Santiago Wealands Tapia Robson (1896 – ?) was the first Anglo-Spanish bullfighter in history - and the first to write a book on the subject too.
In the beginning
Santiago Wealands Tapia Robson was born in Sunderland in 1896. His home town was filled with shipyards,
minesMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock salt and potash...
and
glassIn general Glass refers to a solid, brittle, transparent material, commonly used for windows, bottles, or eyewear. Examples of glassy materials include, but are not limited to, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, acrylic glass, sugar glass, Muscovy-glass, or aluminium oxynitride. The term glass...
-making factories at the time of his birth - but his destiny lay elsewhere.
Santiago was eight when he travelled to
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
to watch his first bullfight. The pomp and ceremony immediately captured the boy's imagination and, six years later, he was trying his own hand in the ring.
"A bullfighter is born, not made," Santiago explained in later life. "Just as
CarusoEnrico Caruso was an Italian tenor who sang to acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and North and South America...
was born a singer, and Edison and
MarconiMarchese Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, best known for his development of a radiotelegraph system, which served as the foundation for the establishment of numerous affiliated companies worldwide...
were born inventors. The bullfighter combines his obligation as a
showmanShowman can have a variety of meanings, usually by context and depending on the country.- Australia :Travelling showmen are people who run amusement and side show equipment at regional shows, capitol shows, events and festivals throughout Australia...
with the supreme need to protect his own life in this struggle between a man and a wild beast."
Early life
Santiago, the son of an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
mother and
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
father, was born into a prominent Sunderland family - the Wealands Robsons. Although little is known of his early life, it is believed one of his close relatives was William Wealands Robson, a well known Sunderland
solicitorSolicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter apart from conducting proceedings in courts , with some exceptions. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers, and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
.
The Robson family had settled at the mouth of the
WearIn materials science, wear is the erosion of material from a solid surface by the action of another surface. It is related to surface interactions and more specifically the removal of material from a surface as a result of mechanical action...
some 250 years before, but were originally members of the Robson
clanA clan is a group of people united by kinship and descent, which is defined by actual or perceived descent from a common ancestor. Even if actual lineage patterns are unknown, clan members may nonetheless recognize a founding member or apical ancestor...
of North
TynedaleTynedale, was a local government district in south-west Northumberland, England. It had a resident population of 58,808 according to Census 2001, and is named after the River Tyne . Its main towns are Hexham, Haltwhistle and Prudhoe...
. According to Douglas Smith, chairman of Sunderland
AntiquarianAn antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado of antiquities or things of the past. Also, and most often in modern usage, an antiquarian is a person who deals with or collects rare and ancient "antiquarian books"...
Society: "The Robson clan were known for their moonlight raids across the border on cattle.
"It is quite ironic, really, that just a few hundred years later, someone in the family chooses to fight bulls, rather than steal them."
William Wealands Robson, an eccentric town councillor and devout
CatholicThe word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
, would never have known young Santiago, as he drowned in the
River WearThe River Wear is a river in North East England, rising in the Pennines and flowing eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea at Sunderland.-Geology and History:...
in 1882. But the little boy who carried on his name was to make it famous throughout the
bullringA bullring is an arena where bullfighting is performed. Bullrings are often associated with Spain, but they can also be found in neighboring countries and the New World...
s of
SevilleSeville is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level. The inhabitants of the city are known as Sevillanos or...
,
HuelvaHuelva is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cadiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 145,150 inhabitants. The town...
, Valencia and
MadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. It is the third-most populous municipality in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third-most populous city by urban area in the European Union after Paris and London.The city is located on the river...
within just a few years.
Passion inspired by father
Santiago's father is known to have loved watching the "
torosToros,a version of Greek word Taurus, may refer to:*Austin Toros NBA Development League minor league basketball team*Taurus Mountains a mountain range in southern Turkey...
" -
bullfightingBullfighting also known as tauromachy , is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, some cities in southern France and in several Latin American countries, in which one or more bulls are ritually killed in a bullring as a public spectacle...
- and it was a passion he passed on to his young son. The little boy's first visit to a
bullringA bullring is an arena where bullfighting is performed. Bullrings are often associated with Spain, but they can also be found in neighboring countries and the New World...
had ignited his
matadorA matador or torero is the main performer in bullfighting events in Spain, France, and other Spanish-speaking countries. He or she is the person who performs with and kills the bull. The role is also called toreador in English , but this term is actually never used in Spain or in Latin America...
ambitions, and at 14 he signed on as an apprentice with
Francisco SanchezFrancisco Sanchez was Commandante of the San Francisco Presidio and the eighth alcalde of San Francisco, California in 1843, and grantee of the Rancho San Pedro.-Life:...
.
"Every year about 3,000 young men seek to enter the
bullfightingBullfighting also known as tauromachy , is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, some cities in southern France and in several Latin American countries, in which one or more bulls are ritually killed in a bullring as a public spectacle...
profession, anxious to earn both money and glory,” said Santiago in the 1950s. "But, unfortunately, even after years of serving a very dangerous
apprenticeshipApprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
, very few achieve their aim – perhaps only a mere half-a-dozen.
"Some get discouraged, others so badly hurt that they are physically unable to continue. The rest are either killed on the spot, or die outside the ring of wounds received there."
SanchezSánchez is a popular Spanish surname. It may also refer to:*Sánchez, Dominican Republic, a municipality in Samaná Province, Dominican Republic*Sanchez , a reggae singer...
, whose bullfighting deeds were documented by
writerA writer is anyone who creates a written work, though the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms.-Profession:...
Ernest HemingwayErnest Miller Hemingway was an American writer and journalist. He was part of the 1920s expatriate community in Paris, and one of the veterans of World War I later known as "the Lost Generation." He received the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 for The Old Man and the Sea, and the Nobel Prize in Literature...
in
Death in the AfternoonDeath in the Afternoon is a non-fiction book by Ernest Hemingway about the ceremony and traditions of Spanish bullfighting. It was originally published in 1932...
, obviously provided the young Santiago with expert
tuitionTuition means "instruction" or "teaching." In American English, the term "tuition" is often used to refer to a fee charged for educational instruction; especially at a formal institution of learning or by a private tutor usually in the form of one-to-one tuition...
. By 1912, he had become the world's first Anglo-Spanish bullfighter, and he pulled in the crowds at
bullringA bullring is an arena where bullfighting is performed. Bullrings are often associated with Spain, but they can also be found in neighboring countries and the New World...
s around
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
for the next two years.
"I classify the bull as the equal in character and nobility with the dog and the horse. But while the bull has the supreme quality of courage, he is also endowed with a special characteristic belonging to no other animal - for the bull is the only existing creature which kills for the pleasure of killing," he said.
"The bull is unique in that he seeks only to destroy life, attacking anything that moves, whether it is a coloured cloth, a horse, a man or even a scrap of smoking paper dropped from the walls of his pen."
Early retirement
Just as he neared the peak of his profession, Santiago suddenly retired. The reason for this was his mother, who hated her son being in constant danger. He already bore the mark of a
bullCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
's horn deep in his thigh, and she could no longer bear the thought that he might be killed.
Although he made the decision out of family loyalty, the 18-year-old was left with many regrets about quitting his career so early. Indeed, he later admitted to sneaking off occasionally to private ranches, where he would try his luck with local bulls without his mother knowing.
But despite his early retirement, Santiago never lost his love for
bullfightingBullfighting also known as tauromachy , is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, some cities in southern France and in several Latin American countries, in which one or more bulls are ritually killed in a bullring as a public spectacle...
, spending his life involved in every aspect of the
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
NationA nation is a body of people who share a real or imagined common history, culture, language or ethnic origin. The development and conceptualization of the nation is closely related to the development of modern industrial states and nationalist movements in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries,...
al
FiestaFiesta may refer to:*Festival*Holiday*Party*Fiesta , the line of Homer Laughlin China Co. dinnerware*Fiesta , a novel by Ernest Hemingway*Fiesta , an album by Miranda*"Fiesta" Fiesta may refer to:*Festival*Holiday*Party*Fiesta (dinnerware), the line of Homer Laughlin China Co. dinnerware*Fiesta...
.
Author
Santiago was to make history yet again when, in the 1950s, he became the first
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
matadorA matador or torero is the main performer in bullfighting events in Spain, France, and other Spanish-speaking countries. He or she is the person who performs with and kills the bull. The role is also called toreador in English , but this term is actually never used in Spain or in Latin America...
to write a book on the subject -
The Art of Bullfighting. The book, published in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
but written in
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
, proved a huge success, and was re-printed at least four times.
Santiago, who retained a trace of his North East
accent-Speech and language:* Accent , pronunciation common to a certain language dialect* Accent , of a word* Stress , tone levels and emphasis used in many languages to provide information when using the language...
throughout his life despite living in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, revealed in the book: "I have often read and heard the opinion that
bullfightingBullfighting also known as tauromachy , is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, some cities in southern France and in several Latin American countries, in which one or more bulls are ritually killed in a bullring as a public spectacle...
is either a brutal game or an unpardonably cruel amusement, because it involves the killings of
bullsBulls may refer to several things:*Male cattle*Sometimes used in place of bullshit *Blue Bulls, a rugby club in South Africa*Belfast Bulls, an american football team in Northern Ireland...
and, occasionally, of horses.
"To this charge I reply, 'Do not huntsmen kill deer?' I will not discuss the ethics of boxing and all-in wrestling, where two human beings seek to destroy each other, and I will not deny that bullfighting involves death."
What the book fails to reveal, however, is what happened to Santiago in later life. Searches of historical documents and the
internetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standardized Internet Protocol Suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
do not shed any further light.
External links