Earliest meeting: Friday 18th September 1829
Final meeting: Wednesday 27th January 1864
The Worcestershire village of Aston Somerville is situated about 5 kilometres south of Evesham and once held its own races in the 19th century. The village is very small and historically consisted of 3 farms, all part of the Crowther estate. The races were held in the fields of one of the farms called Lower, Middle and Upper Farm. Regional newspapers frequently reported on the meetings, with first reports taking place on Friday 28th October 1836 when the principal race was the Dumbleton Cup over 2 ½ miles which was sponsored by Edward Holland. The keenly fought race was won by Mr T F Smith’s Fanny who got the better of Cripple and The Clouds. In later meetings the Cavalry Cup was contested and at the meeting on Friday 14th May 1858 a Hurdle race was included in the card. The final meeting took place on Wednesday 27th January 1864.
Although the first occasion Aston Somerville races were recorded in newspapers, it has come to light that a meeting was held on Friday 18th September 1829. I am grateful to David Copland for the scan of the trophy shown opposite, which weighs 1.094 kg and is made of sterling silver. It was the trophy for the first race of the day, with 35 sovereigns added to the prize money, and was won by a popular man in the village, and Estate owner, William Crowther with his bay gelding The Colonel, although no other details can be found.
Friday 28th October 1836
The Dumbleton Cup over 2 ½ miles
1. Fanny, bay mare owned by Mr T F Smith
2. Cripple, chestnut filly owned by Mr Crowther
3. The Clouds, grey mare owned by Mr Crowther
The article below is from Bell’s Life and the Sporting Chronicle and is shown courtesy of the British Newspaper Online Archive.
The article below is from the Worcestershire Herald and is shown courtesy of the British Newspaper Online Archive.
The article below is from Bell’s Life and the Sporting Chronicle and is shown courtesy of the British Newspaper Online Archive.
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
