Charles Bennett Lawes

Who was Charles Bennett Lawes?

Sir Charles Bennett Lawes-Wittewronge, 2nd Baronet was an English rower, athlete and sculptor. He exhibited twelve works at the Royal Academy.

Lawes was born at Teignmouth, Devon, the only son of Sir John Lawes of Rothamsted Manor, Hertfordhire. He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. At Cambridge he won the Colquhoun Sculls in 1862 and won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta in 1863. He excelled in the university distance running events and received an athletics Blue in 1864 for the mile at the Inter University sports, which he won again in 1865. He was a rowing Blue in 1865 when he stroked the losing Cambridge crew in the Boat Race but was in the winning crew of the Ladies' Challenge Plate at Henley. He was beaten by Edward Michell in the Diamond Challenge Sculls in 1865, but won the Wingfield Sculls beating Walter Bradford Woodgate. In 1865 he was the Amateur Athletics Club champion for the mile.

Lawes decided to become a sculptor, and began his training in London under John Henry Foley RA. In 1869 he studied under Hugo Hagen in Berlin. He rented a studio in Chelsea, and in 1872, he exhibited his first work at the Royal Academy, Girl at the Stream. In 1878 he won an honourable mention at the Paris Universal Exhibition. He also exhibited his Daphne at the Royal Academy in 1880 and The Panther in 1881. Lawes also carried out work for the scientific side of the Lawes Agricultural Trust, founded by his father, and became its chairman.