32 
Buckingham, then at Madrid, shipped from 
St. Sebastian thirty-five horses, a present 
from the Court of Spain to the Prince of 
Wales. Whether these were racehorses 
or not records omit to tell us. 
Under royal encouragement and patronage 
the Turf soon took its place as a national 
institution. Races were held at Croydon, 
Theobalds on Enfield Chase, and Garterly 
in Yorkshire, among other places, and of 
each of the meetings named the King was 
the President. James’s most important 
studs were stabled at Newmarket, Middle 
Park, Eltham, Malmesbury, Nutbury and ' 
Tetbury. During this reign a silver bell 
and bowl were among the prizes offered at 
the Chester Races; the races for these were 
now run on St. George’s Day, and the 
trophies then came to be known by the 
name of England’s patron saint. Horses 
were regularly trained and prepared for these 
‘bell courses;” the usual weight carried 
was IO stone, and riders went to scale 
before starting. 
In Scotland it would appear that betting 
on races was carried on to an extent that 
called for legislative interference; for in 
1621 the Parliament at Edinburgh passed 
an Act which required any man who might 
