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FREDERICK SWINDELL is one of those shadowy figures who emerge from time to time of whom little is now known except perhaps by experts in a particular field. So to find out more about him, You and Yesterday need contributions from those with a knowledge of the history of horseracing, and betting in particular. This is what is known so far.

According to the book Great Sporting Eccentrics (1985) by David Randall, Fred Swindell was a former Derby labourer and a resident of the town, who in the mid-nineteenth century became one of the most celebrated bookmakers in England.

Although his name perhaps sounded 'dodgy' for a bookie, Swindell earned a reputation for scrupulous honesty and was credited with bringing respectability to the profession of bookmaking at a time when its previous history was riddled with scandal and its reputation extremely low. As such, Fred Swindell of Derby has been dubbed by some 'The Father of Modern Bookmaking'.

A curious part of his integrity was that, unlike most bookies, he would never countenance bets on anything other than horseracing. He particularly disapproved of gambling on athletics, once advising Sir John Astley M.P., who was a noted sporting gambler, 'Never back anything as can talk'!

At any rate, so many punters trusted Swindell that he took more bets than any other bookie of the era, and he was able to retire a wealthy man.

Other than that, little more is known of him. It is believed he was operative in the 1860s, but his birth dates and death dates are unknown.

Evidently he was a celebrity in the world of mid-Victorian sports - and he was a Derby man. So perhaps someone can fill in the gaps so that Derby may reclaim one of its long-forgotten famous residents. If you have any information, enter it here by clicking on 'edit' or 'discussion'.

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County:  Derbyshire

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