ORIGIN OF THE THOROUGHBRED HORSE 71 



The next era in breeding is the introduction of the Byerley Turk and 

 Lister's, or the Stradling Turk. The former was used in the Irish wars 

 between James II. and WilHam and Mary, as Captain Byerley's charger, 

 about the year 1689; and being afterwards put to the stud, was the sire 

 of the Duke of Kingston's Sprite, Lord Bristol's Grasshopper, Sir Roger 

 Moyston's Jigg (sire of Partner, and Basto), from whom, through his 

 daughter (the sister to Soreheels), were descended Crab, the Bald Galloway, 

 and the celebrated Matchem. The Lister Turk was brought over from the 

 siege of Buda during the reign of James the Second, by the Duke of 

 Berwick. He was sire of Snake, and therefore great-grandsire of Squirt, 

 from whom was descended the celebrated Eclipse. 



The Darley Arabian marks another step, and must have been imported 

 somewhere between the years 1700 and 1715, his son Childers being foaled 

 in the latter. He belonged to Mr. Darley, of Buttercramb, near York, 

 who obtained him through his brother, a merchant of Aleppo. He is said 

 to have been a native of Palmyra, but this is only traditional, and there is 

 really nothing certain known of his blood. He was the sire of the Devon- 

 shire Childers, and his brother, Bartlett's Childers ; the former not being 

 now represented by any horse through the male line, but being the maternal 

 great-grandfather to Herod, while the latter is well known to all horse- 

 breeders as the great-grandsire of Eclipse. He also was the sire of 

 Almanzor, a good race-horse, Cupid, Brisk, and Dsedalus, all fast, and 

 of a host of inferior runners, though he had few mares put to him. The 

 Devonshire Childers is supposed to have been the fastest horse of his day, 

 and it is recorded that he ran the round course at Newmarket (three miles 

 six furlongs and ninety-three yards) in six minutes forty seconds. Bartlett's 

 Childers was not trained. In addition to the Darley Arabian, there were 

 also imported, between the years 1700 and 1724, when the Godolphin Barb 

 appeared, Curwen's Bay Barb, the Thoulouse Barb, the Belgrade Turk, the 

 Lonsdale Bay Arab, Comp ton's Barb, afterwards named the Sedley Grey 

 Arab, the Cullen Arabian, the Leedes Arabian, and St. Victor's Barb. The 

 Curwen Bay Barb was grandsire on the maternal side of Partner, and with 

 the Thoulouse Barb was presented to Louis XIV. by the King of Morocco. 

 They were purchased from the natural son of Louis by Mr, Curwen, of 

 Workington, Cumberland, and brought over to England. The Belgrade 

 Turk was taken at the siege of Belgrade. Nothing is known of the ante- 

 cedents of the Lonsdale Bay Arab, but he was sire of a great many good 

 horses ; yet he is not now represented by any descended through the male 

 line. Of the others we have no record beyond their names in the various 

 pedigrees. 



The Godolphin Arabian is very commonly supposed to have been the 

 last Eastern horse of any note used in the stud, with the exception of the 

 Wellesley Grey Arab, in the early part of the present century. This, how- 

 ever, is not true; for whereas he was foaled about the year 1724, there are 

 the following names to be seen in the best pedigrees, all of later date ; viz. 

 the Damascus Arab, 1754; the Newcombe Bay Arab, 1756; the Coombe 

 Arab, 1760; and Bell's Grey Arab, 1765. The Godolphin Arabian, or 

 Barb as he is very commonly supposed to have been, was about 15 

 hands high, and of a rich brown bay colour. The tradition is that he was 

 sent to Erance from Barbary, as a present to Louis XIV. by the Emperor 



