Ward 3. Sub-District Number 41. District Description Polling Division no. 50 and 51.

[4] ‘Prof Butterworth is Truly the Human Fish’. Newspaper clipping in family scrapbook. No date, no source.

[5] ‘”Human Fish” To-night’. Daily Herald, Stratford, 19 June 1909; ‘Swimming Exhibition’. Stratford Daily, 19 June 1909. Newspaper cuttings in scrapbook.

[6] ‘Water Tournament at Y.M.C.A. Full of Fun. Professor Butterworth Performed Some Marvelous Feats – A Water Polo Game’. Newspaper clipping in family scrapbook. No date, no source.

[7] ‘Medals Given for Bravery’. The Mail and Empire, Toronto, 29 November 1900.

[8] ‘Gossip from the City Hall’. April 2, 1901. Newspaper clipping in family scrapbook. No source.

[9] ‘Professor Thanked’. London Evening Advertiser, Tuesday 11 August 1925.

[10] ‘Chris Butterworth at “Y”’ Newspaper clipping in family scrapbook. No date, no source.

[11] ‘Possesses Many Medals’. Newspaper clipping in family papers. No source, dated London, November 3, no year.

[12] ‘Diving Contests at the Swimming Baths’. Newspaper clipping in family scrapbook. No date, no source.

[13] ‘Had a Splashy Joyous Time’. Newspaper clipping in Family papers. July 22, 1908, no source.

[14] ‘Many More Girls now use Baths. Attendance has increased fifty per cent since last day’. Newspaper clipping in family scrapbook. No date, no source.

[15] ‘Playground will open on May 24’, Newspaper clipping in family papers no source, May 21, 1909.

[16] Letters in family scrapbook.

[17] Notice in Family Scrapbook

[18] ‘Swimming Contest among “Y” pupils’. 16 February 1919. Newspaper clipping, no source.

[19] Dan Brock. ‘An Urban Myth? The Pool at Lord Roberts Public School’, www.londonhistory.org.

[20] ‘”Y” Entertains Returned Men’. Newspaper clipping in family scrapbook. No date, no source.

[21] Newspaper clipping in family scrapbook. No date, no source.

[22] ‘Rochdalian’s Death in Canada. Former Swimming Teacher’. Rochdale Observer, Saturday 6 October 1934, 13; ‘Beach Settlement Is Menaced by Fire’. The Globe, 3 September 1934, 2; ‘Announcements. Deaths’. The Free Press, London, Ontario, Thursday 13 September 1934, 26; ‘Chris Butterworth Buried at Woodland’. The London Evening Free Press, Thursday 13 September 1934; Chris Butterworth Cemetery Register of Burials Woodland Cemetery (September 1934).

[23] ‘Ladies Day at Baths Brings Out Big Crowd’. Newspaper clipping in family scrapbook. No date, no source. C.1908

[24] ‘Presentation to Chris. Butterworth’. 22 July 1908, Newspaper clipping, no source.

[25] ‘Y.M.C.A. Boys Honor Secretary Davis’. 20 September 1919, Newspaper clipping, no source.

[26] ‘Professor Thanked’. London Evening Advertiser, Tuesday 11 August 1925.

[27] ‘Swimmers Friends Belonged to Crew of Lost Empress’. Newspaper clipping in family scrapbook. No date, no source.

[28] The Carty Chronicles of Landmarks and Londoners. Catherine B. McEwen (ed), 2005, 41.

[29] ‘A Bit of Old England in the residence of Chris Butterworth’. Advertiser, London, Ontario, Friday 11 June 1920.

[30] Jude Butterworth email Wednesday 1 June 2011.