Earliest meeting: Tuesday 12th September 1681
Final meeting: Tuesday 12th September 1732
The Cheshire village of Delamere, now part of the parish of Delamere and Oakmere, lies 7 miles west of Nantwich and boasts a population of just over 1000 people. In the vicinity of the village is Delamere Forest, known locally for its wide expanse of oak, sycamore and pine trees. In the later part of the 17th century it became famous for staging a horse race which had political implications for Charles II and his illegitimate son the Duke of Monmouth. |
The first Royal Plate had been run at Newmarket on Friday 14th March 1634 during the reign of his father Charles I, whilst during Charles II's reign 6 Royal Plates were held, 5 of them in Newmarket, while a sixth, on 17th March 1681, was transferred to Burford, Oxfordshire for political reasons, Charles having moved his Parliament to Oxford. Within a year of moving the parliament to Burford there was significant unrest between the Tory Party and the Whigs which festered further when on Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th September rival race meetings were held in Wallasey, Cheshire and Delamere Forest, about 27 miles apart. The historian Mr J B Robertson wrote about the fixture clash, 'The Whigs proved the craftier technicians, arranging that a smart animal, the property of the Hon. Thomas Wharton, already entered for the Tory Plate at Delamere, should run in the name of the Duke of Monmouth at the same time of the meeting at Wallasey. Mr Wharton's horse won the Delamere race easily, while at Wallasey the Duke of Monmouth rode his own horse to victory in the £60 Plate, securing an across the card double for the Duke. On Tuesday evening much merrymaking took place in Liverpool, and after Wednesday's racing the Monmouth party and the local Whigs returned to Chester in triumph to celebrate the Duke's dual victory. At the banquet which followed at Mansion House, under the presidency of the Mayor, Lord Derby, Monmouth's health was proposed and drunk before that of his father, King Charles II. He was arrested as he returned to London and was charged with fomenting rebellion, brought to trial and acquitted on 23rd October 1682. However, the King, who was fond of his illegitimate son, advised him to return to the Continent, although his racehorses continued to run in England under his name.' Forty years later discussion took place about commemorating the event with a race at Wallasey. It would be a stretch to suggest that an early form of the Jockey Club was operational during the reign of Charles II, although some of the ideas he had initiated could well have laid the foundations of a Club for future monarchs, especially William III. |
Much of the information about this course has been found using internet research and is in the public domain. However, useful research sources have been:-
London Illustrated News
Racing Illustrated 1895-1899
The Sporting & Dramatic Illustrated
Northern Turf History Volumes 1-4 by J.Fairfax-Blakeborough
The Sporting Magazine
A Long Time Gone by Chris Pitt first published in 1996 ISBN 0 900599 89 8
Racing Calendars which were first published in 1727 |
