358 



EACING, WAGERS AND GAMING. 



Eeign of 

 James the 

 Pirst. 



Reign of 

 Charles the 

 First. 



the district had been very much hindered. To remedy 

 these evils, an Act was passed in this reign, a.T). 1565, by 

 which the statutable height of stoned horses in those fen 

 counties was reduced to thirteen hands {q). 



We have seen that in the reign of Philip and Mary, 

 certain forms were prescribed to give publicity to the sale 

 of horses at markets and fairs, so that if the horse had 

 been stolen, the owner might have an opportunity of claim- 

 ing it (r). But these forms seemed to have entirely failed 

 in their object, because in this reign, horse-stealing had 

 grown so common, that horses were not safe in pastures 

 or closes, and hardly so in their stables-; and there was 

 always a ready sale for them in distant fairs and markets. 

 However, in a.d. 1589, an Act was passed prescribing cer- 

 tain additional forms to be observed in sales at such places, 

 and making it a matter of greater difficulty to sell a stolen 

 horse (s). This is the Act now in force, and which we have 

 already considered. 



In the reign of James the First, an immaterial and 

 trifling alteration was made in the law of gaming by the 

 repeal of the statute of Richard the Second in a.d. 1623 (t). 

 But an important change took place with regard to horse 

 racing. Before this time, horse races were mere trials 

 of speed and strength, without any acknowledged system, 

 and were mixed up with other exercises of skill and activity. 

 The pastime had continued on the same footing since the 

 time of Henry the Eighth, but this reign may be con- 

 sidered the era in which racing began to be ranked as a 

 distinct sport. James the First was extremely fond of 

 held sports ; he established races on a new footing ; under 

 his patronage rules were promulgated for their regulation, 

 and his favourite courses were Croydon and Enfield Chase. 

 From this period also began the practice of breeding a 

 distinct kind of horse for the especial purpose. And we 

 find that about this time an Arabian horse, and also the 

 White Turk, the Helmsly Turk, and Fairfax's Morocco 

 Barb, were brought into the kingdom ; and a considerable 

 improvement in the breed of the animal was thus 

 efl'ected (ti). 



Charles the First established races in Hyde Park and at 



{q) 8 Eliz. c. 8, repealed by 19 & 

 20 Vict. c. 64. 



(»•) 2 & 3 Ph. & M. c. 7. 



(s) 31 Eliz. c. 12, Appendix ; 

 and see Stolen Horses, ante. Part 1, 



Chap. III. 



[t) 21 Jac. 1, e. 28, s. 11, repealed 

 by 19 & 20 Vict. c. 64. 



{«) Lib. IT. K. "The Horse," 

 28; and 31 Law Maff. 65. 



