32 



Buckingham, then at Madrid, shipped from 

 St. Sebastian thirty-five horses, a present 

 from the Court of Spain to the Prince of 

 Wales. Whether these were racehorses 

 or not records omit to tell us. 



Under royal encouragement and patronage 

 the Turf soon took its place as a national 

 institution. Races were held at Croydon, 

 Theobalds on Enfield Chase, and Garterly 

 in Yorkshire, among other places, and of 

 each of the meetings named the King was 

 the President. James's most important 

 studs were stabled at Newmarket, Middle 

 Park, Eltham, Malmesbury, Nutbury and 

 Tetbury. During this reign a silver bell 

 and bowl were among the prizes offered at 

 the Chester Races ; the races for these were 

 now run on St. George's Day, and the 

 trophies then came to be known by the 

 name of England's patron saint. Horses 

 were regularly trained and prepared for these 

 " bell courses ; " the usual weight carried 

 was 10 stone, and riders went to scale 

 before starting. 



In Scotland it would appear that betting 

 on races was carried on to an extent that 

 called for legislative interference ; for in 

 1621 the Parliament at Edinburgh passed 

 an Act which required any man who might 



