Earliest meeting: Thursday 27th August 1827
Final meeting: Tuesday 7th August 1860
The small Gloucestershire market town of Dursley, 4 miles south of the River Severn, has a long association with the Seymour family, including Jane Seymour, and once had its own racecourse which was operational from 1827. The course was on Stinchcombe Hill and the inaugural meeting was held on Thursday 27th August 1827. The principal race was the Dursley Cup and after racing had finished for the day a splendid Dinner was served in the evening at the Bell Hotel. Racing continued on and off for the next 33 years, including races which supported the military, until the final meeting on Tuesday 7th August 1860.
The article below gives a record of a meeting held at Dursley on Thursday 29th February 1844 and is shown courtesy of the British Newspaper Articles Online:-
Tuesday 7th August 1860
Yeomanry Cavalry Cup over 2 miles
1. Sunbeam, bay mare owned by Private Till
2. Mutineer, bay gelding owned by Private Ricketts
3. Banker, chestnut gelding owned by Private Bannister
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
