sporting and Rural Records of the Cheveley Estate. 73 



remarkable cricket match, promoted by him at Newmarket, he got 

 up the novel " carriage match," so well known by engravings of 

 the event, from the original painting by Seymour, now at 

 Cheveley Park. This " carriage " with four wheels, with a man in 

 it, according to the articles of the match, was to be drawn by four 

 horses nineteen miles in one hour. The race started at seven 

 o'clock on the morning of the 29th of August, 1750, near the Six- 

 mile House on Newmarket Heath. The course lay between the 

 Warren and Rubbing-houses, through the Gap, where, turning to 

 the right, the vehicle was drawn three times round a corded and 

 staked course of four miles in circumference, and then back to the 

 starting post. This carriage, with the harness — the latter made 

 of the thinnest leather cased in velvet — only weighed i68Ib. 

 An immense amount of money depended on the result, and 

 thousands of people assembled to witness the match, which Lord 

 March won easily — the carriage and horses having accomplished 

 the nineteen miles in 53 minutes and 23 seconds. His career on 

 the Turf, extending over fifty-eight years, is too well known 

 to be recapitulated here, nevertheless, there are many curious 

 incidents in which he figured that have escaped his biographers. 

 Notwithstanding his admitted astuteness and finesse in sporting and 

 wagering transactions he lost (May 6, 1753) a match to the Duke 

 of Hamilton over the Beacon Course, in which he first past the 

 post, but on weighing-in was found to have wasted half a pound, 

 consequently the Duke was declared the winner. About this time 

 Lord March was a party to a novel wager which had been made at 

 Newmarket "after dinner." It was originally proposed by a 

 Mr. Pigot and Mr. Codrington to " run their fathers " : Mr. Pigot's 

 father being upwards of 70 years of age — Mr. Codrington's had 

 " turned 50." Lord Ossory computed the odds in the proportion 

 of 500 to 1600 guineas, according to the ages of their fathers 

 respectively. Mr. Codrington thought the odds too much in his 

 disfavour, whereupon Lord March agreed to stand in Mr. 

 Codrington's place and accepted the wager. It happened at the 



L 



Chevt.ley. 



The Carriage 

 Match. 



Running their 

 Fathers. 



