The first Captain of Boats recorded in Tacchella's Register was appointed in 1862. The first reference to the Derby Grammar School Boat Club appears in an advertisement in the "Derby Mercury" of 3 June 1863, which mentions the Rev. T.H.L. Leary, Headmaster at the time, providing trophies for competition amongst boys at the school at the forthcoming regatta. The original Derby School boathouse was situated just upstream of the Derwent Rowing Club's own Club House on the west side of the river Derwent. The school is recorded as having won the Public Schools Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 1884, beating Hertford School and Magdalene College School, Oxford 'Easily'. The school boat club was closed shortly after the death in 1889 of the headmaster, the Rev. Walter Clark. For 41 years no rowing activities took place at the school. It is recorded there was conflict within the school that rowing was attracting more members than the cricket club was prepared to allow and therefore responsible for bringing pressure to bear which resulted in the demise of rowing.