Charles Rolls

Lore & Background

Charles Stewart Rolls was a British motoring and aviation pioneer who co-founded the Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm with Henry Royce. Born in London, he was the third son of a baron and retained a strong connection to his family’s ancestral home in Wales. After schooling at Eton, where his interest in engines earned him a nickname, he studied mechanical and applied science at Cambridge. An early motoring enthusiast, he bought his first car in Paris at age 18 and became a founder member of the Automobile Club of Great Britain. His talents lay in salesmanship and pioneering rather than engineering; with financial help from his father, he started one of Britain’s first car dealerships in 1903, importing French and Belgian vehicles. Through a mutual friend, he met Henry Royce in 1904 and was impressed by Royce’s two-cylinder car, leading to an agreement to sell all cars Royce could produce, badged as Rolls-Royces. The first such car was unveiled at the Paris Salon that year. In 1906 they formalised the partnership, with Rolls providing financial backing and business acumen. He promoted the cars’ quietness and smoothness, travelling to the US for this purpose. However, by 1909 his interest waned and he resigned as Technical managing director, becoming a non-executive director. Rolls was also a pioneer aviator, initially a balloonist making over 170 ascents and winning a gold medal for the longest single flight. He was the second Briton to fly in an aeroplane, piloted by Wilbur Wright in 1908. He bought a Wright Flyer and made over 200 flights. In 1910 he became the first man to make a non-stop double crossing of the English Channel by plane. He was killed later that year at age 32 when the tail of his Wright Flyer broke off during a flying display, becoming the first Briton to die in a powered aircraft accident.

Reader's Guide

Charles Rolls was a central figure in the early development of both motoring and aviation in Britain. As a co-founder of Rolls-Royce, he provided the financial backing and business acumen that complemented Henry Royce’s engineering skill, formalising their partnership in 1906 after initially agreeing to sell all cars Royce could produce. Rolls was instrumental in publicising the quietness and smoothness of their vehicles, even travelling to the United States in 1906 to promote the brand. Before this, he had established one of Britain’s first car dealerships in Fulham, importing French and Belgian vehicles. His passion for engines extended to aviation: he was a pioneer balloonist, making over 170 ascents and winning the Gordon Bennett Gold Medal for the longest single flight. He became the second Briton to fly in an aeroplane, piloted by Wilbur Wright, and later bought a Wright Flyer, making over 200 flights. In June 1910, he became the first person to make a non-stop double crossing of the English Channel by plane, a feat that earned him the Gold Medal of the Royal Aero Club. His death at age 32, when the tail of his Wright Flyer broke off during a flying display, made him the first Briton killed in a powered aircraft accident. His legacy is preserved through the Rolls-Royce brand and memorials in Monmouth, Dover, and Bournemouth.

Did You Know?

• Rolls was the third son of the 1st Baron Llangattock.
• He earned the nickname 'dirty Rolls' at Eton due to his interest in engines.
• He was killed when the tail of his Wright Flyer broke off during a flying display in Bournemouth.