Horsham man who walked 1,000 miles!

For the month of November Horsham Museum & Art Gallery took part in the Instagram #Museum30 initiative.

One of the many interesting posts they came up with was one about a Horsham man who walked 1,000 miles!

The Museum holds in its archive the ‘Verrall Medal’ which recognises this amazing achievement.

The story was taken up by Henry Burstow (1826-1916), a shoemaker, bell-ringer and celebrated folk singer, who lived in Horsham.

“The most important sporting event at Horsham… that I ever heard of, took place in 1823, when a man named Verrall, called the ‘Lad’ undertook to walk 1,000 miles in 20 consecutive days for a wager of £30.

“Verrell, 43 years of age, married, with 11 children, a pig jobber by trade… decided to try the sporting instincts of the Town as a means of improving his fortunes.

“His walk was from the ‘Swan Inn’ [where the entrance to Swan Walk is today] to the ‘Dog and Bacon Inn’ and back again, a distance of exactly a mile each way, 25 times daily, 50 miles a day.

“He started on Tuesday, November 4th, 1823, at 4.30am and finished his first day’s work just after 9pm. He had had no previous training…

“He finished on the night of Sunday, November 24th, the old Band playing him in at the finish, thus winning his wager and making altogether in winnings and presents £300.”