374 



RACING, WAGERS AND GAMING. 



Reign of 

 Edward the 

 Sixth. 



Reign of 

 Philip and 

 Mary. 



Reign of 

 Queen Eliza- 

 beth. 



In tlie Eeign of Edward the Sixth, it was found that a 

 great many Horses had been exported to foreign countries, 

 and particularly to Scotland, which was supposed to have 

 been " the occasion of strength to the King's enemies," 

 and to have caused the decay of the breed of good Horses ; 

 and consequently the Legislature in a.d. 1547 passed "An 

 Act for not conveying Horses out of the Realm;" by 

 which every person endeavouring to convey a Horse into 

 Scotland, not only forfeited the animal, but became liable 

 to a penalty of forty pounds {j). But every person was 

 permitted to take abroad with him Horses or Greldings, on 

 making oath that he took them for his own use on the 

 journey, and not with intent to sell them (k) ; and any 

 Mare whose value did not exceed ten shillings might be 

 exported (/). 



It appears that so far the Statutes on the subject of 

 Gaming had been directed against it, because it was sup- 

 posed to '\\ithdi'aw men from the practice of Archery, which 

 seems to have been neglected, where these other sports had 

 obtained popularity. But in the Reign of Philip and 

 Mary, Gaming had become very inconvenient on other 

 grounds ; for it appeared, that "by reason of divers sundry 

 licenses theretofore granted to divers persons, as well within 

 the City of London and the Suburbs, as elsewhere," for 

 " keeping of houses, gardens and places for Bowling, 

 Tennis, Dicing, White and Black, Making and Marring, 

 and other unlawful Grames, many unlawful assemblies, 

 conventicles, seditions, and conspiracies," had been daily 

 and secretly practised, and robberies and other misde- 

 meanours had been committed by idle and misruled people 

 resorting there. To remedy these evils an Act was passed 

 in A.D. 1555, "to avoid divers Licenses for houses where 

 unlawful Grames be used," and all Placards, Licenses or 

 Grrants were made void (;;?) . In the same year of the 

 Reign an Act was passed, " Against the buying of Stolen 

 Horses," and certain regulations were prescribed for the 

 sale of Horses at Markets and Fairs («) . 



Notwithstanding the regulations made in the Reign of 

 Edward the Sixth, it appears that a large number of Horses 

 were exported by persons who unscrupulously took the 



{j) 1 Edw. 6, c. 5, s. 1, now re- {in) 2 & 3 Ph. & M. c. 9, repealed 



pealed by 3 Geo. 4, c. 41. by 26 & 27 Vict. c. 125. 



{k) Ibid. s. 6. («) 2 & 3 Ph. & M. c. 7, Appen- 



(/) Ibid. 8. 9, di.x; ; and see Stolen Horses, ante, 



Part 1, Chap. 3. 



