The Lady Margaret Boat Club (abbreviated to "LMBC" and known as "Maggie") is the rowing club for members of St John's College, Cambridge, England. The club is named after Lady Margaret Beaufort, founder of the College.

History

LMBC was founded in 1825 by twelve members of the College as the first college boat club in Cambridge. In its original rules, the Club was to "consist of eighteen contributing members, besides honorary ones", and all members had to be able to row. An early member was Patrick Colquhoun who in 1837 instigated the Colquhoun Sculls, in the year in which he won the Wingfield Sculls.

The greatest influence in the 1860s and 1870s was J. H. D. Goldie, who raised LMBC to the "Headship of the River", won the "Colquhoun Sculls", and stroked Cambridge four times. The Goldie Boathouse, used by the university crews, commemorates his services to Cambridge rowing as does the name of the university second VIII, officially known as the Goldie Crew (or Boat) and competes annually against Isis just before the University Boat Race. Another important name in LMBC history is LHK Bushe-Fox who had a long career with LMBC, becoming President of the Club in 1897. One of the greatest influences of the 20th century was Roy Meldrum who established the "Lady Margaret" style, which he detailed in his rowing books.

The Boathouse was opened in the May term of 1901. It was extended in the 1970s, and was the first boathouse to have a workshop for the boatman. In the early 1980s, when the college began to admit women, further modifications were made upstairs to create the women's changing rooms. The boathouse was extended further in 2000 to create more indoor training space. A shed is now being built to house the club's fours, which are currently racked outside.

The Club's heyday was in the late 1940s and 1950s. LMBC won the "Ladies Plate" in 1949 with a new course record. In 1950, they made 4 bumps to go "Head of the Mays", and stayed "Head" for five years. In 1951, Lady Margaret won the Grand at Henley Royal Regatta and had five members of the successful Cambridge crew, which also defeated Harvard and Yale in the United States.

Between 1975 and 1981, Lady Margaret were Head of the Lent Bumps for 26 consecutive days of racing, the longest continuous defence of the Lent Headship. LMBC took the men's May Headship on day 4 of the 2016 races (bumping Caius), the first time they had held the Headship since 1989. LMBC retained the Mays headship in 2017 and 2018.

In Lent Bumps 2017, LMBC took the men's Lents Headship on day 3 (bumping Downing), the first time they had held the Headship since 1990. LMBC retained the Lents headship in 2018, lost it in 2019, but regained it in 2020 and held it in 2022.

In March 2017, Lady Margaret's men's first boat represented the Cambridge colleges in the Men's Intercollegiate fixture at the Henley Boat Races against Oriel College, Oxford. Lady Margaret won with a verdict of 4 lengths.

Traditions

Members of the club are well known for their scarlet jackets, which gave rise to the modern term blazer. Members with "First May Colours" are entitled to wear trim and gold buttons on their blazer, while "First Lent" or "Second May Colours" are entitled to wear silver buttons on their blazer.

The club is traditionally strong in the Lent and May CUCBC Bumps race. Due to its affiliation with St John's College, the club always fields many, often very successful, boats with first-time rowers during the first university term. Club members also often go to row with university lightweight and heavyweight crews to compete against Oxford.

The club motto has been "Si je puis" ("If I can") since 1825. The boat club song, Viva laeta, has a chorus that goes as follows:

Vive laeta, Margareta, Beatorum insulis; Si possimus, Fuerimus, Semper caput fluminis.

Live joyfully, Margaret, on the islands of the blessed; If we can, We will always be the head of the river.

Although the music is printed in the boat club's history and the song is sung at every Boat Club Dinner, few members know the tune. Dinners are also known for more controversial songs (such as the infamous "M2 song" sung by all current and many past members of the Second Men's May Bumps Crew).

Rivalry with Trinity College

St John's has long had a close rivalry with Trinity College. Every year, a strange tradition takes place during the Bumps Weeks in Lent and May term, known as the "Stomp".pp. 518, 519 of 'The history of the Lady Margaret Boat Club', volume IV, 1982-2010 Crews gather on the College Backs every morning preceding the races. One crew at a time will stop at a lone tree, knock three times on its trunk and shout out the name of the crew that will be starting in front of them that day to be "bumped". The whole club then strolls through the backs towards arch-rivals Trinity. Once in Trinity College's great court, a standoff between the rival boat clubs occurs followed by a tackling session in which boat club members from each side attempt to "kidnap" members of the opposite club. If captured, one is put to shame by being bought breakfast in the rival college's hall.

Honours Henley Royal Regatta YearRaces won 1854 Visitors' Challenge Cup 1855 Visitors' Challenge Cup 1856 Visitors' Challenge Cup 1873 Diamond Challenge Sculls 1874 Diamond Challenge Sculls 1875 Diamond Challenge Sculls 1879 Ladies' Challenge Plate, Visitors' Challenge Cup 1888 Ladies' Challenge Plate, Thames Challenge Cup 1913 Wyfold Challenge Cup 1914 Visitors' Challenge Cup 1925 Ladies' Challenge Plate 1930 Ladies' Challenge Plate 1933 Ladies' Challenge Plate 1949 Ladies' Challenge Plate 1950 Visitors' Challenge Cup 1951 Grand Challenge Cup, Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup 1952 Ladies' Challenge Plate 1959 Ladies' Challenge Plate 1961 Ladies' Challenge Plate 1966 Ladies' Challenge Plate, Visitors' Challenge Cup 1974 Prince Philip Challenge Cup

Boat Race representatives The following rowers represented the club at the time of their participation in The Boat Race.

Men's boat race

YearName 1829 Charles Merivale 1829 W. Snow 1829 George Selwyn 1836 Alfred Hudson Shadwell 1840 Alfred Hudson Shadwell 1842 F. E. Tower 1845 W. Harkness 1845 R. Harkness 1846 George Francis Murdoch 1846 Robert Harkness 1846 T. B Lloyd (cox) 1852 H. E. Tuckey 1854 J. Wright 1856 H. Williams 1856 J. M'Cormick 1856 Herbert Snow 1857 P. Pennant Pearson 1857 Herbert Snow 1858 W. J. Havart 1858 H. Williams 1859 H. Williams 1859 G. A. Paley 1861 W. H. Tarleton 1862 P. F. Gorst 1863 C. La Mothe 1864 W. Hawkins 1865 H. Watney 1865 M. H. L. Beebee 1866 H. Watney 1866 A. Forbes (cox) 1867 J. M. Collard 1867 H. Watney 1867 A. Forbes (cox) 1869 J. W. Dale 1869 J. H. D. Goldie 1870 J. W. Dale 1870 J. H. D. Goldie 1871 J. H. D. Goldie 1872 J. H. D. Goldie 1874 P. J. Hibbert 1875 P. J. Hibbert 1879 H. Sandford 1880 H. Sandford 1880 W. Barton 1880 B. S. Clark 1881 H. Sandford 1885 N. P. Symonds 1886 N. P. Symonds 1895 R. Y. Bonsey 1896 R. Y. Bonsey

YearName 1904 H. Sanger 1905 H. Sanger 1906 A. G. L. Hunt 1914 D. I. Day 1920 P. H. G. H.-S. Hartley 1921 P. H. G. H.-S. Hartley 1922 P. H. G. H.-S. Hartley 1923 F. W. Law 1924 G. L. Elliot-Smith 1925 G. L. Elliot-Smith 1926 M. F. A. Keen 1926 B. T. Craggs 1926 L. V. Bevan 1927 L. V. Bevan 1928 R. A. Symonds 1930 D. Haig-Thomas 1931 D. Haig-Thomas 1931 R. H. H. Symonds 1932 D. Haig-Thomas 1946 J. S. Paton-Philip 1949 A. L. Macleod 1949 C. B. M. Lloyd 1949 P. M. O. Massey 1950 H. H. Almond 1950 A. L. Macleod 1950 P. M. O. Massey 1950 W. T. Arthur 1950 C. B. M. Lloyd 1950 J. L. M. Crick 1951 H. H. Almond 1951 D. D. Macklin 1951 R. F. A. Sharpley 1951 E. J. Worlidge 1951 C. B. M. Lloyd 1952 J. R. Dingle 1952 R. F. A. Sharpley 1952 N. B. M. Clack 1952 J. S. M. Jones 1953 J. A. N. Wallis 1953 J. S. M. Jones 1953 J. M. King 1954 J. A. N. Wallis 1955 A. R. Muirhead 1956 J. F. Hall-Craggs 1959 J. R. Owen 1960 J. R. Owen 1960 F. P. T. Wiggins 1960 J. Parker 1960 E. T. C. Johnstone 1960 P. W. Holmes

YearName 1961 A. J. Collier 1962 R. A. Napier 1962 A. J. Collier 1964 R. G. Stanbury (cox) 1965 M. A. Sweeney 1965 R. G. Stanbury (cox) 1966 M. E. K. Graham 1966 M. A. Sweeney 1966 I. A. B. Brooksby (cox) 1967 R. D. Yarrow 1967 D. F. Earl 1972 G. A. Cadwalader 1973 D. P. Sturge 1975 J. MacLeod 1975 P. J. Robinson 1975 A. N. Christie 1977 R. C. Ross 1978 R. C. Ross 1979 R. C. Ross 1980 M. F. Panter 1981 M. F. Panter 1982 P. St J. Brine 1982 C. D. Heard 1983 C. D. Heard 1983 P. R. W. Sheppard 1983 J. L. D. Garrett 1984 J. L. D. Garrett 1985 J. L. D. Garrett 1985 H. L. Shaw (cox) 1987 Jim R. Garman 1988 Jim R. Garman 1988 Guy Pooley 1989 Jim R. Garman 1989 Guy Pooley 1990 Guy Pooley 1991 Guy Pooley2000 Richard A. Ehlers2001 Tom M Edwards-Moss2016 Charles Fisher2018 Charles Fisher2021 Theo Weinberger2024 Thomas Marsh

Women's boat race YearName 2016 Fiona Macklin 2024 Gemma King 2024 Jo Matthews 2025 Gemma King 2026 Gemma King

See also University rowing (UK) Henley Boat Race University of Cambridge

References

Durack, John; Gilbert, George; Marks, Dr. John (2000). The Bumps: An Account of the Cambridge University Bumping Races 1827-1999 CUCBC (various years) - Lent and May Bumps programmes.

External links Club Website