The Sunderland man who swapped Millfield for Madrid, and became a famous bullfighter

His name was Santiago Robson and he was the first ever Anglo Spanish bullfighter.

But his career ended suddenly and Philip Curtis, from Sunderland Antiquarian Society, tells us why.

I came across a book tucked away at the back of one of the shelves. It was titled The National Spanish Fiesta or The Art of Bullfighting.

Two years at the top before he stopped

It was by Santiago Wealands Tapia Robson and was published in Madrid.

I was astonished to discover that Santiago was born in Millfield in 1896 of an English mother and a Spanish father.

This Wearsider actually fought in the bullrings of Seville, Huelva, Valencia and Madrid before, when nearing the peak of his profession, he suddenly stopped.

The reason was because his mother could not cope with the constant worry of him being in a sport where he was in constant danger.

From Millfield to Madrid

He had also been injured during one of his fights.

Santiago was born the son of Margaret Robson and Santiago Tapio Vacquero.

He had a younger sister called Maria Loreta Tapia Robson who was born in 1898 in Sunderland.

Santiago’s middle name came from his mother being the granddaughter of William Wealands Robson Junior who was a well known Wearside solicitor in the 19th century.

The family left Millfield for Spain in the early 1900s and settled in Madrid.

A passion he shared with his dad

His dad had a love for watching bullfighting and this passion was passed on to the son.

Santiago loved it so much that he joined the local bullfighters training school and studied under a retired matador called Francisco Sanchez.

He began bullfighting himself and became a matador in 1912 when he was 16 years old.

He fought in all the major bullrings in Spain for two years before retiring.

He bore the marks of a bull’s horn

However, he bore the marks of his trade as a bull’s horn had gone deep into his thigh.

He later published the book in 1952 and it did well enough to reach a third edition.

Santiago died in 1973 in Sevilla La Nueva.

Our thanks go to Philip and Sunderland Antiquarian Society for providing the story which is one of many great reads in the latest edition of the society’s newsletter.

More to find out at the Heritage Centre

You can find out more about the Antiquarian Society by getting along to its Heritage Centre which is open in Douro Terrace on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9.30am to 12pm.

You can also visit the Antiquarian Society’s Facebook page or its website which is at http://www.sunderland-antiquarians.org

And to become a member, email [email protected]