George Wilson

George Wilson (24 June 1766 – 14 April 1839), known also as the Blackheath Pedestrian, was a Newcastle-born competitive walker.

Life George Wilson was born in Newcastle on 24 June 1766, one of six children of shipbuilder Robert Wilson and Mary, née Finlay. When Wilson was young, his father died £200 in debt, forcing his mother to start a pawn-broking business. The debt was eventually paid off with the help of a creditor who also assisted Mrs Wilson in accruing an additional £600. John Bell, the husband of Mrs Wilson's younger sister, attempted to claim these £600 for himself in addition to £200 which was left to Mrs Wilson in her mother's will. He was unsuccessful in both cases. George Wilson would go on to marry Bell's daughter, his cousin, with whom he had 5 children.

Wilson held several jobs throughout his life, first serving as an apprentice cobbler under his uncle, John Bell. He reluctantly took on this role for seven years until, at the age of 21, he became a pawn-broker in his mother's business. When he married John Bell's daughter, he left this business. Bell loaned Wilson £30 to start his own business, which was largely unsuccessful and lasted only two years. After that failure, Wilson returned to the pawn-broking business, now his own, for another nine years. After that, he became a draper and hosier which required him to visit London about 6 times a year, a journey he would always take on foot. During this time, he was also employed as a tax collector, which would sometimes require him to walk a day. In 1805, satisfied that his wife and children could manage his hosiery and drapery business, he began selling maps and other travel guides as he walked around the country, which had by then become the main occupancy of his time. By 1810, he became a seller of pamphlets in Kent, which would sometimes require him to walk a day. This proved to be inadequate at providing his expenses, and by 1814, Wilson was in debtor's prison for failure to pay a £20 debt from John Bell. There he made his first steps in the world of competitive pedestrianism, walking around the prison yard in 12 hours. He finished with 4 minutes 43 seconds to spare, winning £3 1s.

When he was released from prison, Wilson became a full time competitive walker, supplementing his meager income by selling books. His first competitive walk outside of prison began on 30 August 1814 and ended one day later. During this, he walked in 23 hours 31 minutes, probably earning him £100. In this book he tells of his many exploits and failures, including him being arrested for causing a breach of the peace, charged and tried for "walking for money" and ending up in debtor’s prison.

In the song "On Russell The Pedestrian" which appeared in 1840 in The Tyne Songster, George Wilson is mentioned by name as a well-known competitive walker. The notes to the song mention the last feat of his walking career at Town Moor racecourse in Newcastle. The song itself is not written in a Geordie dialect, but has a strong Northern England connection.

“The Quizzical Quorum or the Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Black Beaks of Blackheath” and "Looney's visit to Blackheath" are both songs written about Wilson's walk around Blackhealth Common.