Earliest meeting: Thursday 29th March 1849
Final meeting: Thursday 14th March 1850
The area of Cumbria and the Lake District is known today for its beautiful countryside and tranquil life, but back in the 1830s the county of Cumberland was split into East and West Cumberland. The main town in the East Cumberland area was Carlisle, which has its own racecourse to this day. The Earl of Carlisle was always a member of the Howard family, and it was the sixth son of the 6th Earl of Carlisle, Charles Howard, who represented the area in Parliament from 1840 until 1879. During this time, in the middle of the 19th century, East Cumberland ran races in its own right. The first meeting took place on the Thursday 29th March 1849 at Weslinton, 5 miles north of Carlisle. The course was on the edge of the village and contained 29 leaps, the first in Home Field was over 6 feet high. Races were held again the next year on Thursday 14th March 1850.. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 1 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Earl of Carlisle, Honourable E T Gage |
| Principal Races |
East Cumberland Handicap Sweepstake |
Thursday 29th March 1849
Westlinton Handicap Steeplechase over 3 miles
1. Little Fanny, bay mare owned by Mr Henderson
2. Clementina, grey mare owned by Mr J Mewburn
3. Johnnie Barrie, chestnut gelding owned by Mr Laing |
The only recorded meeting took place on Thursday 14th March 1850. |
| Course today |
On the edge of Westlinton in fields containing 27 fences. |
| If you have photos, postcards, racecards. badges, newspaper cuttings or book references about the old course, or can provide a photo of how the ground on which the old racecourse stood looks today, then email johnwslusar@gmail.com |
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 |
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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 |
| Copies of the above books are only available by emailing johnwslusar@gmail.com stating your requirements, method of payment (cheque payable to W.Slusar) or Bank transfer, and the address where the book(s) should be sent. |
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