Earliest meeting: Tuesday 26th December 1865
Final meeting: Monday 4th January 1869
The Worcestershire hamlet of Egdon falls within the civil parish of Stoulton and is located about 4 miles south-east of Worcester. In the mid-19th century, the locals launched an annual programme of steeplechase races held on feast days, the first being on Boxing Day on a course believed to be in the vicinity of the Berkeley Arms. The inaugural meeting took place on Tuesday 26th December 1865, with Mr C Jones, Mr Morton and Mr G Watson acting as Stewards. The starter was Mr C Jones, the Judge Mr P Foxwell and the Clerk of the Course was Mr J Wheeler. The card consisted of 4 races, the first of which was the Farmers Steeplechase. A race for half-breds, the Welter Steeplechase followed, after which the Wolverton Steeplechase over 2 miles took place, with a Scurry Race over a mile completing the day’s action.
Tuesday 26th December 1865
Farmers Steeplechase over 2 miles
1. GLEN SADDLE, brown mare owned by Mr Allington and ridden by Anthony
2. LADY LAURIE, chestnut mare owned by Mr Thomas Timmings and ridden by Taylor
3. BLACK BESS, black gelding owned by Mr Cubett and ridden by Thomas
4. THE LAWYER, brown horse owned by Mr Shield and ridden by News
Welter Steeplechase over 2 miles
1. THE SWITCHER, brown gelding owned by Mr C Pope and ridden by Briscoe walked over
Wolverton Steeplechase over 2 miles
1. GLEN SADDLE, brown mare owned by Mr Allington and ridden by Anthony
2. THE DEALER, brown gelding owned by Mr H Day and ridden by Day
3. NEVER SWEAT, brown gelding owned and ridden by Mr Ross
Egdon Scurry Race over a mile
1. THE SWITCHER owned by Mr C Pope and ridden by Briscoe
2. AVON LASS owned by Mr Herbert and ridden by Taylor
3. STRANGER owned by Mr A Calder
4. THEODORA owned by Mr Pardington
5. UNPROTECTED FEMALE owned by Mr Wood
5. WISEACRE owned by Mr Halford
5. NEVER SWEAT owned by Mr Ross
The second meeting held at Egdon was, once again, staged on Boxing Day, Wednesday 26th December 1866. It had become a widely publicised, popular event, with crowds flocking to the hamlet from nearby Worcester, but also as far afield as Tewkesbury and Evesham. The course was a challenging one, with several difficult leaps, but although there were a number of fallers, there were no fatalities.
Egdon Hurdle over a mile and a half, restricted to horses owned by farmers living within 15 miles of Worcester
1. UNNAMED brown gelding owned by Mr Henry and ridden by Rudd
2. SALTAIRE, bay mare owned by Mr T Allington and ridden by Doolan
3. DELIGHT, bay mare owned by Mr F Bennett and ridden by C Anthony
Farmers Steeplechase over 2 miles
1. NOCKLIFFE, brown horse owned by Mr W Jeyner and ridden by James
2. NETTLE, aged horse owned by Mr Davis and ridden by Losley
3. BLACK PRINCE, black horse owned by Mr J Herbert and ridden by Partington
4. BRUNETTE, brown mare owned by Mr F Butt and ridden by Rudd
5. UNNAMED brown gelding owned and ridden by Mr Henry
Open Hunt Steeplechase over 2 miles
1. JULIET, bay mare owned and ridden by Mr C Halford
2. BRUNETTE, brown mare owned by Mr F Butt and ridden by Thomas
3. LITTLE COURT owned by Mr Brown and ridden by Rudd
4. DELIGHT, bay mare owned by Mr F Bennett and ridden by C Anthony
5. SALTAIRE, bay mare owned by Mr T Allington and ridden by Doolan
Farmers Hurdle Race over a mile and a half
1. BRUNETTE, brown mare owned by Mr F Butt and ridden by Rudd
2. ALBERT, chestnut horse owned by Mr Thomas Timmings and ridden by C Anthony
3. JULIET, bay mare owned and ridden by Mr C Halford
4. SALTAIRE, bay mare owned by Mr T Allington and ridden by Doolan
Although races lapsed for a year in 1867, in 1868 the meeting was staged on Tuesday 14th April on a field owned by Mr Thomas Timmings of the Egdon Inn, although it was widely acknowledged that it was too small for such an event, with the bends too sharp. The Organising Committee consisted of Mr C Jones, Mr J Nicholls, Mr G Watson, Mr T Allington, Mr F Bomford and Mr F Baker, while Mr Tustin acted as Judge.
Egdon Hack Race over a mile
1. LADY STAMFORD owned by Mr Smith and ridden by T Day
2. ATHANA owned by Mr Cope and ridden by Morris
3. THE HORNET owned by Mr Frederick and ridden by C Anthony
Egdon Galloway Race over 6 furlongs
1. GAZELLE owned by Mr Lucas and ridden by Sheaf
2. BUTCHER BOY owned by Mr J Bullock and ridden by C Anthony
3. LITTLE POLLY owned by Mr W Rickards and ridden by Jones
4. WIRE LEGS owned by Mr Curnock and ridden by Taylor
5. THE BARBER owned by Mr Robinson and ridden by Smith
Egdon Hurdle race over a mile with 3 flights of hurdles
1. BARTESTREE owned by Mr T Stonehall and ridden by Anthony
2. THE LAWYER owned by Mr Owen and ridden by Locksley
3. THE HORNET owned by Mr Frederick and ridden by Dancocks
Egdon Pony Race over 4 furlongs
1. LITTLE ALFRED owned and ridden by Mr W Smith
2. THE SADDLER owned and ridden by Mr W Simpson
3. DICK TURPIN owned and ridden by Mr Owens
I am grateful to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the map shown below.
The final record of a meeting at Egdon was on Monday 4th January 1869 when the event was spoilt by inclement weather, with a wretched bout of rain drenching racegoers. This probably dampened the spirits of the organisers and led to them abandoning their dream of holding regular meetings. The course was on the Spetchley road, some 4 miles from the city centre. The organisers comprised of Mr T Shields, Mr J Jackson, Mr T Allington, Mr P Jones and Mr G Day, while overseeing the administration was the secretary Mr Thomas Timmings. Mr W Manton acted as Clerk of the Course, the starter was Mr A V Jones and the Judge was Mr F Drake, presiding over a card comprised of 4 races.
Monday 4th January 1869
Egdon Farmers Plate over a mile
1. BROOKEND (Evens fav), brown gelding owned by Mr T Allington and ridden by C Anthony
2. BESS, bay mare owned by Mr F Brown and ridden by Mason
3. MAY QUEEN, brown mare owned by Mr Fowle and ridden by C Maile
Egdon Galloway Race over 6 furlongs
1. ROMEO (4/5 fav), grey pony owned by Mr Cherrington and ridden by D Lomas
2. VISION, brown pony owned by Mr Lewis and ridden by Newman
3. THE FLUKE, bay pony owned by Mr A Valentine and ridden by C Anthony
Hunters Purse Hurdle over 2 miles with 6 hurdles
1. TITTERSTONE (4/5 fav), brown horse owned by Mr Williams and ridden by Bill Rickaby
2. CINDERELLA (2/1), bay mare owned by Mr Lewis and ridden by Williams
3. EQUATION, bay horse owned and ridden by Mr W Waitt
4. AMBROSE Gelding owned by Mr Landon and ridden by C Anthony
Egdon Scurry Race over a mile
1. CINDERELLA owned by Mr Lewis and ridden by Williams
2. JOLLY BOAT owned by Mr Allington and ridden by C Anthony
3. POLLY owned by Thomas Timmings and ridden by Taylor
4. EQUATION, bay horse owned and ridden by Mr W Waitt
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
