Charles Jarrott (racing driver)

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Charles Jarrott at the wheel of his Napier car, 1903

Charles Jarrott (born March 26, 1877 in London , † January 4, 1944 ) was a British cyclist and automobile racing driver as well as an entrepreneur and motorsport official who worked in key positions in the early British automobile industry.

Jarrott was born at 25 Hendon Street in Pimlico, London . He was the youngest of four children and the only son of the employed blacksmith Robert Jarrott and his wife Martha Rosser Jarrott . Presumably he received his education in London and Cambridge and studied law until 1896. After that, he joined a notary's office , but did not practice this profession for long.

Racing

In the early 1890s he began a promising career as a racing cyclist .

But he was drawn to motorsport at an early age and drove his first race in a De Dion-Bouton tricycle in 1897 . A few years followed with such three-wheeled racing vehicles, which were considered the fastest racing class before the turn of the 20th century. In 1899 he won the British championship over 5 miles (in 8 minutes 11.6 seconds) on such a vehicle. In total he competed in 50 such races in 1899 alone.

Members of the Napier team before the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup in Ireland . Front, from left: JW Stocks, Charles Jarrott and Selwyn F. Edge.

He met Montague Napier (1870–1931) probably through his cycling and motorsport comrade Selwyn Edge and was allowed to use his Panhard & Levassor prototype with Napier engine , which was improved for Edge . As a result, Napier became a leading British automobile manufacturer. Jarrot's first big race was the long-distance Paris-Berlin trip in 1901 , where he started with the number 13 on a Panhard & Levassor 40 CV. After all, he was 10th. In 1902 he reached 11th place on the long-distance Paris-Vienna trip in 1902 on a Panhard & Levassor 70 CV despite vehicle problems. He drove his most impressive race at the Ardennes race in the same year , where he drove from 35th to first place on a poorly maintained track. He also took part in the dramatic Paris-Madrid race in 1903 , which had to be canceled after numerous accidents with several, including fatal, accidents on official orders in Bordeaux . Among others, the drivers Marcel Renault and Claude Loraine Barrow were killed. With his De Dietrich 30 CV he was in fourth place at that time. Later attempts with Napier and Wolseley no longer brought the desired success.

In 1903 he married Violet Aline Vyner , who had been divorced the previous year after twelve years of marriage from James St. Clair-Erskine, 5th Earl of Rosslyn (1869-1939). Jarrott shared with her the enthusiasm for racing, which she exercised herself from 1901 to 1904 on various Mors , Panhard & Levassor and De-Dietrich vehicles. At that time he turned to the Times to point out the dangers of racing.

Jarrott was a member of the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland , which became the Royal Automobile Club in 1907 . As early as 1905, a group to which Jarrott belonged split off and founded the Automobile Association (AA). In the same year he decided to largely withdraw from active racing and no longer contest major races. Occasional long-distance trips still lured him. In 1906 he improved the record for the route London - Monaco to 37.5 hours. Also in 1906, Jarrott wrote one of the very first motorsport books: " Ten Years of Motors and Motor Racing ".

Entrepreneur

Henry John Lawson

He had already met Henry John Lawson (1852–1925) at the end of the 1880s . Allegedly he was secretary in its British Motor Syndicate from 1889 and held this position until its collapse in 1900. In the same year he is named as secretary of the British Motor Company , another Lawson company that existed parallel to the syndicate and after its bankruptcy Business took over. In February 1896, Frederick Richard Simms and Lawson founded the Motor Car Club . Lawson provided the business premises. From May to August 1896, the club organized one of the first motor vehicle exhibitions at the Imperial Institute in London. From December 1896 to 1899 Jarrott was secretary of the organization.

De Dion-Bouton British and Colonial Company, Ltd.

In 1899 he visited the USA and found out about the situation there in the motor vehicle sector. He was also involved in setting up a company. In 1896 Lawson had already acquired the general agency of the world's largest automobile manufacturer, De Dion-Bouton , for the Kingdom for GB £ 10,000 . In order to secure these licenses, Jarrott founded the De Dion-Bouton British and Colonial Co as chairman of the supervisory board together with two of his cycling friends, Selwyn Edge and Herbert Duncan , as well as the automobile pioneer Henry Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Beaulieu ., Ltd in London. Jarrott served as managing director.

Harvey Du Cros and Panhard & Levassor

The following year Jarrott entered into another partnership, this time with William Harvey Du Cros (1846–1918). The Harvey Du Cros Company received the sole import license for the high-priced Panhard & Levassor vehicles. In London these were also represented by Sir Charles Rolls . Du Cros was a successful entrepreneur who acquired John Boyd Dunlop's tire patent in 1896 , making him a key figure in both the bicycle and motor vehicle sectors. He was only involved in the bicycle and motor vehicle manufacturer Ariel Cycle Company and also co-founded the Swift Motor Company in 1900 .

In 1899 he and his former employee Edge set up the Motor Power Company as a partner for Napier, which also sold bicycles and motor vehicles of the Clément and Gladiator brands. This contact probably came about through the French Dunlop licensee Adolphe Clément , who in addition to his own car factories also held the majority of shares in Panhard & Levassor.

Charles Jarrott & Letts, Ltd.

Crossley 40 HP "Single Limousine" from Salmons & Son with Charles Jarrott at the steering wheel. Jarrot designed this design for self-propelled vehicles with a very early application of a folding emergency seat (" mother-in-law seat " in the rear).

When Edge and William Harvey Du Cros (1846-1918) founded the Motor Vehicle Company in 1899 and secured the general agencies for Panhard & Levassor (P&L) and Napier, Jarrot was able to take over an agency for P&L vehicles. In 1903 the company opened its own car dealership, which took over the general agency for Oldsmobile and De Dietrich . The company was based at 45 Great Marlborough Street and Regent Street in London. It is unclear whether this happened with a partner from the start; In 1904 the name was changed to Charles Jarrott & Letts, Ltd. This partner was Sir William Malmsbury Letts (1873-1957), an entrepreneur, which the British production of the Locomobile - steam car had built up and held senior positions in professional bodies. Crossley from Manchester were represented from around 1906. In that year Sizaire also joined. In 1909 Jarrott sold his shares in Letts. The company existed until the 1920s. It is known that the Bugatti , Dodge and Nash brands were also represented later .

Jarrott was in the vehicle trade for many years and was involved in starting several companies.

During the First World War , he did military service with the Royal Flying Corps , where he last held the rank of lieutenant colonel .

In November 1927 he was a founding member of the Circle of 19th Century Motorists . Anyone who owned or drove a car in the 19th century (or more precisely: before the One Thousand Mile Trial of the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland ended on May 4, 1900) was allowed to join the circle . There was an annual banquet, the last of which was believed to be in 1943.

From 1935 until his death, Jarrott held the office of General Secretary of the Royal Society of St George . He died of pneumonia at the age of 66. The relationship with actress Ursula Jean resulted in a son, Charles Jarrott , who enjoyed success as a film and television director.

Honors

Fonts

  • Charles Jarrott: Ten Years of Motors and Motor Racing. EP Dutton & Company, 1906, 1912, 1928, 1956

Quotes

"The curse of commercialism is the ruin of sport, and the degeneracy of motor racing as a sport is due to the financial issues now involved."

"The curse of commercialization is the downfall of sport and the degeneration of racing is a result of financial influence."

- Charles Jarrot : 1905

Remarks

  1. ↑ Although this is proven by a reputable source, this cannot be true. The British Motor Syndicate was created only in 1896 from the insolvent become 1895 British Motor Syndicate . It is not known whether Jarrott already held a position here.
  2. ↑ The Baron is the father of the automobile historian and founder of the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu Castle , Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu

literature

  • Carlton Reid: Roads Were Not Built for Cars: How Cyclists Were the First to Push for Good Roads & Became the Pioneers of Motoring. Island Press, 2015; ISBN 1-61091689-1 .
  • Thomas Ulrich: Paris-Madrid: The greatest race of all time. Monsenstein & Vannerdat, 2nd edition (2013); ISBN 3-94215-314-9 .
  • B. von Lengerke: Automobile races and competitions (1894–1907). Fachbuchverlag-Dresden, new edition 2014 as a facsimile of a work from 1908 (Verlag Richard Carl Schmidt & Co., Berlin); ISBN 3-95692-272-7 .
  • Hans Christoph von Seherr-Thoss : Dictionary of famous personalities in the automobile world. Ivy House Publishing, Raleigh NC, USA, 1st edition; 2005; ISBN 1-57197-333-8 .
  • Anthony Bird: De Dion Bouton - First Automobile Giant. Ballantine's Illustrated History of the Car marque book No 6, 1971, Ballantine Books Inc. 101 Fifth Ave., New York, No. 02322-6
  • Bernard Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor. Entre tradition et modernité. ETAI, Boulogne-Billancourt, 2005; ISBN 2-7268-9406-2 .
  • David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975 , Veloce Publishing PLC, Dorchester (1997); ISBN 1-874105-93-6 .
  • Jonathan Wood: The British Motor Industry Shire Publications Ltd (2010); ISBN 0-7478-0768-X .

Web links

Commons : Charles Jarrott  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Grace's Guide: Charles Jarrott.
  2. ↑ a b Ulrich: Paris-Madrid: The greatest race of all time (2013), p. 304.
  3. ^ Reid: Roads Were Not Built for Cars (2015), p. 20.
  4. ↑ teamdan.com: 1901 Grand Prix and Paris Races.
  5. ↑ teamdan.com: 1902 Grand Prix and Paris Races.
  6. ↑ teamdan.com: 1903 Grand Prix and Paris Races.
  7. ↑ Grace's Guide: The AA.
  8. ^ A b c d Seherr-Thoss: Dictionary of famous Personalities in the Automobile World (2005), p. 81
  9. ↑ Grace's Guide: British Motor Co.
  10. ↑ Grace's Guide: Motor Car Club.
  11. ^ Bird: De Dion Bouton - First Automobile Giant (1971), p. 49.
  12. ↑ a b c d Grace's Guide: Selwyn Edge.
  13. ↑ Grace's Guide: Dunlop Pneumatic Tire Company.
  14. ↑ Grace's Guide: Harvey Du Cros.
  15. ^ Grace's Guide: Harvey Du Cros (Company).
  16. ↑ a b Grace's Guide: Charles Jarrott & Letts.
  17. ↑ Grace's Guide: Circle of 19th Century Motorists.
  18. ↑ Grace's Guide: 1900 One Thousand Mile Trial.
  19. ↑ Elizabeth Ellen Bennett: Jarrott, Charles (1877-1944) . In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press, Sept 2004 (online edn, May 2006)
  20. ↑ Charles Jarrott . In: Contemporary Theater, Film and Television, Volume 38. Gale Group, 2002 (accessed via Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich .: Gale, 2009)
personal data
SURNAME Jarrott, Charles
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British racing driver
DATE OF BIRTH March 26, 1877
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH January 4, 1944
Place of death London