A Mirror of the Turf; Or, The Machinery of Horse-Racing Revealed, Showing the Sport of Kings as It Is To-Day

by James Glass Bertram

During the reign of this monarch, racing made considerable progress, the reputation of Newmarket as a centre of sport being enhanced for a time by the arrival of some of the horses saved from the wreck of the Spanish Armada. During the reign of Charles I., racing fell off as a consequence of the Civil War, only to be revived with greater éclat in the following reign; from the moment that Charles II. ascended the throne, racing began again to flourish at Newmarket. The "Merry Monarch," being particularly fond of racing, and indeed of all kinds of pastime, passed much of his time at the chief seat of sport, having erected there a palace for himself and a fine stable for his stud. In a work on the horse, written by John Lawrence, it is stated that at one time there was to be seen on Warrenhill, what was termed the King's Chair, from which His Majesty viewed the horses at exercise; it was customary for persons who took an interest in the pursuits of the turf to visit that part of the heath at Newmarket once a year—on a certain day in springtime—to see the coursers gallop up to this seat, on which occasions both lads and horses were clad in new clothes.

The King's partiality for Newmarket is often alluded to in the literature, or rather written records of the period. In Pepys' Diary, more than one entry refers to the "Merry Monarch's" fondness for the pastime of racing; as for instance, May 22nd, 1668: "The King and Duke of York and Court are at this day at Newmarket, at a great horse-race;" again on March 7th, 1669: "I hear that the King and the Duke of York set out for Newmarket by three in the morning, to see some foot and horse-races." Having recourse to the Diary of Pepys once more, we find him saying, in an entry dated March 8th: "To Whitehall, from whence the King, and the Duke of York, the Duke of Monmouth, and the Prince Rupert, at the King's gate in Holborne; and the King all dirty, but not hurt. How it came to pass I know not, but only it was dark, and the torches did not, they say, light the coach as they should do." Again, a few weeks after this mishap, on April 26th, Pepys tells us: "The King and Court went out of town to Newmarket this morning betimes for a week."

These extracts not only illustrate the fact of the sport of horse-racing being in progress at Newmarket at the period indicated, but are also valuable as an illustration of the travelling facilities of the time and the risks endured by Royalty.

A peep at the kind of racing then in vogue has been vouchsafed to us by the Duke of Tuscany. The races of May 9th, 1669, at which the King and the Duke of York were both present, are thus described in his Grace's "Journal of his Travels in England": "The racecourse is a tract of ground in the neighbourhood of Newmarket, which, extending to the distance of four miles over a spacious level meadow, covered with very short grass, is marked out by tall wooden posts painted white. The horses intended for this exercise, in order to render them more swift, are kept always girt, that their bellies may not drop, and thereby interfere with the agility of their movements. When the time of the races draw near, they feed them with the greatest care and very sparingly, giving them for the most part, in order to keep them in full vigour, beverages of soaked bread and fresh eggs."

The dish of sport set before His Majesty was not "up to much" when compared with the Newmarket racing of to-day. Only two horses started with riders in "white" and "green," the latter proving victorious; the race, of course, witnessed by the King and his retinue, all mounted. It appears to have been the fashion of the day for the retinue to accompany the running horses, and to head them, waiting at the winning-post for their arrival and the coming of His Majesty with his numerous train of ladies and gentlemen. A blaze of trumpets and a flourish of alarm drums announced the victory, after which the Royal party adjourned to the house. The Duke of Tuscany, in describing the race, says that "the horses were not let out at first, but were much reserved lest strength should fail them; but the further they advanced in the course, the more their riders urged them, forcing them at length to full speed."

This primitive kind of racing probably continued for fifty or sixty years; it was, however very much thought of by those who saw it, and Newmarket, as the seat of sport, continued to attract much attention. In Evelyn's diary of date July 20th, 1670, there occurs this entry: "We went to see the stables and fine horses, of which many were here kept at a vast expense, with all the art and tenderness imaginable."

That the "Merry Monarch" and his friends enjoyed Newmarket there is abundant evidence to show. "I lodged this night at Newmarket," says Evelyn, 21st October, 1671, "where I found the jolly blades racing, dancing, feasting, and revelling, more resembling a luxurious and abandoned rout than a Christian Court." A few days previous to that entry there is the following: "I went after evening service to London, in order to a journey of refreshment with Mr. Treasurer, to Newmarket, where the King then was, in his coach with six brave horses, which was changed thrice; first at Bishop's Stortford, and last at Chesterford; so by night we got to Newmarket, where Mr. Henry Jermain (nephew to the Earl of St. Albans) lodged me very civilly. We proceeded immediately to Court, the King and all the English gallants being there at their autumnal sports. Supped at the Lord Chamberlain's, and the next day after dinner I was on the heath, where I saw the great match run between Woodcock and Flatfoot, belonging to the King and to Mr. Elliott of the Bed-chamber, many thousands being spectators; a more signal race had not been run for many years."

A remarkable set of rules for the guidance of those taking part in the competition for the original Town Plate was devised in this reign, and, as will be evident from the following extracts, afforded a foundation for many of the rules of racing, which afterwards came in use all over England.

One of the rules is worded as follows: "Every horse that rideth shall be bridled, saddled, and shod, and his rider shall weigh twelve stone, fourteen pounds to the stone, and every rider that wanteth above one pound and a half after he hath rid the heat, shall win no plate or prize." Another rule says: "Whosoever doth stop or stay any of the horses that rideth for this plate or prize, if he be either owner, servant, party, or bettor, and it appears to be willingly done, he shall win no plate, prize, or bets." Moreover, "Every rider that layeth hold on, or striketh any of the riders, shall win no plate or prize." Another rule confers on the judges the following power: "Any of the judges may call any of the riders at the end of any of the heats, and if he be found to have fraudulently cast away any of his weight and want any more than his pound and a half, he shall lose the plate, prize, and stakes." One more extract from these rules will suffice: "Whosoever winneth the plate or prize shall give to the clerk of the course twenty shillings to be distributed to the poor on both sides of Newmarket, and twenty shillings to the clerk of the race, for which he is to keep the horse plain and free from holes and cart roots."

Betting and "turf profligacy" of all kinds were in these times indulged in at Newmarket to an extent far beyond the bounds of morality and prudence, and, although King and Court were, so to put it, in "the swim" of all that occurred, an Act of Parliament required to be passed to restrain gaming and betting on race-horses to an excessive amount "on tick or credit." It was upon the Act which was then passed that the celebrated Qui Tam actions, brought in 1843-44 against certain noblemen and gentlemen to recover penalties for betting, were chiefly or at any rate partly based. It may be as well to state here the scope of the Act, which was entitled, "An Act against deceitful, disorderly, and excessive gaming."