Roodeye.
It contains about eighty-four statute acres of land, and is let by the Corporation as a pasture for cattle. It was once the arena for ancient sports, and the city games and gymnastics were celebrated here, respecting which there are many curious records extant. Of these, however, the horse races alone remain, which continue to be held in the first week of May, this Spring meeting being considered one of the most important and interesting illustrations of the national sports of the turf. The course is little more than a mile, and affords the spectators the singular advantage of seeing the horses during the whole race. The Earl of Chester’s Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry assembles annually on the Roodeye for exercise.
The antiquity of the Chester races appears from the following extract from the collection of the late Mr. Nicholls of Chorlton, to whose researches the authors of the ‘History of Cheshire’ are much indebted. The MS. from which this is extracted is entitled,
“Certayne collections of anciante times, concerning the anciante and famous cittie of Chester, collected by that Reverend Man of God, Mr. Robert Rogers, bachelor of divinitie, archdeacon of Chester, parsone of Gooseworth, and prebande in the Cathedral of Chester, being put in scattered notes, and by his son reduced into these chapters following:—
“OF ST. GEORGE’S RACE, OF LATE TIME INVENTED, AND WHEN ALTERED.
“In A.D. 1609, Mr. William Lester, mercer, beinge mayor of Chester, one Mr. Robert Amerye, ironmonger, sometime sheriffe of Chester (A.D. 1608), he, with the assent of the mayor and cittie, at his own coste chiefly, as I conceive chiefly, caused three silver cupps, of goode value, to be made, the which saide silver cupps were, upon St. George’s daye, for ever to be thus disposed: all gentlemen that would bringe their horses to the Rood-dee that daye, and there run, that horse which with speede did over-rune the reste, shoulde have the beste cuppe there presently delivered, and that horse which came seconde, next the firste, before the reste, had the seconde cuppe there also delivered; and for the thirde cuppe, it was to be run for at the ringe, by any gentleman that woulde rune for the same, upon the said Rood-dee, and upon St. George’s daye; being thus decreed, that every horse putt in soe much monie as made the value of the cupps or bells, and had the money, which horses did winne the same, and the use of the cupps, till that day twelve month, beinge in bonde to deliver in the cupps that daye; soe also for the cuppe for the ringe, which was yearly continued accordingly, until the yeare of our Lord 1623; John Brereton, inn-holder, beinge mayor of Chester, he altered the same after this manner, and caused the three cupps to be sould, and caused more money to be gathered and added, soe that the intereste thereof would make one faire silver cuppe, of the value of £8 as I suppose, it maye be more worth, and the race to be altered, viz., from beyonde the New Tower a great distance, and soe to rune five times from that place rownd about the Rood-dee, and he that overcame all the reste the last course, to have the cuppe freely for ever, then and there delivered, which is continued to this daye. But here I must not omit the charge, and the solemnitie made the first of St. George’s daye; he had a poet, one Mr. Davies, who made speeches and poeticale verses, which were delivered at the high crosse, before the mayor and aldermen, with shews of his invention, which booke was imprinted and presented to that famous Prince Henry, eldest sonne to the blessed King James, of famous memorie. Alsoe he caused a man to go upon the spire of St. Peter’s steeple in Chester, and by the fane, at the same tyme he sounded the drum, and displayed a banner upon the top of the same spire. And this was the original of St. George’s race with the change thereof, as it is now used.”
