4 THE JOCKEY CLUB 1750- 



(1636), having observed that 'divers lords and others 

 are accustomed to give their meeting within the King's 

 hunt-grounds of Newmarket, in those places which 

 the King reserves for his own sport,' gave instructions 

 to Sir John Carleton (who was probably the ranger, 

 or whatever may have been his official designation) to 

 ' warn off ' the noble and gentle intruders. We have 

 changed all that, and it is now for the descendants 

 of those ' divers lords ' to ' warn off ' whosoever may 

 have given offence, and they are aided and abetted by 

 a descendant of the very Sovereign who had * warned 

 off ' their forefathers. Nay, it is just a hundred years 

 since the heir to that Sovereign's throne, though he 

 plumed himself even more upon being ' the first gen- 

 tleman of Europe,' was himself virtually 'warned off' 

 — for a reason, however, which was rather to his credit 

 than not — by the Club which he had delighted to 

 honour by becoming a member of it. 



Into the origin, constitution, personality, develop- 

 ment, and gubernatorial competency of that Club it is 

 proposed to make some inquiry in the following pages. 



Be it premised that no official list of members was 

 published before 1835. It will be necessary, then, or 

 at any rate proper, that some proof of membership 

 should be offered in respect of all the noblemen and 

 gentlemen who are written down members of the Club 

 before that date. The proof will be derived from 

 various sources ; from records of races (such as the 

 two Jockey Club Plates at Newmarket in the very 



