Earliest meeting: Monday 8th July 1861
Final meeting: Monday 10th July 1871
The small Northumbrian village of Lowick, on the River Low about 14 kilometres from Berwick upon Tweed, is an ancient village dating back before 1181 when it formed part of the pilgrimage route of monks on their way to Holy Island (Lindisfarne). Back in the middle of the 19th century the village had its own racecourse on Lowick Moor which operated for 11 years as part of the Lowick Feast, with the first meeting held on Monday 8th July 1861. The single race of the meeting, the Lowick Plate, was won by Mr Fraser’s PB, while the remainder of the Feast consisted of Foot races, Pole Leaping and Wrestling. Successive meetings were held each July, and the newspaper neatly summed up the atmosphere at the meeting on Monday 6th July 1863 when commenting ‘those who wish to see horse racing in its innocence should attend Lowick races, where a charming state of primitive enjoyment prevails’. The meeting was dominated by Mr Brodie’s Lothian’s King which won the Lowick Plate and the Welter Plate. The final meeting took place on Monday 10th July 1871 when the crowd was well below previous years, but they witnessed some close finishes, particularly in the Hack Stakes when Eyes Front just got the better of Darien and Maid of Embleton.
Lowick Plate, Lowick Hunt Cup, Hack Stakes
Monday 10th July 1871
Lowick Hunt Cup over 1 ¼ miles
1. Eyes Front, 4 year old owned by Mr J Merriot
2. Darien, aged horse owned by Mr F Thorold
3. Spendthrift, 4 year old owned by Mr J Taylor
I am grateful Jon Seddon and to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the 1894 map shown below.
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
