so 



CHAPTER III. 



HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH BLOOD-HORSE.* 



Mr. Weatherby's Stud Book — Oriental Ancestors of the British Kace-horse — 'Early Kaccs at NewmarKet, 1720 — A List of 

 a Hundred well-bred Horses and Mares between 1711 and 1720 — Berenger's History of Horsemanship, 1771 — John 

 Lawrence's Reminiscences, 1800— Contemporary Account of Godolphin Arabian — Darley Arabian — Flying Childers — Eclipse, 

 Description of, from Lawrence's Personal Recollections — Pedigree of Eclipse — Pictures of him as a Race-horse and as a Stallion 

 — His Value as a Sire — Improvement of Ordinary Horses between 1700 and 1800 — Effect of Hunting field on Breeding — 

 Act for Discouraging Pony Races, 1740 — The Strong Race-horse Sampson; his Dimensions — His Grandson Mambrino — 

 Portraits of Race-horses in Mr. TattersiU's Album — Admiral Rous a Sceptic as to Merits of Flying Childers and Eclipse, 

 — His Evidence before Lords' Committee — The Earl of Stradbroke differs from his Brother — General Peel's Opinions — 

 Gambling the Foundation of the English Blood-horse. 



In 1791 Mr. Weatherby — founder of the firm of that name which is the banker or stakeholder 

 to owners of horses engaged in every race advertised throughout the three kingdoms, with the 

 exception of a few insignificant meetings, and one of whose descendants is still secretary of the 

 Jockey Club — published the first edition of his " Stud Book," which has since become the official 

 register of the pedigrees of all the thoroughbred horses bred in this kingdom. In the preface to 

 the fourth edition he gave, as the result of very laborious investigations, in which he had access 

 to the best sources of information, the following list of the Barbs, Arabian.s, and Turks, which had 

 more or less contributed to create the British race-horse : — 



He commences by stating that King James I. bought, December 20, 1616, an Arabian 

 of Mr. Markham, a merchant, for five hundred guineas, probably the first seen of his breed 

 in England. And this statement has been repeated by successive writers on the same subject 

 ever since. But after the issue of the first edition of the " Book OF THE HORSE," a correspondent 

 of the Times, under signature of H., wrote on the 1st of September, 1875 : — 



" In the records of the Exchequer, an office copy of which is now before me, it appears 

 that King James never spent more than ;^900 on horses in one year, and that as to the Markham 

 Arab there is the following particular entry : — 



"'Item — December 20, 1616, paid to Master Markham for the Arabian horse, for His 

 Majesty's own use, ;^I54. 



" ' Item — The same day paid to a man that brought the same Arabian horse and kept him. 



The Duke of Newcastle says, in his treatise on " Horsemanship," that he had seen the above 

 Arabian, and describes him as a small bay horse, and not of very excellent shape. 



That Markham was the first seen of his breed is in the highest degree improbable, con- 

 sidering how many Oriental horses were brought to Europe by the Crusaders. 



" The Helmsley Turk was the property of the Duke of Buckingham, and got Bustler, &c. 



" Place's White Turk was the property of Mr. Place, stud-master to Oliver Cromwell, when 



• The Honourable Francis Lawlcy, whose knowledge of everything connected with racing and racehorses is well known, has 

 kindly revised these chapters, and corrected statements and figures as to dates and pedigrees not easily to be found in any printed 

 documents. 



