engaged. Among the Nobility and Gentry who witnessed the conclusion of this extraordinary feat, were:— The Dukes of Argyle and St. Alban's; Earls Grosvenor, Bessborough and Jersey; Lords Foley and Somerville; Sir John Lode, Sir F. Standish, &c. &c. Capt Barclay had a large sum depending upon his undertaking. The aggregate of the bets is supposed to amount to £100,000.—He commenced his feat on the first of June. During the 42 days of this exercise his time per mile increased and his weight dropped (186 lbs) (154 lbs). If the report of the total wagers was accurate they were equivalent to some £5 million ($US 8 million) in modern terms. The first woman to emulate his feat successfully was Emma Sharp. Financial backer and trainer of boxers In addition to walking Captain Barclay was active in the financial backing and training of bare-knuckle fighters. The most celebrated fighters that he trained were Tom Molineaux and Tom Cribb, (Champion of England). Army career Captain Barclay's rank was in the 23rd Regiment of Foot, which he joined in 1805. In 1809 he served as aide-de-camp to the Marquess of Huntly on the ill-fated Walcheren Campaign, starting out just 5 days after the completion of the 1000-mile feat. Claims to titles Captain Barclay claimed the Earldom of Airth, his lawyers claiming that this title could be inherited through the female line. The claim was rejected by the House of Lords in 1839. A similar claim to the Earldoms of Menteith and Strathearn was not pursued. A curious aside to the latter claim is that it would have implied that Captain Barclay was the rightful King of Scotland. Descent of the title Captain Barclay died in 1854 from injuries from the kick of a horse. The only surviving child from his marriage was a daughter, Margaret, who had moved to America but eventually resettled in Great Britain and retired to Cornwall with her eldest son, also a Robert Barclay-Allardice (who later became Mayor of Lostwithiel between 1899-1901 and 1904-6). This Robert Barclay-Allardice married and had one daughter, Mary Graham Barclay-Allardice, whose descendants (through an only daughter, Margaret – the great-great granddaughter of Captain Barclay) live in Gloucestershire and Hampshire. The Lairdship of Ury, heritable only through the male line, passed to a third cousin, Charles Barclay, who lived in Surrey. References Bibliography 342pp. 278pp. External links The Celebrated Pedestrian 1779 births 1854 deaths People