A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE Although Coleman was the originator of steeplechases in England, he only trained one horse for one steeplechase, and in later years expresses great contempt for the modern steeplechase. He says in his Recollections, ' I established steeplechasing to show which was the best hunter and the best man over a country to run at the end of the season before horses were thrown out of condition ; and hurdle racing as a change at country races to amuse the ladies. Steeplechasing is a farce now over these cut down fences.' Some years before the first steeplechase was run at St. Albans, matches across country were common, and we read of one in 1830 between Mr. Byles, representing the Hert- fordshire Hounds, and Mr. Hudson, represent- ing the Puckeridge, over six miles of country, finishing at the Monument, Little Berkhamp- stead, which was won by Mr. Hudson. Besides the St. Albans Steeplechases, meet- ings were held at Hertford, Ware and Har- penden for steeplechases from the year 1838. The Old Berkeley Hunt have held a steeple- chase meeting intermittently for a number of years at the end of the hunting season. The Hertfordshire have for a number of years finished the hunting season with a very popular meeting at Harpendenbury. These races are half steeplechases and half point to point races, that is to say, the race is round three flags which are so placed that the horses have to pass the winning point twice during the race, which gives the spectators a good view of the race, but which would prob- ably have been viewed with contempt by the late Tommy Coleman. The races are limited to horses which have really been regularly hunted with the hounds during the season. RACING Flat racing has long been popular in this county. The first races we hear of are the Odsey Races, established as far back as James I.'s time, and probably before. The original course was along the level land by the side of the Baldock road near Odsey, but as time went on the course was brought nearer to Royston. In the later years of the last century the course lay just beyond King James's stables, which building was afterwards called the Jockey House. 1 In September, 1766, we read that 'never was finer sport seen. That betting even then was connected with race meetings is evident, for ' the knowing ones were pretty deeply taken in." Here as elsewhere the patrons of racing often finished up the day with cockfighting or wrestling. Several villages near Royston were famous for these wrestlers. These wrestling matches generally ended in a free fight between the followers of the respective champions. The Royston Races were revived in George II. 's reign. In the spring of 1827 it is recorded that Royston Heath was much crowded to witness a match between a mare of Sir Peter Soame of Heydon and a horse of Mr. T. Berry of Hertingford- bury. Other matches were run by hunters belonging to those present. The revived races at Royston were held in May, whereas the old Odsey Races took place in September. In 1836, when Lord Hardwick and Mr. Brand were stewards, five or six thousand 1 Fragments of Two Centuries, by Alfred Kingston (Royston, 1893). people were present ; and as to the char- acter of the gathering, we are told ' the usual attendants of all amusements of this kind were there, and succeeded in victimiz- ing a few who were green enough to fancy they had a chance of increasing their funds on the race course.' Genteel and respectable at first, these races became of less repute as time went on, and were associated with many disagreeable incidents ; and their abolition about twenty-seven years ago was welcomed by most of the inhabitants of the district, owing to the scenes of disorder and shop robberies in the town which marked the moribund stage of the gathering. The Sporting Magazine for 1791 gives a description of some races at Aldenham Com- mon, Herts, at which there was ' excellent sport.' One at least of the events was run in heats, and the winner that year was a horse called ' Smuggler,' belonging to a Mr. Brooks of St. Albans. This horse had to run no less than six heats before he was declared the winner. The Barnet race meeting was one of the first held in the county. It was discon- tinued for several years, but reinstituted in 1793. In the next year the meeting there appears to have been rowdy beyond descrip- tion. One man for a bet walked out of an upstairs window and was killed, and his widow claimed the money. Another man for a bet galloped on a horse up High Street with his hands tied behind his back, and had his brains dashed out against a lamp-post. The accidents that occurred to drunken 366
