JOCK  DALZIEL 

(1852-1929)

Great Dalkeith Athlete

 

OLD-TIME ATHLETES EARNED THEIR MONEY

An article written in the Dalkeith Advertiser

JOCK DALZIEL who was to become Dalkeith's greatest athlete first saw the light of day in the West Wynd in the year 1852. After attending the Free and Benbouch Schools he started his athletic career at the age of 15 and during the years that followed he won over 2000 prizes at games all over the country.

As a boy, Jock helped his mother who had a coal fauld in the town and he not only delivered coal locally but took groceries to Gorebridge. On occasion the cart was used to take "down and outs" to the Poorhouse.

It was no unusual sight to see Jock driving the cart, converted into a hearse, bring someone's remains  from the Poorhouse with Jock sitting on the coffin playing his tin whistle.

When he was 15, he got in touch with the owners of the Brush Factory, who were great sportsmen and footrunners. They did their training at the Grassy Rigs. Jock left the Brush factory and worked at the Iron Foundary for a year. At the age of 17 he performed what was then considered the great feat of wheeling a barrow with 16 ¹/₂ cwts. of metal in it a distance of ten yards and turn.

FIRST RACE

Jock returned to the coal trade when jobs were difficult to get and he was employed in Glasgow for some time. He took an interest in running, a very popular pastime in these days and when he returned to Dalkeith he began to train seriously. He entered his first handicap at Bonnyrigg and won the 100 yards race beating such notable runners as William McLaren, James Rutherford -Newtongrange  and Robert McCulloch -Dalkeith.

Jock Dalziel joined the Duke's Militia, better known as the Duke's Chuck Shifters and was promoted to the rank of corporal. But he had his ups and downs in the Militia and when he took French leave to run at Tranent he was reduced to private. Dick Aytoun, the Dalkeith handicapper, was well known at the time and a friend of Jock's.

On his first visit to Powderhall Jock won the 300 yards race. He had been given 35 Yards start because the handicapper did not know him.

LITTLE DISCIPLINE

He began to make sport a serious business and devoted most of his spare time to it. He ran and won at Arniston and on the advice of Anthony Hall he became a "regular" travelling all over Scotland and the North of England.

As was the habit with runners, he also turned out for other events on the programme and he competed in the hop, step and leap and high jump contests. He was placed second in a hurdle race at Glasgow and won a mile race at Kelso. On the same afternoon he won the 220 yards race.

Jock often ran at Glasgow and one can imagine the disgust of the Dalkeith man at Springfield grounds when a runner named Gallagher of Greenock knocked him off the track. Discipline was slack in Glasgow running circles at this time and competitors could do anything they liked during a race.

One New Year at East Linton the snow was six inches deep on the track but this did not deter the competitors. At Yetholm he had to plough through drifts of nine feet to reach the sports ground.  One of the prizes he won was a pair of boots and being surplus to his requirements he put them up as a prize in a dominino competition - and won them back! Rather than carry the boots to Dalkeith, Jock sold them for 10s.

The Dalkeith man, now well known to sportsmen all over the district, competed at Shotts, Hawick and Tranent. There was great excitement at Dundee when Jock met the famous Cummings, Matthews of Edinburgh and Marshall of Dundee. The police had to clear the track. There was a dispute about who had won, all four men claiming the verdict. Five weeks later Jock beat Cummings in a challenge race.

He won the Glasgow Cup at Jedburgh in easy fashion and in a longer race the same afternoon Jock went into the lead. This was not to the liking of one of the runners who sprinted after Jock and knocked him to the ground.

Kelso, Dunfermline, Halbeath, Leven, Methil, Kirkcaldy and Maybole held popular games and Jock won many prizes. Well known sportsmen tried to persuade him to concentrate on the mile or half mile but Jock could not afford to do so. He was a miner at this stage of his career and worked most of the week. He had a big family to maintain. He ran only at the weekends but he could always get his expenses by doing so.

He is known to have won as much as £9 at a single meeting. Although he never kept records, it is estimated he won some 2000 prizes in money and in kind.

In the course of his successful career he was a popular groundsman at Powderhall, Edinburgh. He supervised the training of many champions, several international footballers and a Scottish boxing champion. He also had under his care the well known amateur Lieut. Halswell. Among the prominent footballers who came under his care were Bobby Walker and Charlie Thomson of the Hearts.

FIRST AND LAST

Jock won his first Powderhall handicap at the age of 17 and his last Powderhall handicap at the age of 44. He entered races at some games until he was 60.

None of Jock's seven sons took up the running game seriously, although Thomas did give it a trial. He could not perform anything like his father. Six of Jock's sons fought in the Great War and it was a proud day for Jock Dalziel when he received a letter from His Majesty commending him for giving his sons to fight for King and country. The oldest and youngest were killed in action and one was permanently disabled.

  An article written in the Dalkeith Advertiser

FROM A NEWS REPORT OF THE 1880 POWDERHALL MEETING.

Here is a characteristic story of one of the finalists: "Jock" Dalziel of Dalkeith who in physique certainly ranked in the group of powerful athletes of the bull-dog breed.

Full of confidence in himself, Dalziel tried in vain to procure a "gaffer", but his aspirations to success in a event of this class were laughed to scorn by meeting officials. Nothing daunted, however, "Jock" sold his horse and cart (his only means of livelihood), and with the proceeds "stood" himself, finishing a respectable fourth.

Unfortunately a fire in the 1940's destroyed a lot of records from the era of Jock Dalziel but some results featuring Jock competing at Powderhall have survived and these have been kindly contributed by Frank Hanlon from the NEW YEAR SPRINT, formally known as the "Powderhall".

Photograph kindly contributed by Frank Hanlon from the NEW YEAR SPRINT, formally known as the "Powderhall".

Judkins & Steel Family History Page

Created 25 May 1998

Updated 31 July 2005