An Old Lincolnshire Family 



did not run again until the Thursday following, when on the 

 8th of May the Gold Cup, value ^50 (the gift of the Rt. Hon. 

 Earl Grosvenor), was decided. In it four-year olds carried 



7 stone 5 lbs. ; five-year olds 8 stone 2 lbs. ; six-year olds 



8 stone 1 1 lbs. ; and aged horses 9 stone 6 lbs. 



For this race, also, Mr. Richardson's Conqueror ran against 

 two others, both six-year olds and in receipt of 4 lbs., and to 

 win it this good old horse had to travel some 1 2 miles racing 

 speed. He won the first heat from Oberon, came in second 

 to Oberon for the next bout, and won the third trial, again from 

 Oberon, with Sharper third to them in each heat. Thus did 

 the son of Espersykes win the much-coveted Chester Gold 

 Cup and the forerunner of the present Chester Cup, for 

 Limber. 



It strikes me, in the light of the preceding reports, that 

 the Silver Cup supposed to have been won in the race for the 

 " City Plate " on the Monday must have been a childhood's 

 myth, and that our great-great-uncle landed at home as fast 

 as the slow travelling in those days would permit, with the 

 Gold Cup in one hand and ^50 good sovereigns in the 

 other, to be presented in triumph to Dame Richardson, 

 who later on, as I have previously stated, had them con- 

 verted, through the medium of the melting pot, into the his- 

 torical Urn. 



With respect to the other amusements which the patrons of 

 the turf in those days must have enjoyed, I note from an old 

 MS. kindly copied for me by Mr. Warmsley the following 

 significant account : — 



Cocking. 



Cheshire versus Lancashire. 



Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. 



9 



