A PIISTORY OF MIDDLESEX 



ally a ' reasonable allowance ' above ' the 

 annual allowance of ^184 lOs. for each 

 stallion, mare, and colt, and servant ; ' while 

 a warrant of 2 July 1730 authorizes the 

 passing of the accounts of Richard, Earl of 

 Stafford, manager of the stud, the extraordin- 

 ary expenses of which appear to have amounted 

 to jio,ooo. 17 



The real founder of the royal stud, how- 

 ever, was George IV, who built the paddocks, 

 and, while Prince of Wales, had already 

 established a stud there for breeding riding- 

 horses of pure blood. This was, however, 

 sold on his accession to the throne, when the 

 stables temporarily passed into the hands of 

 the Duke of York, who kept a stud of his own 

 there for breeding race-horses. On the sale 

 of the stock of the latter at TattersalPs on his 

 death in 1827, George IV retained possession 

 of the paddocks for breeding his own race- 

 horses. He devoted considerable sums to rais- 

 ing the royal stud to the highest state of effici- 

 ency and improving the stabling and paddocks. 

 These, at the time of their abandonment, 

 were forty-three in number, varying in size 

 from three to five acres each, 18 seventeen 

 being in the Home and twenty-six in Bushey 

 Park. The king had as many as thirty-three 

 brood mares, while particular regard was 

 always paid, according to Nimrod, in the 

 Hampton Court stud to what is termed 'stout 

 blood ' ; and there were in his stables towards 

 the end of his reign Waterloo out of a 

 Trumpeter mare ; Tranby out of an Orville ; 

 Ranter out of a Benninborough ; and The 

 Colonel out ofaDelpini mare. 19 The Colonel 

 won the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster in 

 1827. Two other good horses that the king 

 owned were Fleur de Lis and Ziganee. Fleur 

 de Lis won the Doncaster Cup in 1826, and 

 the Goodwood Cup in two successive years 

 in 1829, carrying 9 St. 3 lb., and in 1830 

 when he had 61b. more. 



William IV, who, though anxious to main- 

 tain and improve the stud, was absolutely igno- 

 rant of the subject, left its management entirely 

 in the hands of Colonel Wemyss and his stud 

 groom. It was supplemented during his reign 

 by four Arabian stallions two of which were 

 presented to him by the king of Oude and two 

 by the Imaum of Muscat and by the follow- 

 ing English stallions : Actaeon by Scud out 

 of Diana by Stamford, Cain by Paulowitz, 

 and Rubric by St. Patrick out of Slight 



17 Cal. of T re as. Books and Papers, \, 323. See 

 too another warrant as to the order of accounts 

 (no. 502). 



18 Law, Hist, of Hampton Ct. 334-5. 

 "Nimrod, The Turf (cA. 1901), 17. 



by Selim, the two latter being hired for the 

 use of the stud. On King William's death 

 in 1837 the entire stud, consisting of 43 

 brood mares, 5 stallions, and 31 foals, was sold 

 under the hammer for 15,692 guineas a 

 proceeding much resented in sporting circles 

 on account of the opportunity it afforded to 

 foreigners of making valuable purchases of 

 thoroughbred stock. The objectors, were, 

 however, somewhat appeased by the giving of 

 additional King's Plates. After an interval, 

 during which Mr. Charles Greville and 

 General, then Colonel, Peel who enjoyed 

 the privilege until he sold off all his stock ex- 

 cept the stallion Orlando, winner of the Derby 

 of 1 844, were permitted to occupy the paddocks 

 with their breeding stocks, her late Majesty, 

 Queen Victoria, consented on the advice of 

 the Prince Consort to the formation of the 

 nucleus of the present royal stud in 1851. 

 Mr. Greville was allowed to remain in part 

 possession of the paddocks, while the queen's 

 managers were Major Groves and Mr. Lewis, 

 assisted by Mr. W. Goodman as veterinary 

 surgeon. 20 In the days of George IV and 

 William IV the yearlings in the royal stud 

 were sold at Tattersall's on the Monday in 

 Epsom week and generally realized an aver- 

 age of from 150 to j2OO. 21 During the 

 reign of her late Majesty, Queen Victoria, 

 these prices steadily rose. The sales of the 

 queen's yearlings were held in the week after 

 Ascot week in one of the paddocks in Bushey 

 Park, and always attracted large numbers 

 of gentlemen interested in horse-breeding 

 and most of the celebrities of the racing world. 

 The prices obtained indicate that the royal 

 stud at Hampton Court has produced some of 

 the most valuable race-horses in the world. 

 In the sale of 1889 28 yearlings realized 

 11,745 guineas, an average of 430 guineas 

 apiece, Sainfoin (by Springfield out of Landon), 

 winner of the Derby of 1890, being sold for 

 550 guineas to Mr. John Porter, the Kingsclere 

 trainer, while a bay colt by Hampton fetched 

 3,000 guineas. At the sale on 20 June 1890, 

 12 fillies and 8 colts were sold for a little over 

 14,000 guineas, an average of 700 guineas 

 each, while the Duke of Westminster gave 

 1,350 guineas for a bay filly by Hampshire 

 out of Gallantry ; Lord Randolph Churchill 

 gave 1,750 guineas for a bay colt by Spring- 

 field out of Lady Binks ; and a sister of 

 Memoir (winner of the Oaks and a Hamp- 

 ton Court yearling) was sold to Lord Marcus 



* Law, Hist, of Hampton Ct. iii, 335-6. 



" Nimrod, The Turf, 1 6, 17. The author refers 

 to a list of prices given in the June number of the 

 New Sporting Magazine for 1 886 



264 



