Earliest meeting: Tuesday 29th August 1876
Final meeting: Saturday 26th August 1939
The tiny Wiltshire village of Semley, about 5 kilometres north-east of Shaftesbury, which is in Dorset, lies close to the river Sem from which the village is named. In the vicinity of Semley is the hamlet of Sem Hill, just a quarter of a mile west of the village. The village boasts a rich history, for in AD 955 King Eadwig gave land to Wilton Abbey, with Semley likely to have been part of that estate. The village is surrounded by farmland used predominantly for dairy farming, with much of it being common pasture land in the Middle Ages. In 1855 the public house in the village was called the New Inn, and it is thought that its name was changed to the Benett Arms in 1865 and is still operational today.
The year 1871 is a key date in its history because a local farmer, Thomas Kirby, began sending locally produced milk to London by rail. The railway on the Salisbury to Yeovil line was completed in 1859, which included a station in Semley and allowed Thomas Kirby to make full use of it just 12 years later. Despite having a population as small as 700, the village held its own annual races named, appropriately enough, the Semley Dairy races, which began in the 1870s. Neighbouring Gillingham also held race meetings from 1881 to 1882 on land owned by the Dowager-Marchioness of Westminster, and it seems fitting that by 1889 the milk company became the Semley and Gillingham Dairies.
On Tuesday 29th August 1876 the Grand Fete and Semley Dairy Races were held on the extensive milk-condensing premises adjoining Semley Station, made available to the village by Thomas Kirby, to enable a full programme of horse races and other sports to take place. The management committee comprised William Pike (great grandfather of Bernard Pike who wrote booklets about Blandford Races and the 1955 Gold Cup winner Gay Donald), Thomas Kirby, J Williams, F Tulk, E Bristol and F H Reeks. All entries and colours had to be declared to Thomas Kirby, at Semley Dairy, by Thursday 24th August, and all horses or ponies had to be stabled at Mr Dower's Semley Railway Hotel by 12 noon on race day. There were two bands of attendance, with entry to the race field at 6d, while dinner was 3 shillings; the low prices encouraged a crowd of between 2000 and 3000 to attend. Prior to racing an Ordinary was supplied by Mr Dowers of the Railway Hotel, with Mr Genge, Steward to the Dowager-Marchioness of Westminster, taking the chair. The principal event, the Semley Cup over a mile, was won by Minute Too Soon owned by Mr Strange.
Semley Cup over 1 mile
1. MINUTE TOO SOON owned by Mr Strange
2. CRAWLER owned by Mr Clay
3. HERMIT owned by Mr Bunter
4. GRIDIRON owned by Mr Bartley
5. DOLLY VARDON owned by Mr Knight
6. TOPSY owned by Mr Ward
7. MAID-OF-ALL-WORK owned by Mr Blacklard
Trotting Ponies Race over 1 1/2 miles
1. TOPSY owned by Mr Kirby and ridden by Fielding
2. BOB owned by Mr Knight
3. BLUEBELL owned by Mr Kirby
South Wilts Hunt Cup over 2 miles
(Included hurdles and a water jump)
1. ORDINANCE owned by Mr E Walden
2. HARKAWAY owned by Mr Parrott
3. WILD CHARLEY owned by Mr Goodwin
Hunters Race over 1 mile
1. SKYLARK owned by Mr Ward
2. HELETA owned by Mr Friend
3. SERVANT MAID owned by Mr White
I am grateful Jon Seddon and to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the 1904 map shown below.
In 1877 the races were held on Bank Holiday Monday, 6th August 1877, when a large number of people attended. The race committee consisted of William Pike, T Baker, A Bracher, E Bristol, W Kirby, Mr Harrison, Mr Ivall and H King, while Walter George acted as starter. Mr R Campbell was Clerk of the Course, and Mr W Bennett was the judge. The weather was everything the organisers could have hoped for, the consequences of which was that both the up and down trains on the South Western lines were crowded, and it was widely reported that up to 3000 people packed the racecourse which was marked out in two fields at the rear of the Semley Dairy, one of which contained 2 large marquees. In one of the marquees William Dowers, of the Railway Hotel, provided dinner, while nearby a grand stand was erected and a ring barricaded near the winning post, although in truth there was little betting witnessed. Prior to racing the 'Eyers' Brass Band from Blandford entertained the huge crowd.
Pony Silver Cup Race over 1 mile
1. PEACOCK owned by Mr Brown
2. FLIRT owned by Mr Walker
3. JOHN DAY owned by Mr Penney
4. HERMIT owned by Mr Bunter
5. JENNY owned by Mr P George
5. TOPSY owned by Mr Lawe
6. MISS ANNIE owned by Mr Parter
Farmers £19 Plate over 1 mile
(Restricted to horses owned by farmers living within 12 miles of Semley Station)
1. RAT owned by Mr Wood and ridden by Friend
2. BAZAINE owned by Mr Field and ridden by Field
3. KISBER owned by Mr T Baker and ridden by Sharp
4. HARKAWAY owned by Mr H Imber and ridden by Roberts
5. MAMMON owned by Mr Wiltshire and ridden by Coward
6. PATCHWORK owned by Mr Thomas Kirby and ridden by Hatcher
Trotting Handicap Race over 2 miles
1. TOPSY1 (200 yards) owned by Mr Overy and ridden by Fielding
2. LITTLE TOM (scratch) owned by Mr J Rebbeck and ridden by Miles
3. JACK (100 yards) owned by Mr J Grant and ridden by Grant
4. TOPSY2 (200 yards) owned by Mr Lawe and ridden by Lawe
5. QUEBEC (scratch) owned by Mr Trowbridge and ridden by Gamble
South Wilts Hunt Cup over 2 miles
1. SCAMP owned by Mr Clay and ridden by Field
2. KISBER owned by Mr Baker and ridden by Sharp
3. BAZAINE owned by Mr Field and ridden by Field
4. SHYLOCK owned by Mr Ward and ridden by Ward
5. PATCHWORK owned by Mr Thomas Kirby and ridden by Hatcher
Galloway Race over 1 mile
1. SHYLOCK owned by Mr Ward and ridden by Friend
2. MISS ANNIE owned by Mr Porter and ridden by Rose
3. LADY GOLIGHTLY owned by Mr Nicholson and ridden by Roberts
4. PATCHWORK owned by Mr Thomas Kirby and ridden by Hatcher
5. QUEEN owned by Mr Clay and ridden by Pegler
6. MAGGIE owned by Mr Trollope and ridden by Coward
7. WILD TOM owned by Mr Wood and ridden by Woods
8. BLACK DIAMOND owned by Mr Alford and ridden by Nutt
On Monday 5th August 1878 Semley Dairy staged its annual races which witnessed a further increase in attendance. In the early days of this event about half of the programme was devoted to horse and pony races, the other half given over to a variety of races for human beings. This year the proportion allocated to human races, especially flat, hurdle and bicycle races, was less, although they did take place at the end of the day. Visitors arrived in their droves by rail, while the roads were thronged with cosy and commodious, if not always fashionable, equipages of the local farmers and country tradesmen. This year there was a greater proportion of the softer sex, mostly the wives and daughters of the working population of surrounding towns, villages and hamlets. Ample provision was made for refreshments, while the proprietors of 'knock-em-down' (skittles), 'American indicators' and shooting galleries were embarrassed by the press of a never-ending stream of customers. The Stour Band played throughout the morning, adjacent to the hastily erected grand stand, while bookmakers from Bristol shouted the odds with ever increasing volume.
Semley £15 Cup over 1 mile (twice round)
1. FLIRT owned by Mr Porter
2. TOMMY1 owned by Mr King
3. TOMMY2 owned by Mr Penney
4. BUTTERFLY owned by Mr Laidlaw
Farmers £15 Plate over 1 mile (twice round)
1. KISBER owned by Mr S Young
2. BAZAINE owned by Mr Long
3. DOROTHY owned by Mr P Genge
Trotting Race over 1 1/2 miles (3 times round)
1. TOMMY owned by Mr Rebbeck
2. LUCY owned by Mr Log
3. MINNIE owned by Mr Lanning
South Wilts, East Dorset and Blackmore Vale £15 Hunt Cup over 1 mile
(Twice round with 6 flights and a water jump)
1. BERWICK owned by Mr Allen
2. MERRY BELLS owned by Mr Bedford
3. KISBER owned by Mr S Young
4. DUTCHMAN owned by Mr Wanhill
5. LADY ALICE owned by Mr Butler
Galloway £10 Race over 1 mile
1. LITTLE ANNIE owned by Mr Porter
2. WARDOUR owned by Mr Flower
3. PATCHWORK owned by Mr Thomas Kirby
4. JANETTE owned by Mr Imber
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
