Earliest meeting: September 1620
Final meeting: Wednesday 6th October 1802
The Oxfordshire town of Burford, on the River Windrush, lies 18 miles of Oxford and staged racing as early as the first few years of the 17th century. The meeting was only recorded because of a fatal stabbing taking place at the event in September 1620. A very important meeting was held on 17th March 1681 when King Charles iI brought his Court to Burford, away from his Royal Palace in Newmarket, and sanctioned a Royal Plate to be held on the town's racecourse. Whilst a further meeting was certainly staged in 1685, the first occasion when actual runners and results were recorded was in the ‘Historical List of Horse-Matches Run in 1751’ which mentioned a meeting taking place in September when prominent owners the Duke of Ancaster, Sir Charles Sidley and Sir John Phillips all contested the Nobleman’s Subscription Plate. The race was won by Badger owned by Sir Charles Sidley. Racing continued for the next half a century until a final 2 day meeting in early October saw His Majesty’s Plate won by Teddy the Grinder owned by Mr Durand.

Monday 2nd September 1751

Monday 2nd September 1751

Burford Match over 4 miles
1. Unnamed bay colt by Second, owned by James Lenox Dutton
2. Unnamed chestnut mare by Foxhunter, owned by Lord Chadworth

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. CARELESS, chestnut horse owned by Mr Warren walked over

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. SPIDER, brown horse owned by Lord Portmore 1 1
2. MINER, chestnut horse owned by Duke of Kingston 3 2
3. HAZARD, grey horse owned by Sir John Moore 2 3
4. HONESTY, chestnut horse owned by Mr Shirley 4 4

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. JUGGLER, grey horse owned by Mr Dutton 1 3 1
2. DORMOUSE, chestnut horse owned by Lord Chedworth 3 2 2
3. WHITELEGS, chestnut horse owned by Sir James Lowther 2 1 dist

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. BESSY BELL, grey mare owned by Mr Dutton 4 3 1 1
2. BABRAM, bay horse owned by Lord Chedworth 3 1 2 2
3. TRAVELLER, chestnut horse owned by Mr Adams 1 2 3 3
4. BRAZEN FACE, brown horse owned by Mr Gorge 2 4 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. APOLLO, brown horse owned by Mr Shafto 1 1
2. CHICKEN, chestnut horse owned by Mr Stamford 2 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. ASMODEUS, bay horse owned by Mr Wanley 1 3 1
2. TINEY, grey horse owned by Lord Portmore 3 1 2
3. HACKNEY, bay horse owned by Sir John Moore 4 5 dist
4. FRIBBLE, bay horse owned by Mr Vernon 2 2 wdr
5. EXOTIC, grey horse owned by Mr Greville 6 4 wdr
6. SPOT, chestnut horse owned by Mr Buckland 5 wdr
7. UNNAMED bay mare owned by Mr Stevens 7 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. WHITELEGS, chestnut colt owned by Lord Chedworth 2 1 1
2. HENRICUS, brown horse owned by Sir M Featherston 1 3 3
3. SWEEPSTAKES, chestnut horse owned by Mr Hilliar 4 2 2
4. TANNER, bay horse owned by Mr Harrison 5 4 dist
5. SPOT, grey horse owned by Mr Dutton 3 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. CYRUS, chestnut horse owned by Mr Bowles 4 1 1
2. UNNAMED bay horse owned by Captain Taylor 3 3 2
3. ADMIRAL, bay horse owned by Mr Vernon 1 2 wdr
4. UNNAMED grey horse owned by Mr Churchill 2 4 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. GHOST, bay horse owned by Lord Orford 1 1
2. STAR, bay horse owned by Mr Stroud 42
3. GRANBY, brown horse owned by Mr Wildman 2 dist
4. TINEY, grey horse owned by Lord Chedworth 3 dist
5. UNNAMED grey horse owned by Mr Lord dist

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 6-y-o carrying 12st over 4 miles
1. ANTELOPE, dun horse owned by Mr Everet 3 1 1
2. UNNAMED bay horse owned by Mr Keck 1 2 3
3. UNNAMED grey mare owned by Mr Vernon 2 3 2

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. CUB, chestnut horse owned by Mr Swaine 1 1
2. UNNAMED bay horse owned by Mr Bailey 2 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 10st over 3 miles
1. NABOB, black horse owned by Mr Crosoer 1
2. LEOPARDESS, grey mare owned by Mr Hitchman dist

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 10st over 3 miles
1. METAPHYSICIAN, bay horse owned by Lord Ossory 1 1
2. MARSHALL SAXE, bay horse owned by Mr Strode 2 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 10st over 3 miles
1. FABIUS, chestnut horse owned by Lord Ossory 1 1
2. CREAM DE BARBADE, bay horse owned by Mr Fettyplace 7 2
3. CRIPPLE, bay horse owned by Mr Dutton 6 3
4. ABRACADABRA, bay horse owned by Mr Yates 4 dist
5. SLAMMERKIN, bay horse owned by Mr Hilton 8 dist
6. GUARDIAN, bay horse owned by Mr Vernon 2 wdr
7. DAINTY, grey mare owned by Mr Wass 3 wdr
8. UNNAMED bay mare owned by Mr Henwood 5 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. WARWICKSHIRE WAG, bay horse owned by Lord Craven 6 1 1
2. POLYDAMUS, bay horse owned by Mr March 1 5 4
3. STEADY, grey horse owned by Mr Watson 5 4 3
4. DUCHESS, bay mare owned by Mr Wildman 4 3 5
5. GENIUS, bay horse owned by Duke of Marlborough 7 7 2
6. MOYNALTA, bay horse owned by Captain O’Kelly 3 6 dist
7. CATCH’EM, chestnut horse owned by Mr Strode 2 2 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. TIMANTHES, chestnut horse owned by Mr Wildman 5 1 1
2. MIST, bay horse owned by Lord Farnham 1 3 4
3. AMIEUS, bay horse owned by Mr Strode 6 4 2
4. SQUIRREL, bay horse owned by Mr Child 4 2 3
5. MISS JUDITH, bay mare owned by Mr Bailey 2 wdr
6. UNNAMED chestnut mare owned by Mr Bell 3 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. MINISTER, brown horse owned by Mr Vernon 3 1 1
2. YOUNG MATCH’EM, brown horse owned by Mr O’Kelly 1 3 3
3. FONTHILL, brown horse owned by Lord Castlehaven 4 2 2
4. JASON, bay horse owned by Duke of Cumberland 2 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. BACHELOR (5/1), bay horse owned by Captain O’Kelly 1 3 1
2. MILLINER (5/2), bay mare owned by Mr Vernon 5 1 3
3. NESTOR (100/8), bay horse owned by Mr Salt 3 2 4
4. PREMIER (5/2), brown horse owned by Lord Farnham 6 4 2
5. SMOAK JACK (5/2), black gelding owned by Mr Dutton 2 wdr
6. POMPEY (100/8), chestnut horse owned by Mr Dymock 4 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. EUSTON (1/3 fav), grey horse owned by Mr Wildman 1 1
2. SMELTER, bay gelding owned by Mr Rider 5 2
3. HARAPHA, chestnut horse owned by Lord Abingdon 4 3
4. UNNAMED bay mare owned by Mr Wellington 3 4
5. UNNAMED bay mare owned by Mr Dutton 2 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. HYLAS, chestnut horse owned by Mr Clark 1 1
2. CASSINIUS, bay horse owned by Captain O’Kelly 3 2
3. RAMBLER, grey horse owned by Mr England 5 3
4. UPTON, bay horse owned by Mr Child 2 wdr
5. FELLOW COMMONER, brown horse owned by Mr Wildman 4 wdr
6. TOP GALLANT, grey horse owned by Lord Abingdon 6 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. DEUCALION (1/5 fav), bay horse owned by Lord Grosvenor 1 1
2. SETHONA, grey mare owned by Mr Luttrell 2 2

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. OMNIUM, bay horse owned by Mr Hibberd 4 1 1
2. JOLLY ROGER, bay horse owned by Mr Mayor 1 2 2
3. VIPER, brown horse owned by Mr Bloss 5 4 3
4. ATTEMPT, bay horse owned by Mr Moody 3 3 wdr
5. WHITE STOCKINGS, chestnut horse owned by Mr Napier 2 wdr
6. NECROMANCER, chestnut horse owned by Mr Yeats 6 wdr
7. MERRY TOM, grey horse owned by Master Boyes 7 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. TREMAMONDO (1/2 fav), brown horse owned by Sir Charles Davers 1 1
2. MENTOR, bay horse owned by Mr Oliver 2 2
3. UNNAMED bay horse owned by Mr Everett 5 3
4. YOUNG SULPHUR, grey horse owned by Duke of Cumberland 3 4
5. BABY, chestnut horse owned by Mr Barnes 4 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. TOPER (1/2 fav), bay horse owned by Mr Stacie 1 1
2. MISS SKEGGS, bay mare owned by Mr Lambourn 2 2
3. NEPTUNE, bay horse owned by Mr Pain 3 3

The image below shows the Isaac Taylor 1777 map of Gloucestershire, taken from ‘A Gloucestershire and Bristol Atlas’ published by the Bristol & Gloucestershire Archeological Society, 1961

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. STANDBY (2/5 fav), chestnut horse owned by Mr Freeman 2 1 1
2. LEXICON (2/1), bay horse owned by Mr Bowles 1 2 2

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. BRUSH (8/1), chestnut gelding owned by Mr Walbank 4 1 1
2. BURRINGDON, brown horse owned by Mr Parker 1 4 4
3. FLYING GIB (Evens fav), brown horse owned by Captain Bertie 2 2 2
4. JOCKEY, chestnut horse owned by Mr Rowles 3 3 3

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. CAPABILITY, bay horse owned by Mr Carteret 1 1
2. UNNAMED chestnut horse owned by Mr Wilkins 2 2
3. MUSIC, chestnut mare owned by Mr Walbank 3 3
4. OBSCURITY, chestnut mare owned by Lord Milford dist
5. ANTAGONIST, chestnut horse owned by Mr Stapleton dist

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. YOUNG ECLIPSE, bay horse owned by Mr O’Kelly 1 1
2. LOFTY, bay horse owned by Sir John Shelley 4 2
3. COTTAGER, bay horse owned by Mr Compton 2 3
4. SHAG, brown horse owned by Captain Bertie 3 4
5. PROSPECT, chestnut horse owned by Mr Parker 5 5
6. UNNAMED bay horse owned by Mr Carter 6 dist

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. GLANCER, brown horse owned by Lord Sherborne 1 1
2. FORTUNIO, brown horse owned by Mr Tireman 2 2

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. DUNGANNON, bay horse owned by Mr O’Kelly 1 1
2. PUNCH, chestnut horse owned by Sir John Lade 2 wdr
3. CHANCE, brown horse owned by Mr Belson 3 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. MARPLOT, brown horse owned by Mr Tetherington 1 1
2. ROCKINGHAM (1/7 fav), bay horse owned by Mr Bullock dist
3. CLAYHALL, bay horse owned by Mr Dowson dist
The two distanced horses ran on the wrong side of a marker post.

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. PILOT (1/2 fav), grey horse owned by Mr Lade 1 1
2. GRATITUDE, chestnut horse owned by Mr Edwin 3 2
3. HACKWOOD, chestnut horse owned by Mr Clark 2 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. DRIVER (4/5 fav), bay horse owned by Lord Egremont 1 5 1
2. BUFFER, bay colt owned by Mr Rogers 2 1 3
3. MERRY ANDREW, bay horse owned by Mr J Clark 6 4 2
4. DROMEDARY, bay horse owned by Mr Hale 4 2 wdr
5. BANDBOX, bay horse owned by Mr Annesley 7 3 wdr
6. SULTAN, bay horse owned by Mr Lade 3 6 wdr
7. KING OF LEINSTER, brown horse owned by Mr S Barry 5 7 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. MENTOR, brown horse owned by Sir Francis Poole 3 1 1
2. PRIZEFIGHTER, brown horse owned by Mr Croke 1 2 2
3. SEEDLING, bay mare owned by Mr Rogers 2 4 3
4. CAPTAIN CALAMITY, brown horse owned by Mr Snell 4 2 4
5. TRIPOLI, bay gelding owned by Mr Jones 5 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. EXPRESS, bay horse owned by Mr Barton 6 1 3 1
2. JUPITER Horse owned by Mr Leeson 5 3 1 2
3. MINOS (Evens fav), black horse owned by Mr Hammond 1 5 4 wdr
4. SIR EDWARD, bay horse owned by Mr Dowson 4 2 2
5. AURELIUS, chestnut horse owned by Mr Croke 3 4 wdr
6. CONSLANS, chestnut horse owned by Mr Lade 2 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. CREEPER, bay horse owned by HRH Prince of Wales 1 1
2. ST LUKE, brown horse owned by Mr Paine 2 2

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. NO PRETENDER, chestnut horse owned by Mr Annesley 4 1 1
2. PARTRIDGE, bay horse owned by Mr Coghlain 1 3 3
3. PALLAFOX, grey horse owned by Mr Davis 2 4 2
4. ALDERMAN, bay horse owned by Mr Cauty 3 2 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. GREY TRENTHAM, grey horse owned by Lord Egremont 1 2 0 1
2. SPIDER, bay horse owned by Lord Sackville 4 1 0 2
3. HALBERT, bay horse owned by Lord Darlington 2 wdr
4. UNNAMED bay horse owned by Sir H P St John Mildmay 3 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. CINNABAR, chestnut horse owned by Lord Egremont 1 1
2. TRANSIT, bay horse owned by Lord Oxford 2 2
3. BRANDY NAN, bay mare owned by Mr Jones 3 wdr
4. NAMELESS, brown horse owned by Mr Adams 4 wdr
5. LOYALTY, chestnut horse owned by Mr Snell 5 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. GENERAL, brown horse owned by Mr Dolphin 1 1
2. EDWIN, bay horse owned by Mr Darling 3 2
3. OLD TAT (1/4 fav), bay horse owned by Mr Smith Barry

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. STIRLING, bay horse owned by Mr Delme 1 1
2. TOTTERIDGE, brown horse owned by Mr Bott 2 wdr

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. KING BLADUD, bay horse owned by Mr Brereton 3 1 1
2. SOBER ROBIN, bay horse owned by Lord Sackville 1 2 2
3. ROLAND, brown horse owned by Mr Dolphin 2 3 3

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. STICKLER, bay horse owned by Mr Hallett 1 1
2. WILL, grey horse owned by Mr Lade 3 2
3. LILLY, bay mare owned by Mr Phillips 2 wdr

Wednesday 28th August 1799

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. WARTER, bay horse owned by Mr Heathcote walked over

Friday 19th September 1800

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. WORTHY (6/4), bay horse owned by Sir Francis Poole 1 1
2. KNOWSLEY (1/2 fav), brown horse owned by HRH Prince of Wales 2 2

Wednesday 29th July 1801

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. SORCERER, black horse owned by Sir Charles Bunbury walked over

Wednesday 1st to Friday 3rd May 1782

Burford Kings Plate run over 3 miles
1. Capability owned by Mr Carterer
2. Unnamed horse owned by Mr Wilkins
3. Music owned by Mr Walbank
The winner was carrying the Black and White paned colours of Mr Carterer and won both of his heats.

Burford 4 mile Plate
1. Antagonist owned by Mr Stapleton
2. Soupire owned by Sir G O Paul
3. Obscurity owned by Lord Milford

Burford Sweepstake run over a mile
1. Mountebank owned by Mr R Dutton
2. Merry Andrew owned by Mr Boyes
3. Unnamed horse owned by Mr Dutton & Mr Naper

Burford
His Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas for 5-y-o carrying 9st over 3 miles
1. TEDDY THE GRINDER (1/3 fav), bay colt owned by Mr Durand 1 1
2. CHUCKLE, bay horse owned by Colonel Kingscote 4 2
3. GAZER, chestnut mare owned by Mr Creswell 5 3
4. PILGRIM, black horse owned by Mr Marsh 6 4
5. TRIUMVIR, bay horse owned by Mr Cripps 3 5
6. ROLLA, brown horse owned by Mr M Phillipps 2 wdr

The final meeting took place on Wednesday 6th October 1802.

I am extremely grateful to Roger Staton for permission to use his summary (below) of Burford Racecourse history and its direct links to Bibury Racecourse and the Bibury Club

Burford racecourse (c1600-1802)
Exactly when racing at Burford started is not clear. There are entries in the town’s burial records that suggest the races were already well established by 1620, so it is not unreasonable to speculate that they started before 1600.
The Burford racecourse was five miles away from the town, on the area of limestone downland that stretches ten mile or so to the south and west of the town. Most of it was common land until the late 1700s, and generally referred to rather loosely as the ‘Burford Downs’.
The Burford ‘horse course’ was on an area of this heathland known locally as The Seven Downs, about a mile to the east of Aldsworth village.
Although Burford itself is in Oxfordshire, the Burford racecourse was across the county boundary in Gloucestershire. This is one reason why historians were for many years unable to pinpoint its location. The OS grid reference for the site of the course is SP180094.
The course had an unusual plan, consisting of very long starting and finishing straights, running roughly south-east to north-west, linked by a horseshoe-shaped curve at the north-western end. Horses went off along the starting straight, round the loop and back along the finishing straight. Total course length looks from 18th century maps to have been just over four miles. There was a stand overlooking the start and finish.
There are a number of newspaper references through the 1700s that confirm the location of the Burford races as Seven Downs. The earliest found so far is from May 1722. The Seven Downs course was also stated to be Burford’s racing venue in William Monk’s 1891 book ‘History of Burford’.
The name Seven Downs seems to have been dropped when the downland around Aldsworth was privatized in the 1790s, and it doesn’t appear on maps after 1777. This is another reason why the location of the Burford racecourse was effectively ‘lost’ until recently.
Racing ended on the course in 1802. It followed the Land Enclosures during which the Seven Downs was taken into private ownership. A new course was laid out on the same land by the new owner the 1st Lord Sherborne. This became known as the Bibury Racecourse, because it was mainly the Bibury Club who raced on it.
There seems to have been a brief overlap period when both courses were in use. After 1802 it was only the ‘Bibury racecourse’ that gets mentioned.
The site of the Burford/Bibury racecourse is nowadays protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, because of the underlying Celtic field system.

I am grateful to Roger Staton for the photo below which shows the location of the former Burford course in May 2022.

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

ISBN 978-0-9957632-0-3

652 pages

774 former courses

ISBN 978-0-9957632-1-0

352 pages

400 former courses

ISBN 978-0-9957632-2-7

180 pages

140 former courses

ISBN 978-0-9957632-3-4

264 pages

235 former courses