3IO THE HISTORY OF NEWMARKET. [Book V. 



Forest, whence, it appears, it was sent on to New- 

 market.* 



"^Gilbert Gerard, 2nd Baron Gerard, of Bramley, 

 Staffordshire, attained the family honours and estates in 

 1617 ; he died in 1623. Charles Gerard, 4th Baron Gerard, 

 succeeded his father in 1640. He died in 1667, and was 

 succeeded by his only child, Digby Gerard, 5th Baron Gerard. 

 This nobleman married his distant relation, Elizabeth, daughter 

 of Charles Gerard, ist Earl of Macclesfield, and had an only 

 daughter and heiress, Elizabeth, who married James, Duke of 

 Hamilton in Scotland, and ist Duke of Brandon in England, 

 Lord Gerard died Nov. 8, 1684, when the title devolved on 

 Charles Gerard, 6th Baron, who died without issue, April 1 2, 

 1707, when the title became extinct. All these noblemen 

 were more or less connected with the turf and breeders of 

 race-horses. 



In June, 1623, the Duke of Buckingham wrote 



from Madrid to the Commissioner of the Navy, to 



send to St. Sebastian, a ship capable of 



conveying home thirty or thirty-five horses, 



presented to the Prince of Wales by the Spanish 



Court.f 



The predilection evinced by James I. for hounds and horses 

 is exhibited in the following letter by him sent to the Duke 

 of Buckingham : — 



" Sweet hairte blessings blessings blessings on my sweete 

 tome badgers % hairte rootes and all his for breiding me so 

 fyne a kennell of yong howndes, some of thaime so fine 

 and well shaped, and some of thaime so fine prettie little 



* State Papers, Dom., vol. cxlvii., No. 17 ; Harl. MS., 6987, 253a. 

 t Ibid., vol. cxlvii.. No. 95. 



% " Tom Badger " and " Steenie " were used as cant names for the 

 duke, who, in return, styled the king as his " dear dade and gossip." 



