Charles Rolls
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The beginning of an obsession
Charles Rolls was born on 27 August 1877 in Berkeley Square in London. He was the third son on John Allan Rolls of Hendre, Monmouth who was Conservative MP for Monmouthshire and became first Baron Llangattock in 1892.
Like most of his contemporaries, he was a cycling enthusiast, caught up in the success of champions such as the Linton Brothers, no doubt. He achieved some success in the field while at Cambridge, representing the university at the highest level. However, it was during his time at Trinity College, Cambridge that Rolls became interested in motor cars. In October 1896, Rolls became one of the earliest and surely one of the youngest, English owners of a motor car when he imported in a Peugeot at a cost of £225.
From then on, Rolls’ obsession with motor cars began. As the maximum speed limit was raised gradually from 4 mph in 1896, to reach 20 mph in 1903, Rolls bought a succession of vehicles, becoming involved in the exciting new sport of motor racing. He competed in a number of races, winning the amateur section of the Thousand Mile Reliability Trial between London and Edinburgh in 1900 and went on to take part in races on the continent. Rolls raced between the major cities of France, Austria and Germany and represented Britain in an international race in France in 1905.
The birth of Rolls-Royce
His love of motor cars led Rolls to form what could be described as the first car dealership in Britain in 1902. With financial backing from his father, Rolls set up C.S. Rolls & Co. in Fulham and opened a West End showroom in December 1903. It was this venture that led him into partnership with the car manufacturer Henry Royce, forming a partnership which would become one of the most famous in motoring history.
Demand for the cars was enormous and by 1910, the purpose-built factory at Derby was producing over three-hundred cars a year. Charles Rolls focused on publicity and raced Rolls-Royce cars in races across the world, demonstrating the power and speed of the cars. In May 1906 he broke the Monte Carlo to London record in a Rolls-Royce and in August of that year a Rolls-Royce won the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.
Flying
Modern engineering of all kinds seemed to capture Rolls’ imagination and he became interested in aeronautics in his mid-twenties, making his first balloon ascent in 1901. He was the British representative in the Gordon Bennett international balloon race in 1906 and was one of the first to fly with Wilbur Wright in his newly-invented aeroplane.
Charles Rolls was keen to extend the company business to manufacture Wright aeroplanes but was unanimously opposed by his board in February 1909. In the face of continued opposition to his desire to enter the aviation market, Rolls resigned from the board of Rolls-Royce in April 1910.
In the months following his resignation from the board, Rolls continued to race the aeroplane he had imported from France. In June, he made headlines, completing a non-stop cross-channel return flight in less than two hours. However, the following month, during a flying tournament in Bournemouth Rolls’ aeroplane crashed while he was making a descent and he was killed. He was the first British person to be killed flying an aeroplane. Charles Rolls is buried at Llangattock Feibion Afel Church, near Monmouth.