Grave No.2 - Thomas Selby Egan – 
Cambridge University Boat race Coxswain

This grave is not one linked to any of the notable local figures, the number of
whom increased as the local town grew, but rather to a successful sportsman who
felt that he would see out his retirement on the coast in the sea air of Margate.
The inscription on the base of the cross on this grave states that Thomas Selby
Egan was born on Christmas Day 1814 and died on 11 May 1893. Below this it
states that he was the Cambridge University Boat Race Coxswain for the years
1836, 1839 and 1840 and also that he was an Umpire at the Henley Regatta for
12 years. Local researchers have found that the first university boat race took
place in 1829 and was won by Oxford but the next race did not take place until
1836 when the boats competed over a course between Westminster and Putney
Bridges. This was won by Cambridge, so Mr Egan was the first coxswain to
secure victory for Cambridge. Further research has found that he was the son
of John Egan and had been born in London. He was admitted to Caius College
Cambridge University on the 29 June 1833 and matriculated at Michelmas the
same year. He was made a Bachelor of Arts in 1838 and a master of Arts in
1842. He was also incorporated at Oxford in June 1852 and was involved in

training their boat race crew who very fortuitously managed to win the 
event that year. He was known as ‘The Aquatic Coach’ during his University
days and his services were much in demand by both Cambridge and Oxford
crews. Following the success of Oxford in 1852, Egan is recorded as having
been elected President of the Cambridge University Boat Club in 1853-54,
training their crew for the Boat Race in 1853 and again in 1858. However, he
surpassed himself in 1856 when he somehow managed to suppress any
partisan instincts which he may have harboured by training both crews!
Besides his boat race expertise it is evident from research that he was fluent 
in German and Spanish, translating books. He was so well regarded that 
the Cambridge crews presented a lifeboat to the RNLI in his honour. The
‘TOM EGAN’, a 32 foot self righter, had been put on station at Tranmore,
Southern Ireland in 1865. Serving at that station until 1880 she launched on
service 11 times and was instrumental in saving 65 lives. By 1891 Mr Egan
appears on the local census residing at the lodging house of Harriette 
M Powel, a widow, at 42, Marine Terrace, Margate where he was listed as
single and a lodger.