HIGH ROOTHING BURY RACECOURSE

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Earliest meeting: Thursday 12th April 1898
Final meeting: Thursday 4th April 1907
Whilst it is known that racing took place at Chelmsford in Essex in the mid 1700s, the first occasion that races were organised by the Essex Hunt Committee was in 1808 when the Chelmsford racecourse at Galleywood was used as the venue. This arrangement lasted for 4 years before there was a considerable lapse in the Essex Hunts meetings. The Essex Hunt Committee was then reinvigorated to organise further race meetings in 1876 when a new venue at Rundells was chosen on land owned by James Scruby. That inaugural meeting was held on 28th March 1876. Further meetings followed on 5th March 1878 and 21st April 1881, although it had been planned to hold the meeting every two years. The meeting was at Rundells for a further 5 year period from 1882 to 1886, and during this period the meeting was known as the ‘Essex Hunt Club Private Steeplechases’. Essex Hunt meetings were nomadic having also held races at Thaxted, Standon and Great Easton, but in 1886 the meeting was held at High Easter, Great Hassells. The village of High Easter was known in Norman times as High Estra, and is situated a short distance from Chelmsford. It is in the civil parish of Uttlesford and lies on the River Can. High Easter now hold very successful point to point meetings. After ditching Rundells as their chosen venue the committee deemed that a course at High Roothing Bury should be used for the 1898 meeting.  The Roothings, or Rodings, are a cluster of villages in Essex. The villages were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 when known as the Rodinges. The meeting took place on Thursday 12th April 1898 and was successful. This continued to be their chosen venue, apart from breaks for the Boer War, and the final meeting took place at High Roothing Bury on Thursday 4th April 1907. Sometimes the meeting was staged at North Weald, and at other times at Weald Hall. Throughout this period the Hunt Group had also staged successful point to point meetings at a whole host of tracks beyond the ones shown above, including Good Easter, Thaxted, Standon, and Great Easton.

This racecourse is covered in Volume 2 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below.
Local Patrons

Mr H Loftus-Arkwright, Sir Henry Selwin-Ibbetson, Mr Robert Lockwood

Principal Races

Essex Hunt Welter Cup, Essex United Hunt Cup, Essex Open Hunters Plate, Essex Farmers Plate

Thursday 19th April 1906
Essex United Hunt Cup over 2 ½ miles
1. Lady Mac, aged mare owned by Mr G Brooke
2. Charles Lever, aged horse owned by Mr G P Avila
3. Little Evra II, aged mare owned by Mr T J Howard

The final meeting took place on Thursday 4th April 1907.
Course today

A nomadic group making use of a number of racecourses.

If you have photos, postcards, racecards. badges, newspaper cuttings or book references about the old course, or can provide a photo of how the ground on which the old racecourse stood looks today, then email johnwslusar@gmail.com

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

ISBN 978-0-9957632-0-3

652 pages

774 former courses

ISBN 978-0-9957632-1-0

352 pages

400 former courses

ISBN 978-0-9957632-2-7

180 pages

140 former courses

ISBN 978-0-9957632-3-4

264 pages

235 former courses

Copies of the above books are only available by emailing johnwslusar@gmail.com stating your requirements, method of payment (cheque payable to W.Slusar) or Bank transfer, and the address where the book(s) should be sent.
ORDER FORM
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  Quantity Cost
Volume 1 North of Hatfield £19.99 + £4 postage    
Volume 2 South of Hatfield £14.99 + £3 postage    
Volume 3 Wales & Scotland £9.99 + £3 postage    
Volume 4 Ireland £9.99 + £3 postage    
Volumes 1 - 4 £54.96 + £5 postage    
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Email order form to johnwslusar@gmail.com