A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



FLAT RACING 



NORTHAMPTON RACES 



The Northampton races were inaugurated 

 in 1632, by deed of agreement with the cor- 

 poration of Northampton, and were held 

 annually at Easter on Harlestone Heath. At 

 these races the corporation covenanted to give 

 a silver-gilt covered cup of the value of 

 £16 1 35. ^d. In the chamberlain's accounts 

 between 1676 and 1760, this annual payment 

 is generally entered as for ' The Plate for the 

 horse race,' or ' For the Harlestone race cup.' 



Mr. Isham says in hs diary that on 

 1 1 April, 1672 : 



I went to Harlestone races, and there were 

 many horses to run for the silver cup, amongst 

 whom the horses of Lord Cullen, Lord Sherard, 

 Sir W. Hazlewood, and Mr. Digby ; but 

 Lord Sherard took the prize. Lord Cullen 

 fell from his horse and was much hurt. 

 Another gentleman rode a match with 

 another man for five shilling, and when near 

 the finish of the course his horse (how I do 

 not know) stumbled and fell with his rider, 

 \vhose body was bruised all over, and who fell 

 lifeless. 



On 14 September the same year : 



There are to be new horse races at Harle- 

 stone the Thursday after Michaelmas day. 



In 1733 the earl of Sunderland and Sir 

 Arthur Heselrig took proceedings in chancery 

 against the mayor and corporation of North- 

 ampton to prevent the continuance of these 

 races. By an order of a master in chancery, 

 made in December, 1733, the races were to 

 be discontinued and the earl of Sunderland 

 was to receive ;^200 as compensation, with 

 interest thereon from Easter 1726. The 

 corporation thereupon 



paid to the Duke of Marlborough on the 

 horse race account pursuant to a decree in 

 chancery as appears by Rect. £2']') 8;. <)d. 



The Northampton races, which were run 

 on the common fields, also received support 

 from the corporation. 



Thus in March, 1658, the assembly 

 ordered : 



After a temporary suspension in the eigh- 

 teenth century, these races were revived, and 

 transferred to the Freeman's Common in the 

 borough of Northampton. The institution of 

 the Althorp Park Stakes perpetuates the 

 memory of the cup formerly given, while the 

 gift itself was renewed on a yet more liberal 

 scale by Lord Spencer in the Spencer Plate. 



In August, 1822, the assembly resolved to 

 subscribe annually £2'^ to form a purse called 

 the Corporation Purse, provided that not less 

 than four subscriptions of £^ each be added 

 thereto ' to be run for by not less than three 

 reputed running horses on the last day of the 

 Autumn races.' Until 1904 spring and 

 autumn meetings were held on the racecourse 

 at Northampton and were largely attended. 

 The last was held on 30 and 31 March of 

 the year named. 



The Rothwell races were very celebrated 

 in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries ; 

 thus we learn that on the 19 April, 1637 : 



There was a horse race at Rothwell be- 

 tween Lord Cullen and Mr. Washbourne for 

 £^0, which Lord Cullen won. 



The following September : 



The celebrated Rothwell races were held, 

 at which there were only three horses to start: 

 Lord Sherard's, ridden by Lord Westmor- 

 land ; Sir Noel's, which he bought of Lord 

 Exeter, ridden by Captain Lisle ; and the 

 horse of Digby, deceased, ridden by George 

 Blunt. The first heat Lord Sherard won. 

 On this race there was much betting. Lord 

 Sherard won the silver flagon. 



Races were held at Rothwell on 30 and 

 31 August, 1727, but the only particulars we 

 have of them are that two prizes were given, 

 the first of twenty and the second of ten guineas. 

 This meeting has been long abandoned. 



Races also seem to have been frequently held 

 at Irthlingborough in the seventeenth and 

 eighteenth centuries. On 29 August, 1672, 

 Mr. Washbourn won the silver cup there. 

 Thirty-eight years later, on 31 August, Mr. 

 Justinian Isham says : 



That if there can be noe abatement pro- 

 cured the Chamberlaines doe provide two 

 plates according to the desire of the countrey 

 Gent, for this yeare, vizt. the one of the value 

 of Thirt)-e pounds, the other of the value of 

 Fourtene pounds, which is to be delivered in 

 full of all former arrears. 



382 



I went with my father and brother to 

 Wellingborow, where having dined at the 

 Ordinary, with a good deal of company, we 

 went toArdeborow(Irthlingborough)meadow; 

 where there ran for the Plate a stone horse 

 of Rane, the French horse Courser, a mare 

 of Mr. Olibar's, and a strawberry mare of 

 Mr. Washbourn ; the first won, and the last 



