(ii sporting and Rural Records of the Cheveley Estate. 



Cheveley. 



The Duke's 

 Racing Career. 



The Duke 



obtanis a Lease 



of Newmarket 



Palace. 



The Duke 

 Buvs Cheveley. 



that year. This was the last race won by the " Proud Duke of 

 Somerset." Some of his horses ran unsuccessfully at the New- 

 market Autumn Meeting of 1743, the Spring Meeting of 1746, 

 and, finally, at the Spring Meeting of 1747. His racing colours 

 were yellow ; his jockey, J. Harwood. 



In luly, 1 72 1, the Duke of Somerset obtained a lease from 

 George I. of all that piece of land in the town of Newmarket, in the 

 county of Cambridgeshire, upon which the Palace stood, situated in 

 the principal street there on the south side thereof, containing in front 

 115 feet or thereabout, as described in a plan thereof made and 

 remaining in the custody of the Clerk of the Pipe of the Exchequer 

 at Westminster — " except and out of this grant reserved our houses 

 there called our coach-house and forge, and a certain house in the 

 possession of Tregonwell Frampton, Esquire, our keeper of our 

 running horses " — and also two little closes of land called the King's 

 Closes . . . containing together nine acres or thereabout, in the 

 possession of the said Duke, lying near the back part of the said 

 piece of ground above demised, with all the paths, passages, &c. 

 To have, hold, and enjov from the date thereof for thirty-one 

 years, at a yearly rent of £'}f>, payable quarterly to the housekeeper 

 of the Palace House there for the time being. The Duke, his 

 heirs, and administrators to have power and authority at their own 

 cost to pull down the old building then standing there, and to 

 build and erect upon the premises such new structure as they 

 please at their own proper cost and charges. 



This lease of the appurtenances of the Palace probably stimu- 

 lated the Duke to purchase property in the neighbourhood. It might 

 be assumed the vast estates he already possessed would have been 

 sufficient even for a person ot his exalted ideas. But by his second 

 Duchess he had two daughters, for whom he was anxious to 

 provide in a manner suitable to their rank. This consideration, 

 doubtless, induced him to purchase Cheveley of Sir Jermyn 

 Davers, in February, 1732, from whom he also bought the manor 

 of Stonehall, in Moulton. From Henry Duke of Beaufort he 



