Edinburgh Skating Club
Encyclopedia
The Edinburgh Skating Club is recognized as the first organized figure skating club
. While some sources claim the club was established in 1642, most sources accept 1742 or 1744 as the date of its founding. The next-oldest skating club, in London
, was not founded until 1830.
The claim to the 1642 founding date appears to derive from a small book published by the club council in 1865, The Edinburgh Skating-Club with Diagrams of Figures and a List of the Members. As of that writing, the club's oldest extant records were dated January 1778, and the reference to 1642 appeared in only in club records from long after that period.
There was an early contemporary reference to the Club in the second edition (1783) of the Encyclopedia Britannica that supports the 1742 or 1744 founding date:
From this description and others, it is apparent that the form of skating practiced by club members was indeed an early form of figure skating
rather than speed skating
. For admission to the club, candidates had to pass a skating test where they performed a complete circle on either foot (e.g., a figure eight
), and then jumped over first one hat, then two and three, placed over each other on the ice.
The favorite meeting place of club members was Duddingston Loch, near Edinburgh, Scotland. The principal object of the club was the practice of a form of choreographed group skating. The club also held an annual dinner where the standard dish served was "sheeps-heads and trotters
", perhaps in deference to the local Sheep Heid Inn
in Duddingston.
Today the club is best known for its association with the painting The Skating Minister
by Henry Raeburn
, more formally titled The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch.
Figure skating club
A figure skating club is a local organization of figure skaters, often centered around a single ice rink. Typical club activities include arranging practice ice time, hosting test sessions and competitions, and producing an annual ice show in which club skaters may take part...
. While some sources claim the club was established in 1642, most sources accept 1742 or 1744 as the date of its founding. The next-oldest skating club, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, was not founded until 1830.
The claim to the 1642 founding date appears to derive from a small book published by the club council in 1865, The Edinburgh Skating-Club with Diagrams of Figures and a List of the Members. As of that writing, the club's oldest extant records were dated January 1778, and the reference to 1642 appeared in only in club records from long after that period.
There was an early contemporary reference to the Club in the second edition (1783) of the Encyclopedia Britannica that supports the 1742 or 1744 founding date:
- The metropolis of Scotland has produced more instances of elegant skaters than perhaps any country whatever: and the institution of a skating club about 40 years ago has contributed not a little to the improvement of this elegant amusement.
From this description and others, it is apparent that the form of skating practiced by club members was indeed an early form of figure skating
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
rather than speed skating
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
. For admission to the club, candidates had to pass a skating test where they performed a complete circle on either foot (e.g., a figure eight
Compulsory figures
Compulsory figures or school figures were formerly an aspect of the sport of figure skating, from which the sport derives its name. Carving specific patterns or figures into the ice was the original focus of the sport. The patterns of compulsory figures all derive from the basic figure eight...
), and then jumped over first one hat, then two and three, placed over each other on the ice.
The favorite meeting place of club members was Duddingston Loch, near Edinburgh, Scotland. The principal object of the club was the practice of a form of choreographed group skating. The club also held an annual dinner where the standard dish served was "sheeps-heads and trotters
Offal
Offal , also called, especially in the United States, variety meats or organ meats, refers to the internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but includes most internal organs other than...
", perhaps in deference to the local Sheep Heid Inn
Sheep Heid Inn
The Sheep Heid Inn is a public house in Duddingston, Edinburgh, Scotland. There has reputedly been a pub on this spot selling liquor and victuals since 1360...
in Duddingston.
Today the club is best known for its association with the painting The Skating Minister
The Skating Minister
The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, better known by its shorter title The Skating Minister, is an oil painting by Sir Henry Raeburn in the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. It was practically unknown until about 1949; today, however, it is one of Scotland's best known...
by Henry Raeburn
Henry Raeburn
Sir Henry Raeburn was a Scottish portrait painter, the first significant Scottish portraitist since the Act of Union 1707 to remain based in Scotland.-Biography:...
, more formally titled The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch.