Robert Ormston Backhouse (March 10, 1854 – April 10, 1940) was a British

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....

 archer

Archery

Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...

 who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics

1908 Summer Olympics

The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

He was born in Darlington

Darlington

Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...

, County Durham

County Durham

County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

 and died in Sutton St. Nicholas, Herefordshire

Herefordshire

Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...

.

Backhouse entered the double York round event

Archery at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's double York round

The men's double York round was one of three archery events on the archery at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. Arrows were shot in ends, or groups, of three. The archers shot a total of 288 arrows each over the two rounds of 144. The competition was held on Friday, 17 July and Saturday, 18...

 in 1908, taking 13th place with 516 points. He also shot a round in the manner of the Continental style event

Archery at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's Continental style

The men's Continental style was one of three archery events on the Archery at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. Arrows were shot singly. Each archer shot 40 arrows, with the target 50 metres distant. The event was held on 20 July....

, but as a demonstration rather than in the actual competition. He scored 260 points, which would have given him a silver medal

Silver medal

A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....

if his competition had been official. Backhouse received a Diploma of Merit for his effort in the Continental style.