-^ Institution and Early Growth 



Another notice, showing that the inevitable race-course 

 dog had made himself undesirably obnoxious, was to the 

 effect that " no person do bring dogs on the course, as 

 there will be proper persons appointed to destroy them. — 

 Lord Hinchingbkook, Steward, 1788." 



Yet another notice, in 1790, was to the effect that 

 horses "are not allowed to start until the course is 

 clear," which gives one a vivid idea of what, to us, 

 might be called the amateurish fashion in which sport was 

 carried on. 



Ascot at this time was essentially a subscription race 

 meeting, even the smiths being required to contribute. 

 " No smith to plate any horse but who subscribes los. 6d. 

 towards the plates, and if two smiths acted jointly, los. 6d. 

 each." So runs another rule. 



They did not regulate pickpockets in those days. 

 This was left to the crowd who protected one another 

 and got a good deal of fun out of the capture of the 

 thieves. Swell mobsmen and loafers shared equally badly 

 in the hands of the Ascot crowd. A " gentleman " pick- 

 pocket whom they caught was dragged to Englemere 

 Pond, where they cut off his prettily dressed pigtail, 

 and then ducked him until he was nearly dead, after which 

 he was paraded several times in front of the stands with 

 a halter round his neck, while all the crowd hooted. By 

 way of final execution he was turned loose and kicked off 

 the course. 



Another young fellow, elaborately dressed up in the 

 costume of the day — green suit, high boots, spurs, and 

 immaculate hat — was seized, his clothes pulled to pieces, 

 paraded, and finally handed over to the watch-house. 



37 



