36 A MIRROR OF THE TURF. 



The races held at Chester were originally pro- 

 moted by the traders who carried on business 

 there, such as the Company of Shoemakers and 

 the Company of Drapers, and were celebrated, of 

 course, on the various annual holidays of the far 

 back times just mentioned. A quaint account of 

 the original races run on the Rood Dee was drawn 

 up in 1595, by " that Reverend man of God, Mr. 

 Robert Rodgers, bachelor of Divinitie, Archdeacon 

 of Chester, parsone of Gooseworth and Prebend 

 in the Cathedral of Chester." This clerical worthy 

 tells us that at Chester '•' there is held every year 

 three of the most commendable exercises and 

 practices of war-like feates, as running of men on 

 foote, running of horses, and shootinge of the 

 broad arrowe, and the butt shaft in the long bowe, 

 which is done in very few (if in any) citties ot 

 England, soe farr as I understand." 



The same authority in his notes tells how the 

 saddlers' ball, " profitable for few uses or purposes," 

 being a ball of silk, of the bigness of a bowl, was 

 changed into a silver bell weighing about two 

 ounces, " the which saide silver bell was ordayned 

 to be the reward for that horse, which with speedy 

 runninge, then should rune before all the others." 

 In the notes it is also stated that the shoemakers' 

 footeball was before exchanged into silver gleaves. 

 Without taking up space with particulars which 

 can be obtained in county histories, it may be 

 mentioned, in passing, that horse-racing was un- 

 doubtedly looked upon at Chester as a national 

 pastime more than two hundred and seventy years 

 ago. In the pageant for the inauguration of the 

 first great festival of St. George, horses played 

 a distinguished part, the victors in the various 



