YOU have to be very old to remember using a farthing coin. A farthing (fourth thing) was a quarter of an old penny. Some of them had a wren on the reverse side.
In 1871 a bicycle was invented with a big wheel in front and a small wheel behind, which was named a ‘penny farthing’. We have a model of one in the Corn Market. Romsey had a cycling club from 1895 and a number of its members took to the roads on their penny-farthings.
Amongst the officials of the club was a bugler. His role is not described but it was clearly seen as important. The bugle was embossed with the Borough portcullis and the initials R.
C.C. for Romsey Cycling Club.
The cycle club attracted the town’s middle classes and Rt Hon Evelyn Ashley of Broadlands was president. The vice presidents included the mayor of Romsey who in 1898 was Henry Guard, who had a department stores in Church Street, and three local doctors, amongst others. The captain was W.
Pinnick, the saddler, whose shop was in the Market Place. In 1896 the club had 51 members – all of whom were male. They came from both Romsey and nearby villages.
They had regular outings each summer and their 1898 season included ‘runs’ to Portsmouth and to Milford on Sea. By then, most, if not all members were using ‘safety’ cycles, which had wheels the same size. Balancing on a penny-farthing was somewhat challenging, and I suspect not too easy to ride for any great distance.
The challenge of riding high up on the saddle of a penny-farthing ov.
