“Without one of the London City gates is a certain Smoothfield [Smithfield]. Every Friday there is a brave sight of gallant horses to be sold. Many come out of the city to buy or look on—to wit, earls, barons, knights and citizens. There are to be found here maneged, or War Horses (Dextrarii), of elegant shape, full of fire and giving every proof of a generous and noble temper; likewise Cart Horses, fit for the Dray, or the Plough or the Chariot.”
At this time, therefore, it appears that horses were beginning to replace oxen to some extent, and at all events for farm and draught work; but it would not be safe to conclude that the animals “fit for the Dray or the Plough or the Chariot” were of the Great Horse stamp; probably they more nearly resembled the inferior animals which were used for light cavalry purposes.
THE GREAT HORSE IN THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY.
Passing over the short reign of Richard, we come to the time of King John (1199-1216), a period of special importance in our survey; for we have definite particulars of the importation into England during John’s reign of one hundred stallions of large stature from the low countries—Flanders, Holland and the banks of the Elbe; and it is from the blending of these sires with English mares in the lowland and shire countries that some strains at least of our modern heavy horses must be held to date their origin. Size and improvement were evidently not developed with the steadiness or rapidity desired by those who had the welfare of the country at heart; several Acts of Parliament were passed with this object in view.
We obtain an interesting glimpse of the comparative value of the Great and other horses at the end of the thirteenth century from records preserved in Bain’s Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland. Among the Documents is a “Roll of the horses of banerets, knights, esquires, and vallets of the K.’s household [King Edward I.] valued in the Scottish war, 26th yere” [of the King’s reign, i.e., 1298]. This refers to a lengthy list of the horses which were killed at the battle of Falkirk, and from the items we quote the following:—
“Sir Thomas de Morham a black horse, 24 marks killed in the battle of Falkirk; Sir John Botetorte had a white pied charger value 60 marks killed there; Guy Botetorte his brother had a black hackney value 8 marks killed there.... Sir Henry de Beaumont had a brown bay charger worth 60 marks killed at Falkirk; Sir Eustace de la Hecche had a bay charger with a white hind foot value 100 marks killed.”
Numerous “hackneys” figure in the roll; and whereas the maximum value claimed for a hackney, or hack as we should now call it, is 10 marks, the smallest sum set upon a lost charger or Great Horse is 60 marks.
FROM THE TIME OF EDWARD III. TO EDWARD IV.
Edward III. (1327-1377) added measures dealing with the matter to the Statute Book. This King also, as history records, spent very large sums on horses. We find him indebted to the Count of Hainault to the extent of 25,000 florins for horses; and Mr. Edward Burrows in his Introduction to Lord Ribblesdale’s The Queen’s Buckhounds, says:—
“In the long lists which occur in the Exchequer accounts of the wardrobe of numerous classes of horses belonging to the King—coursers, palfreys, trotters, hobbies, genets, hengests and somers—the ‘dextrarii’ or great horses received most attention. Provision was made for 102 of their housings out of 441 ells of canvas and 360 ells of cloth. The boundary between the great cavalry establishments was formed by the Trent, the division to the north of that river having its separate ‘custos’ under the Master of the Horse. The studs were distributed among the King’s manors, such as Windsor, Guildford, Odiham, Woodstock and Waltham. The due proportion of expense necessary was borne by the sheriffs of the various counties. Special provision was made for a tunic of blue and a cape of white Brussels cloth as the attire of ‘John Brocaz,’ styled in these records ‘Custos equorum regis,’ or ‘Gardein de nos grands chevaux.’”