Alice Legh—The Best Archer Of Her Generation

Miss Alice Legh was very probably the finest British archer of all time (men and women both).

She won the National Women’s Championship in England a total of twenty-three times, between 1881 and 1922. She was sixty-seven years old when she won her last title.

According to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: “Her score of 840, including 30 golds, made with a maximum 144 hits, shot at the Grand Western meeting at Bath in 1881 has yet to be bettered with the longbow shooting two ways.”

At the height of her powers in 1908 she declined to take part in the Olympics (which were held in London that year). Most observers believe that she wanted to save herself for the National Championship, which was held the following week.

At that event—The Grand National Meeting in Oxford—she beat Queenie Newall, the Olympic Gold Medal winner, by a huge margin (151 points) and took the championship for the seventh year running. She made it eight consecutive championships the following year.

“She set great store by her status as national champion, and although invited to shoot at the 1908 Olympic games, she chose not to do so.”
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Although she was known to encourage newcomers to the sport, there is no documentary evidence that she ever coached Bethany Brainsly-Whatton-Whiffle (daughter of the headmaster of Slaithwaite Hall Academy, and friend of inventor and alchemist, Algernon Quasley-Botham-Squyre), or that she was an ardent supporter of the WSPU, and an admirer of Christabel Pankhurst.

X.T. Pfuffenstoffel

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Christabel Pankhurst—The Militant Who Led Women to The Vote

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Alice Legh—The Best Archer Of Her Generation

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