Earliest meeting: Tuesday 14th April 1874
Final meeting: Tuesday 14th April 1874
The Beaufort Hunt was keen to share its meetings around a number of venues in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire and by 1874 they were on the move again, choosing Little Sodbury for just one meeting. Little Sodbury is a small village in South Gloucestershire close to Chipping Sodbury. The village is famous for its nearby Little Sodbury Manor which was built for Sir John Walsh in the 15th century. The Beaufort Hunt is known to have been in existence since at least 1786 when the then 5th Duke of Beaufort had a pack of hounds. However, it took almost another hundred years before the Hunt Committee organised its own steeplechase meeting. That inaugural 2 day meeting took place in Westbury on Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th December 1867 and was then a roving meeting for the next 11 years. The meeting was staged at various times at Dauntsey, Little Sodbury and Charlton Park before resting on Sherston and Alderton. The only time the meeting was staged at Little Sodbury was on Tuesday 14th April 1874 when there was a four race card. Despite the meeting being described as a semi-private meeting there were between two and three thousand spectators. The course was so well designed that everyone could see all of the runners at each stage of the race, a competitive affair which was won by the Honourable F C Morgan’s Freedom. The final meeting of the Beaufort Hunt took place on Saturday 14th April 1956 when a certain John Lawrence, later to become Lord Oaksey, rode at the meeting claiming 7 lbs.
This racecourse is covered in Volume 1 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below.
The article below is from the Gloucester Journal Saturday 14th April 1874
Duke of Beaufort, Marquis of Worcester, Lord Fitzhardinge, Sir W Throckmorton
Beaufort Hunt Cup, Farmers’ Race, United Hunt Stakes, Blue Coat Sweepstakes
Tuesday 14th April 1874
Beaufort Hunt Cup
1. Freedom, chestnut gelding owned and ridden by the Honourable F C Morgan
2. Freemason, bay gelding owned and ridden by Captain Coote
3. Mount Charles, brown gelding owned and ridden by Lord C Beresford
The semi-private course in Little Sodbury was so well designed that everyone could see all of the runners at each stage of the race.
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
