200 HORSE [HOUSE-RACING. racin was held as a popular amusement is furnished by the fact that public races were established at Chester in 1512. Randle Holme of that city tells us that to wards the latter part of Henry VII I s reign, on Shrove Tuesday, the company of saddlers of Chester presented to " the drapers a wooden ball embellished with flowers, and placed upon the point of a lance. This ceremony was per formed in the presence of the mayor at the cross of the Roody or Roodee, an open place near the city ; but this year (1540) the ball was changed into a silver bell, valued at three shillings and sixpence or more, to be given to him who shall run best and furthest on horseback before them on the same day, Shrove Tuesday; these bells were denomi nated St George s bells." In the reign of Elizabeth there is evidence from the poems of Bishop Hall (1597) that racing was in vogue, though apparently not patronized by the queen, or it would no doubt have formed part of the pastimes at Kenilworth ; indeed, it seems then to have gone much out of fashion. The accession of the Stuarts opened up an era of pro sperity for the sport, for James L, who, according to Youatt, had encouraged if not established horse-racing in Scotland, greatly patronized it in England when he came to the throne. Not only did he run races at Croydon and Entield, but he endeavoured to improve the breed of horses by the purchase for a high figure of Markham s Arabian, which little horse, however, was beaten in every race he ran. In 1607, according to Camden s Britannia, races were run near York, the prize being a little golden bell. Camden also mentions as the prize for running horses in Gatherley Forest a little golden ball, which was apparently anterior to the bell. In 1609 Mr Robert Ambrye, sometime sheriff of the city of Chester, caused three silver bells to be made of good value, which bells he appointed to be run for with horses on St George s day upon the Roodee, the first horse to have the best bell and the money put in by the horses that ran in other words, a sweepstake the bells to be returned that day twelvemonth as challenge cups are now; towards the expenses he had an allowance from the city. In 1613 subscription purses are first mentioned. Nicholls, in his Progress of James /., makes mention of racing in the years 1617 and 1619. Challenge bells appear to have continued to be the prizes at Chester, according to Randle Holme the younger, and Ormerod s History of Chester, until 1623 or 1624, when Mr John Brereton, mayor of Chester, altered the course and caused the horses to run five times round the Roodee, the bell to be of good value, 8 or 10, and to be a free bell to be held for ever, in other words, a presentation and not a challenge prize. During James s reign public race meetings were estab lished at Gatherley or Garterley, near Richmond in York shire, at Croydon in Surrey, and at Enfield Chase, the last two being patronized by the king, who not only had races at Epsom during his residence at Nonsuch, but also built a house at Newmarket for the purpose of enjoying hunting, and no doubt racing too, as we find a note of there having been horse-races at this place as early as 1605. Races are also recorded as having taken place at Linton near Cambridge, but they were probably merely casual meetings. The prizes were for the most part silver or gold bells, whence the phrase " bearing away the bell." The turf indeed appears to have attracted a great deal of notice, and the systematic preparation of running horses was studied, attention being paid to their feeding and training, to the instruction of jockeys, although private matches between gentlemen who rode their own horses were very common, and to the adjustment of weights, which were usually about 10 stone. The sport also seems to have taken firm hold of the people, and to have become very popular. The reign of Charles I., which commenced in 1625, saw still more marked strides made, for the king not only patronized the racing at Newmarket, which we know was current in 1640, but thoroughly established it there, and built a stand house in 1667, since which ^ear the races have been annual. Mention is likewise made in the comedy of the Merry Beggars, played in 1641, of races, both horse and foot, in Hyde Park, which were patronized by Charles I., who gave a silver cup, value 100 guineas, to I be run for instead of bells. Butcher, in his survey of the I town of Stamford (1646), also says that a race was annually run in that town for a silver and gilt cup and cover, of the value of 7 or 8, provided by the care of the aldermen for the time being out of the interest of a stock formerly made by the nobility and gentry of the neighbourhood. In 1648 Clarendon tells us that a meeting of Royalists was held at Banstead Downs, as Epsom Downs were then called, "under the pretence of a horse-race," so that horse- racing at Epsom was not unknown early in the 17th century; Pepys, too, in his Diary of 1663, mentions his having intended to go to Baustead Downs to see a famous ! horse-race. Cromwell is said to have kept running horses
- in the year 1653, but in 1654 he appears to have gone
j so far as to forbid racing for six and eight mouths re- | spectively. After the Restoration in 1660, a new impetus was given to horse-racing, which had languished during the civil wars, and the races at Newmarket, which had j been suspended, were restored and attended by the king ; and as an additional spur to emulation, according to Youatt, royal plates were given at each of the principal ! courses, and royal mares, as they were called, were im- ! ported from abroad. Charles II. rebuilt the house origiu- ! ally erected at Newmarket by James J., which had fallen
- into decay. The Round course was made in 1666, and
I racing at the headquarters of the turf was regulated in i the most systematic way, as to the course, weights, and
other conditions. Charles II. was the first monarch who
! entered and ran horses in his own name; and, besides being a frequent visitor at the races on Newmarket Heath, and on Burford Downs, near Stockbridge, where the Bibury I Club meeting was held, he established races at Datchet. In the reign of James II. nothing specially noteworthy occurred, but William III. continued former crown dona tions and even added to them. Anne was much devoted to horse-racing, and not only gave royal plates to be competed for, but ran horses for them in her own name. In 1703 Doncaster races were established, when 4 guineas a year were voted by the corporation towards a plate, and in 1716 the Town Plate was established by the same authority, to be run on Don- caster Moor. Nearly a century, however, elapsed before the St Leger was instituted. Matches at Newmarket had become common, for we find that Basto, one of the earliest race-horses of whom we have any authentic account, won several matches there in 1708 and 1709. In the latter year, according to Camden, York races were established, the course at, first being on Clifton Ings, but it was subse quently removed to Knavesmire, on which the races are now run. In 1710 the first gold cup said to have been given by the Queen, of 60 guineas value, was run for by six year old horses carrying 12 stone each, the best of three 4-mile heats, and was won by Bay Bolton. In 1711 | it was increased to 100 guineas. In 1712 Queen Anne s ! gelding Pepper ran for the Royal Cup of 100 at York, ! and her Mustard, a nutmeg grey horse, ran for the same j prize in 1713. Again in 1714 her Majesty s bay horse Star won a sweepstake of 10 guineas added to a plate of 40 at the same place, in four heats, carrying 1 1 stone. In 1716 the Ladies Plate at York for five year olds was won
by Aleppo, son of the Darley Arabian. Racing and match
