Publican, Naval Seaman, Custodian of the University Bathing Shed
John Beeton (1837-1890), was, for the last 21 years of his life, the publican at the Zebra on Maid’s Causeway. Like so many other publicans of his generation, he also had another job. In his case, it was a particularly interesting one as he was the Custodian of the Cambridge University Bathing Shed at Grantchester meadows and a university swimming coach. In part, because we know this about him, we are able to piece together a remarkably full portrait of him. We know, for example, that he was 5’5’’tall, that he had brown hair, a fair complexion, grey eyes and a burn on his right forearm.
John Roe Beeton was born 29th March 1837 in Market Deeping, Lincolnshire. At the age of 18 he volunteered for the Royal Navy and was initially assigned to the training ship – the HMS Illustrious.
HMS Illustrious (1803) was launched at Rotherhithe in 1803 and was like her predecessor a 74-gun third rate. She was involved in battles off the Basque Roads, in which she won a battle honour, and off Java in Indonesia. On 22 November 1810, Illustrious was amongst the fleet that captured Île de France on 3 December. She then took part in the Invasion of Java (1811) in Indonesia. She was refitted at Portsmouth (1813–17) and then laid up in reserve until recommissioned in 1832. She was laid up again in 1845, and later used as a guard-ship, a hospital ship and, lastly, in 1854 she became a gunnery training ship and continued as one until she was broken up in 1868 in Portsmouth.
In 1861 he was working as an Able Seaman aboard the 4-gun Royal Naval vessel HMS Ringdove, which at the time was moored off Shanghai, China.
John signed up to the navy for 10 years in 1855 and by 1866 he was back on dry land – in Cambridge where he married local girl Emily ROCKETT (1846-78). Soon after, in 1869, John and his wife, took over the Zebra. At the time he was granted his license he had already been appointed swimming master to the university.
The University’s swimming club was founded in 1855. Training took place in the River Cam at the University Bathing Sheds at Grantchester Meadows. Here the course of the river is reasonably straight for 120 yards and hence is suitable for racing. On the grassland by the river there were horizontal bars, a trapeze and a 15-foot diving tree. The club quickly established an emphasis on competitive swimming with many inter-collegiate competitions taking place and galas staged against London swimming clubs. The events competed in were various distances from 30 yard to a quarter mile depending on the venue, plunging, steeplechase, a race in clothes and water polo.
The Cambridge Chronicle and Journal on the 3rd August 1872 reported that Beeton had overseen an event at Grantchester that involved 50, 100, & 200 and 660 yard races, a plunge competition (distance diving) and all of the previous as handicap races including “headers, running and from the tree”. Races were open to all those undergraduates “who have been taught the art and mystery of swimming by Beeton, the swimming master”.
In 1877 he took on a commercial sideline at the pub by being the local sole-agent for what was advertised as “the best smoking mixture” – Wood’s Oriental – which he sold for 6 shillings per pound.
In 1878 his wife Emily died. He was remarried in 1881 to Maria Golding (1845-89). Ten years on from his second marriage John Beeton made the news …
On Saturday the well-known and popular teacher of swimming at the University Sheds, Mr. John Beeton, was happily enabled to save three lives. About 12.30 he was entering the sheds, when he heard cries for help. He found Mr. Benham, head master the King’s School, on the bank calling for assistance for three boys who were struggling for life in mid-stream. Mr Beeton, without hesitation, threw off his coat and jumped into the river, and, with great exertion, was fortunately able to bring all three alive to the opposite bank, though he was greatly exhausted, encumbered as he was with heavy pair of shooting boots and thick clothing, which he was ordered to wear by his medical adviser, as he has recently been suffering from an attack of bronchitis. Mr. Beeton was unfortunate enough to lose £3 3s. from his waistcoat pocket, and a watch and chain which had been presented to him. All would inevitably have been drowned had not such timely assistance been at hand.
Cambridge Chronicle and Journal – Friday 03 August 1888
On the evening of Sunday June 2nd 1889 all seemed normal in the Beeton household. Maria, John’s second wife, had been working in the bar. At quarter past ten, when John went to bed, Maria stayed up to get some food – two eggs and some bread and butter ready for him to take in the morning. Unusually, John slept in a different room to his wife but at quarter past five in the morning he examined her room and found that his wife was missing but that the bed had been used.
At a quarter to seven that morning three lads from Chesterton on their way for a swim in the river between the Pike and Eel and the Railway Bridge saw something in the river, which at first sight appeared to be weeds. On closer inspection they found it to be the body of a woman – Maria Beeton. Further up the river, half-way between Dant’s ferry and Jesus Boathouse, Maria’s hat and shawl were found neatly arranged on the stone coping of the mouth of the sewer.
Maria’s body was taken to the Pike and Eel pub in Chesterton and an inquest was held. The Coroner remarked that the finding of the hat and shawl in the manner described pointed to suicide; but there was no evidence to show that the woman had been guilty of any or made any statement that would lead them to conclude that she had in her mind the idea of destroying her life. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the body of the woman was found in the waters of the River Cam, but by what means it came there, there was no evidence to show. (Source: Cambridge Independent Press – 07 June 1889)
John died just 6 months later in January 1890. According to contemporary press reports he was “not in good health” following the death of his wife.
John, along with other members of his family are buried in the Mill Road Cemetery in Cambridge.