IT'S ABOUT LINCOLN
  • HOME
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Copyright
  • Most Popular Pages/Articles
  • HISTORY
    • How Did Lincoln Get Its Name
    • Timeline of Lincoln's History
      • 48 A.D. to 410 A.D. Roman Period
      • 410 A.D. To 850 A.D. Early Medieval
      • 850 A.D. to 1350 A.D. High Medieval
      • 1350 A.D. to 1750 A.D. Early Modern
      • 1750 A.D. to 1945 A.D. Industrial
    • The Romans
    • The Danes
    • Conflict in Lincoln
      • The Battle of Lincoln
      • The Battle of Lincoln Fair
      • The Civil War
    • Lincoln's Reformation
    • 1790 Poll Book
    • Lincoln in 1810
    • The By-Election of 1823
    • Lincoln in 1855
    • 1903 Horse Fair
  • PEOPLE
    • Business & Professional
      • Akrill to Brogden
      • Brook to Dashper
      • Dickinson to Dyke
      • Ellison
      • Folley to Gresham
      • Hall to Hill
      • Hughes to Nelson
      • Newsum to Porter
      • Pratt to Seeley
      • Shuttleworth to Watkins
      • Watkins to Woodcook
      • Wriglesworth to Wyatt
    • City Mayors
      • 1314 to 1500
      • 1501 to 1700
      • 1701 to 1900
      • 1901 to
    • Architects
    • Bishops of Lincoln
    • Royal Visitors
    • Leonard James Keyworth, V.C.
    • James Anderton
    • Caroline Martyn
    • Lincoln Characters
    • The Italian Stone Man
    • They Gave Their Lives
    • Population
      • Population 1801 to 1901
      • Acreage and Population of Lincolnshire 1801 and 1871
    • Memories of Lincoln
  • PLACES
    • Street Names
      • 1872 Lincoln Street Directory
      • 1872 LIncoln Trade & Professional Directory
    • Domestic Buildings
      • Atton Place
      • Jews Court
      • Bracebridge Hall
        • Bracebridge Hall Club
      • Beaumont House
      • High Bridge
    • The Lost Houses of Lincoln
      • Boultham Hall
      • Cold Bath House
      • Eastcliffe House
      • Eastgate House
      • Hartsholme Hall
      • Monks Manor
      • Monks Tower
      • Sibthorp House
      • The Old House on Corporation Street
    • Places to visit in Lincoln
      • More Places to Visit in Lincoln
      • Around Lincoln
    • Religious Buildings
      • Lincoln Cathedral
      • The Churches
        • St Benedict and Old Kate
        • St Peter at Arches and St Giles Church
        • Lincoln Churches at the Reformation
      • The Close
      • The Priories & Friaries
      • The Malandry
      • Greestone Stairs
    • Entertainment
      • Lincolns Lost Cinemas
      • More Lost Cinemas
      • Pub, Inns, Hotels of Lincoln
        • The Dolphins
      • Horse Racing
      • Usher Gallery & Temple Gardens.
    • Other Buildings
      • Half Timbered Lincoln
      • Lincoln Castle
      • Lincoln's Gates
      • Lincoln Lunatic Asylum
      • The Bridge of Sighs
      • The Stonebow & Guildhall
    • Open Spaces
      • The Arboretum
      • The South Common
      • Boultham Park
      • Hartsholme Country Park
      • Steep Hill
      • Witham Valley Country Park
      • The Hidden Necropolis
    • Buildings of Local Importance
    • Lincoln's Listed Buildings
  • COMPANIES
    • Akrill to Penney
      • Akrill, Ruddock & Keyworth
      • Charles Duckering Ltd
      • Clarkes Crank & Forge
      • Clayton, Shuttleworth & Co
      • Doughty, Son & Richardson Ltd
      • F P Watson
      • H Newsum & Sons Ltd
      • Henry Poppleton & Sons
      • James Dawson & Son Ltd
      • John Cooke & Son (Lincoln) Limited
      • Lincoln Gas, Light and Coke Co
      • Mawer & Collingham
      • Penney & Co
    • Penney Porter to W Rainforth
      • Penney & Porter (1932) Ltd
      • JTB Porter & Co
      • R M Wright & Co Ltd
      • Robey
      • Ruston, Proctor & Co
      • Ruston & Hornsby Ltd
      • W Foster & Co
      • W Rainforth & Sons Ltd
      • More Companies
    • Old Adverts
      • 1853 Adverts
      • 1885 Adverts
      • 1901 Adverts
      • 1919 Adverts
      • 1941 Adverts
  • TRANSPORT
    • Foss Dyke
    • Mail Coach to London
    • The Horse Trams
    • The Electric Trams
  • WHAT THEY SAY
    • Quotes From the Famous
    • An American Tourists Perspective
    • Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • City of My Dreams
  • USEFUL LINKS
    • Local Links
    • UK Links
    • Events In Lincoln
    • Facebook Pages & Groups
    • Photographic Links
  • MAPS, IMAGES & VIDEOS
    • Photo Galleries
      • Greyfriars
      • Some Less Notable Buildings
      • More Less Notable Buildings
      • Look Up, Look Down, Look Around
    • A High Street Journey
    • A Journey Around Brayford Pool
    • Old Images of Lincoln
      • High Street, High Bridge and Stonebow
      • Lincoln's Waterside
      • Brayford
      • High Street - St Benedicts Square to St Mary Street
      • Steep Hill & Strait
      • Broadgate
      • The Bail
      • Lincoln Cathedral
      • Waterside - Stamp End
      • Silver Street
    • Lincoln Videos
    • Maps
      • Map Of Roman Lincoln
      • Lincoln in 12th c
      • Map of the Battle of Lincoln
      • Lincoln Map 1722
      • Lincoln Map 1779
      • Lincoln Map 1882
      • LIncoln Map 1898
      • Lincoln Map Early 20th Century
  • BOOKS ABOUT LINCOLN
    • It's About Lincoln books
    • Lincoln in Fiction
    • MY BLOGS
      • It's About Lincoln Blog
      • It's About Lincolnshire Blog
      • List of Blogposts
  • LINCOLNSHIRE
    • A Historical Description of the County of Lincolnshire
  • HOME
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Copyright
  • Most Popular Pages/Articles
  • HISTORY
    • How Did Lincoln Get Its Name
    • Timeline of Lincoln's History
      • 48 A.D. to 410 A.D. Roman Period
      • 410 A.D. To 850 A.D. Early Medieval
      • 850 A.D. to 1350 A.D. High Medieval
      • 1350 A.D. to 1750 A.D. Early Modern
      • 1750 A.D. to 1945 A.D. Industrial
    • The Romans
    • The Danes
    • Conflict in Lincoln
      • The Battle of Lincoln
      • The Battle of Lincoln Fair
      • The Civil War
    • Lincoln's Reformation
    • 1790 Poll Book
    • Lincoln in 1810
    • The By-Election of 1823
    • Lincoln in 1855
    • 1903 Horse Fair
  • PEOPLE
    • Business & Professional
      • Akrill to Brogden
      • Brook to Dashper
      • Dickinson to Dyke
      • Ellison
      • Folley to Gresham
      • Hall to Hill
      • Hughes to Nelson
      • Newsum to Porter
      • Pratt to Seeley
      • Shuttleworth to Watkins
      • Watkins to Woodcook
      • Wriglesworth to Wyatt
    • City Mayors
      • 1314 to 1500
      • 1501 to 1700
      • 1701 to 1900
      • 1901 to
    • Architects
    • Bishops of Lincoln
    • Royal Visitors
    • Leonard James Keyworth, V.C.
    • James Anderton
    • Caroline Martyn
    • Lincoln Characters
    • The Italian Stone Man
    • They Gave Their Lives
    • Population
      • Population 1801 to 1901
      • Acreage and Population of Lincolnshire 1801 and 1871
    • Memories of Lincoln
  • PLACES
    • Street Names
      • 1872 Lincoln Street Directory
      • 1872 LIncoln Trade & Professional Directory
    • Domestic Buildings
      • Atton Place
      • Jews Court
      • Bracebridge Hall
        • Bracebridge Hall Club
      • Beaumont House
      • High Bridge
    • The Lost Houses of Lincoln
      • Boultham Hall
      • Cold Bath House
      • Eastcliffe House
      • Eastgate House
      • Hartsholme Hall
      • Monks Manor
      • Monks Tower
      • Sibthorp House
      • The Old House on Corporation Street
    • Places to visit in Lincoln
      • More Places to Visit in Lincoln
      • Around Lincoln
    • Religious Buildings
      • Lincoln Cathedral
      • The Churches
        • St Benedict and Old Kate
        • St Peter at Arches and St Giles Church
        • Lincoln Churches at the Reformation
      • The Close
      • The Priories & Friaries
      • The Malandry
      • Greestone Stairs
    • Entertainment
      • Lincolns Lost Cinemas
      • More Lost Cinemas
      • Pub, Inns, Hotels of Lincoln
        • The Dolphins
      • Horse Racing
      • Usher Gallery & Temple Gardens.
    • Other Buildings
      • Half Timbered Lincoln
      • Lincoln Castle
      • Lincoln's Gates
      • Lincoln Lunatic Asylum
      • The Bridge of Sighs
      • The Stonebow & Guildhall
    • Open Spaces
      • The Arboretum
      • The South Common
      • Boultham Park
      • Hartsholme Country Park
      • Steep Hill
      • Witham Valley Country Park
      • The Hidden Necropolis
    • Buildings of Local Importance
    • Lincoln's Listed Buildings
  • COMPANIES
    • Akrill to Penney
      • Akrill, Ruddock & Keyworth
      • Charles Duckering Ltd
      • Clarkes Crank & Forge
      • Clayton, Shuttleworth & Co
      • Doughty, Son & Richardson Ltd
      • F P Watson
      • H Newsum & Sons Ltd
      • Henry Poppleton & Sons
      • James Dawson & Son Ltd
      • John Cooke & Son (Lincoln) Limited
      • Lincoln Gas, Light and Coke Co
      • Mawer & Collingham
      • Penney & Co
    • Penney Porter to W Rainforth
      • Penney & Porter (1932) Ltd
      • JTB Porter & Co
      • R M Wright & Co Ltd
      • Robey
      • Ruston, Proctor & Co
      • Ruston & Hornsby Ltd
      • W Foster & Co
      • W Rainforth & Sons Ltd
      • More Companies
    • Old Adverts
      • 1853 Adverts
      • 1885 Adverts
      • 1901 Adverts
      • 1919 Adverts
      • 1941 Adverts
  • TRANSPORT
    • Foss Dyke
    • Mail Coach to London
    • The Horse Trams
    • The Electric Trams
  • WHAT THEY SAY
    • Quotes From the Famous
    • An American Tourists Perspective
    • Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • City of My Dreams
  • USEFUL LINKS
    • Local Links
    • UK Links
    • Events In Lincoln
    • Facebook Pages & Groups
    • Photographic Links
  • MAPS, IMAGES & VIDEOS
    • Photo Galleries
      • Greyfriars
      • Some Less Notable Buildings
      • More Less Notable Buildings
      • Look Up, Look Down, Look Around
    • A High Street Journey
    • A Journey Around Brayford Pool
    • Old Images of Lincoln
      • High Street, High Bridge and Stonebow
      • Lincoln's Waterside
      • Brayford
      • High Street - St Benedicts Square to St Mary Street
      • Steep Hill & Strait
      • Broadgate
      • The Bail
      • Lincoln Cathedral
      • Waterside - Stamp End
      • Silver Street
    • Lincoln Videos
    • Maps
      • Map Of Roman Lincoln
      • Lincoln in 12th c
      • Map of the Battle of Lincoln
      • Lincoln Map 1722
      • Lincoln Map 1779
      • Lincoln Map 1882
      • LIncoln Map 1898
      • Lincoln Map Early 20th Century
  • BOOKS ABOUT LINCOLN
    • It's About Lincoln books
    • Lincoln in Fiction
    • MY BLOGS
      • It's About Lincoln Blog
      • It's About Lincolnshire Blog
      • List of Blogposts
  • LINCOLNSHIRE
    • A Historical Description of the County of Lincolnshire

Horse Racing

PictureWestmead winning the 1923 Lincolnshire Handicap


​









Horse Racing in Lincoln has a long history.

The first horse racing in the area is thought to have taken place at Temple Bruer:  The Knights Templars seeking a break from jousting and tournaments would wager on the result of races held amongst themselves.  After the dissolution of the Order farmworkers would hold races at the end of harvest.

The first recorded race was on 12th February 1597, when "the mayor's charges for a scaffold at the horse race" were approved.   This must have been a wooden framed tiered stand so that spectators would have a good view of the race.​
In April 1617 King James stayed in Lincoln for a few days:

" On Thursday (3rd April) thear was a great horse race on the Heath for a cupp, when his Majestie was present, and stood on a scaffold the Citie had caused to be set upp, and withall caused the race a quarter of a mile long to be raled and corded with rope and hoopes on both sides, whearby the people were kept out, and the horses that rouned were seen faire."

Horse racing moved to Waddington Heath and remained there until 1770.  It is believed that horse racing continued near Dunholme for the next 20 years

In 1793 horse racing moved to the Carholme on the West Common at the edge of Lincoln.  Most of the horses entered were local to the area until in 1806 when a Gold Cup of 115 Guineas was instituted.
Click on images to enlarge
Picture
Horse Racing at Waddington Heath until 1770, see Old Race House
Picture
Grand Stand at Carholme race course 1826
The Grand Stand erected in 1826
Lincoln Race course 1819
1819 map of Lincoln and the Race Course
At first a temporary wooden shed was erected for the important visitors at the meeting. In 1826 The Grand Stand was erected by the Corporation.

The provision of the grand stand and improvements to the course and turf was at a cost of £7,000, a large sum of money in 1826.  The improvements meant that more people could enjoy the spectacle of horse racing on the Carholme.

But still in 1831 Lincoln was still regarded as an unimportant racing venue. The New Sporting Magazine of that year says, "The utter insignificance of these races would not have entitled them to a place in our monthly notices but for the extraordinary scene that occurred in the third day." 

700 or 800 "thimblemen"* including many dishonest characters moved from race meeting to race meeting to cheat people out of their winnings, turned up at the Lincoln meeting.
They were very successful in the first two days, but on the third day the racegoers attacked them with clubs and sticks.  At first the thimblemen held their own, but a large number of horsemen arrived and routed them. Then the local people destroyed their  stalls and caravans.

The royal purse of One Hundred Sovereigns, given to several Towns in England, to be run for by mares only, in order to improve the breed of blood horses and the ' Gold Cup ' or Subscription Plate of One Hundred Pounds. Many famous horses ran at the Carholme course in the early 19th century, among them:
  • Eclipse, Redshank, Carnaby, Volage, Bessy Bedlam, Bullet, Ballad Singer, Fleur-de-lis, Laurel, Lucy, Mullatto, Fortitude, Briuda, Lottery, Gallopade, Varnish, Marie, La Fille Mai Garde, Nancy.

The winning of the Lincoln Gold Cup by Bessy Bedlam was celebrated by the naming of a public house at 33 Steep Hill in her honour, by 1857 it was re-named the Fox & Hounds.

The Lincolnshire Handicap was first run in 1849 and was won in that year by Media, a filly belonging to Lord Exeter, and in 1874 the race was won by the famous Fred Archer, then only a boy, on a horse called Tomahawk. Gradually Lincoln became more popular, and the Spring Meeting in particular assumed the importance to racing it retained until the closure.  A second, larger grandstand was erected in 1897, designed W Mortimer, a well respected local architect, and built by William Wright.  At the Spring Meeting in 1900 that the starting-gate was first used in a race for 2-year-old fillies, a feature of racing in which Lincoln can claim to be a pioneer. 

The spring meeting, held in March, was the opening meeting of the flat racing calendar.
The winners of the Lincolnshire Handicap from 1926 to 1937 were, in chronological order: 

King of Clubs (1926), Priory Park (1927), Dark Warrior (1928), Elton (1929), Leonidas (1930), Knight Error (1931), Jerome Fandor (1932), Dorigen (1933), Play On (1934), Flamenco (1935), Over Coat (1936), Marmaduke Jinks (1937) - these names may be familiar to you if, like me, you spent time in your childhood playing the game of Waddington's Totopoly!

Click on Flamenco above to see the horse win the 1935 Lincolnshire Handicap

Racing moved to Pontefract from 1942 to 1945 and never really recovered after World War II.  

​The 1826 grandstand was demolished in the 1960s.

In 1964 the Horse Race Betting Levy Board announced they would not support the course after 1966. A meeting of the City Council was held 21st July 1964 in the Guildhall where it was decided that horse racing at the Carholme would cease immediately, therefore the last race was held on 18th March 1964, ending a tradition of almost 200 years of racing on the Carholme.

A company was formed in 2010 to bring racing back to Lincoln but it was opposed by the City Council and many West End residents, so the course is destined to remain unused for the foreseeable future.
*The word "thimbleman" has passed into obscurity but this is the best definition I have found:
     "thimblerigger: one who practises the trick of thimblerig; a low trickster or sharper. Also thimbleman."  
     A thimbleman may also "nobble" horses.
Other pages you may like
Plaza cinema lincoln
Cinemas - click image to view
ritz cinema lincoln
More cinemas - click image to view
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • HOME
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Copyright
  • Most Popular Pages/Articles
  • HISTORY
    • How Did Lincoln Get Its Name
    • Timeline of Lincoln's History
      • 48 A.D. to 410 A.D. Roman Period
      • 410 A.D. To 850 A.D. Early Medieval
      • 850 A.D. to 1350 A.D. High Medieval
      • 1350 A.D. to 1750 A.D. Early Modern
      • 1750 A.D. to 1945 A.D. Industrial
    • The Romans
    • The Danes
    • Conflict in Lincoln
      • The Battle of Lincoln
      • The Battle of Lincoln Fair
      • The Civil War
    • Lincoln's Reformation
    • 1790 Poll Book
    • Lincoln in 1810
    • The By-Election of 1823
    • Lincoln in 1855
    • 1903 Horse Fair
  • PEOPLE
    • Business & Professional
      • Akrill to Brogden
      • Brook to Dashper
      • Dickinson to Dyke
      • Ellison
      • Folley to Gresham
      • Hall to Hill
      • Hughes to Nelson
      • Newsum to Porter
      • Pratt to Seeley
      • Shuttleworth to Watkins
      • Watkins to Woodcook
      • Wriglesworth to Wyatt
    • City Mayors
      • 1314 to 1500
      • 1501 to 1700
      • 1701 to 1900
      • 1901 to
    • Architects
    • Bishops of Lincoln
    • Royal Visitors
    • Leonard James Keyworth, V.C.
    • James Anderton
    • Caroline Martyn
    • Lincoln Characters
    • The Italian Stone Man
    • They Gave Their Lives
    • Population
      • Population 1801 to 1901
      • Acreage and Population of Lincolnshire 1801 and 1871
    • Memories of Lincoln
  • PLACES
    • Street Names
      • 1872 Lincoln Street Directory
      • 1872 LIncoln Trade & Professional Directory
    • Domestic Buildings
      • Atton Place
      • Jews Court
      • Bracebridge Hall
        • Bracebridge Hall Club
      • Beaumont House
      • High Bridge
    • The Lost Houses of Lincoln
      • Boultham Hall
      • Cold Bath House
      • Eastcliffe House
      • Eastgate House
      • Hartsholme Hall
      • Monks Manor
      • Monks Tower
      • Sibthorp House
      • The Old House on Corporation Street
    • Places to visit in Lincoln
      • More Places to Visit in Lincoln
      • Around Lincoln
    • Religious Buildings
      • Lincoln Cathedral
      • The Churches
        • St Benedict and Old Kate
        • St Peter at Arches and St Giles Church
        • Lincoln Churches at the Reformation
      • The Close
      • The Priories & Friaries
      • The Malandry
      • Greestone Stairs
    • Entertainment
      • Lincolns Lost Cinemas
      • More Lost Cinemas
      • Pub, Inns, Hotels of Lincoln
        • The Dolphins
      • Horse Racing
      • Usher Gallery & Temple Gardens.
    • Other Buildings
      • Half Timbered Lincoln
      • Lincoln Castle
      • Lincoln's Gates
      • Lincoln Lunatic Asylum
      • The Bridge of Sighs
      • The Stonebow & Guildhall
    • Open Spaces
      • The Arboretum
      • The South Common
      • Boultham Park
      • Hartsholme Country Park
      • Steep Hill
      • Witham Valley Country Park
      • The Hidden Necropolis
    • Buildings of Local Importance
    • Lincoln's Listed Buildings
  • COMPANIES
    • Akrill to Penney
      • Akrill, Ruddock & Keyworth
      • Charles Duckering Ltd
      • Clarkes Crank & Forge
      • Clayton, Shuttleworth & Co
      • Doughty, Son & Richardson Ltd
      • F P Watson
      • H Newsum & Sons Ltd
      • Henry Poppleton & Sons
      • James Dawson & Son Ltd
      • John Cooke & Son (Lincoln) Limited
      • Lincoln Gas, Light and Coke Co
      • Mawer & Collingham
      • Penney & Co
    • Penney Porter to W Rainforth
      • Penney & Porter (1932) Ltd
      • JTB Porter & Co
      • R M Wright & Co Ltd
      • Robey
      • Ruston, Proctor & Co
      • Ruston & Hornsby Ltd
      • W Foster & Co
      • W Rainforth & Sons Ltd
      • More Companies
    • Old Adverts
      • 1853 Adverts
      • 1885 Adverts
      • 1901 Adverts
      • 1919 Adverts
      • 1941 Adverts
  • TRANSPORT
    • Foss Dyke
    • Mail Coach to London
    • The Horse Trams
    • The Electric Trams
  • WHAT THEY SAY
    • Quotes From the Famous
    • An American Tourists Perspective
    • Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • City of My Dreams
  • USEFUL LINKS
    • Local Links
    • UK Links
    • Events In Lincoln
    • Facebook Pages & Groups
    • Photographic Links
  • MAPS, IMAGES & VIDEOS
    • Photo Galleries
      • Greyfriars
      • Some Less Notable Buildings
      • More Less Notable Buildings
      • Look Up, Look Down, Look Around
    • A High Street Journey
    • A Journey Around Brayford Pool
    • Old Images of Lincoln
      • High Street, High Bridge and Stonebow
      • Lincoln's Waterside
      • Brayford
      • High Street - St Benedicts Square to St Mary Street
      • Steep Hill & Strait
      • Broadgate
      • The Bail
      • Lincoln Cathedral
      • Waterside - Stamp End
      • Silver Street
    • Lincoln Videos
    • Maps
      • Map Of Roman Lincoln
      • Lincoln in 12th c
      • Map of the Battle of Lincoln
      • Lincoln Map 1722
      • Lincoln Map 1779
      • Lincoln Map 1882
      • LIncoln Map 1898
      • Lincoln Map Early 20th Century
  • BOOKS ABOUT LINCOLN
    • It's About Lincoln books
    • Lincoln in Fiction
    • MY BLOGS
      • It's About Lincoln Blog
      • It's About Lincolnshire Blog
      • List of Blogposts
  • LINCOLNSHIRE
    • A Historical Description of the County of Lincolnshire