Earliest meeting: Tuesday 3rd May 1842
Final meeting: Tuesday 3rd May 1853
The Nottinghamshire town of Ollerton, with its historic watermill built in 1713, lies on the River Maun on the edge of Sherwood Forest. On Tuesday 3rd May 1842 it organised its inaugural race meeting on Boughton Brake, an unenclosed area of land owned by the Earl of Scarborough. The meeting opened with the Ollerton Hurdle Sweepstake and concluded with a Flat race. Races continued annually for the next eleven years. At the meeting on Monday 3rd May 1852 the Hurdle Sweepstake was won by Dandy Jem, owned by Mr G Walker, who defeated Mr B Land’s The General. The final meeting was staged on Tuesday 3rd May 1853 when the Hurdle race was won by Bobtail from Kiss Me Quick and Blue Ruin. The concluding Flat race was won by Mr John Lamplugh’s Latitat.
Earl of Scarborough, Mr John Lamplugh
The inaugural race meeting at Ollerton formed part of the annual May Day Fair, with games held on May Holiday Monday, followed by races on Tuesday 3rd May 1842. In bygone days it was a feast to celebrate Robin Hood, Maid Marion and the jolly Friar Tuck, using hobby horses and homemade dragons. The racecourse lay outside of Ollerton and was approached by a green lane whose banks on both sides of the road were studded with violets, primroses, sparkling daisies and bright orange dandelions. The course itself was ideally situated, the surrounding hills making a complete amphitheatre bounded on the south-west by fine woods belonging to Rufford Abbey, on the north-east there were the antlered oaks of Bilhagh and waving birches of Birkland, and a fine view of the Honourable Colonel Lumley’s Cockglode House, whilst in the far west was the grey spire of St Mary’s Church at Edwinstowe. The opening race was won by Mr Jonathan Williamson’s Physician; the second race saw Mr Horton’s grey horse triumph. Once racing had finished the motley throng retraced their steps to Ollerton just as a shower of rain began to fall to the gratification of local farmers and the consternation of village maids in white gowns and sandals.
The next year there was a complete change of approach, even though the races were, once again, on the Tuesday following May Day. The races were steeplechases held over a number of fields on the south side of Ollerton, a course of a mile and a half in circumference spread over 2 ploughed fields, 2 stubble fields and 2 grass fields. The fences were made particularly challenging by locating a hurdle in front of each natural hedge, with the hedges cut to a consistent four and a half foot height.
Tuesday 2nd May 1843
Ollerton 15 sovereign Steeplechase
1. GOOSEQUILL, aged bay gelding owned by Mr Orton and ridden by Wilmot 1 1
2. MARY WOOD, bay mare owned by Mr Chawner and ridden by Taylor 0 2
3. RORY O’MORE, aged horse owned and ridden by Mr Williamson 2 0
4. CRUIKSHANKS, aged horse owned by Mr Burton and ridden by Jackson 3 3
5. CONFIDENCE, bay mare owned and ridden by Mr Turner
6. TARRIER, aged bay horse owned by Mr Naylor and ridden by Scott
7. ANSTONIAN, grey mare owned by Mr Taylor and ridden by Daley
Ollerton 10 sovereign Steeplechase
1. RORY O’MORE, aged horse owned by Mr Williamson and ridden by Scott 1 1
2. MATILDA, bay mare owned by Mr Price and ridden by Wilmot 0 2
3. CRUIKSHANKS, aged horse owned by Mr Burton and ridden by Jackson 2 0
4. JOHNNY, brown horse owned by Mr Burrow and ridden by Daley
I am grateful to Chris Butler for the photos below which show what the Boughton Brake area, first used as the racecourse in 1845, looks like today.
In 1845 the meeting took place on Friday 2nd May and, for the first time, was held at Boughton Brake (Brecks) a 600-acre area of land under the guardianship of the freeholders of Boughton, although it was the property of the Earl of Scarborough. The two parties had discussed the possibility of using the site in late 1844 and it came to fruition in 1845. One of the big advantages of the site was the viewing opportunities provided by the brow of the hill, although it did require 3 man made hurdles, and the course was covered twice to give 6 hurdles in total.
Friday 2nd May 1845
Ollerton 20 Sovereigns Sweepstake over a mile and a half
1. GOOSEGREEN (2/1), chestnut gelding owned by Mr Hallam and ridden by Vincent 4 2 1 1
2. CONFEDERATE, bay horse owned by Mr W Wilmot 1 3 2 2
3. SHOCKING MAMMA, bay horse owned by Mr F Lister 3 1 3 wdr
4. THE BIRD, bay gelding owned by Mr Percival 2 wdr
5. THE LAWYER, chestnut gelding owned by Mr R Clifton dist
6. WHITELOCK (Evens fav), bay gelding owned by Mr William Underwood dist
7. PLOUGHBOY, bay horse owned by Mr Austin dist
8. GO-AHEAD, bay horse owned by Mr Bullivant dist
Ollerton 10 sovereigns Sweepstake
1. THE BIRD, bay gelding owned by Mr Percival and ridden by Land 1 1
2. WHITELOCK, bay gelding owned by Mr William Underwood and ridden by Rimmington 2 2
3. GO-AHEAD, bay horse owned by Mr Bullivant and ridden by J Daley
4. PLOUGHBOY, bay horse owned and ridden by Mr Austin 0 wdr
Ollerton Hack Race
1. MAID OF LLANGOLLEN, bay mare owned by Mr H Slagg and ridden by C Land 1 1
2. GO-AHEAD, bay horse owned by Mr Bullivant and ridden by Wilmot 2 wdr
3. THE LAWYER, chestnut gelding owned by Mr Clifton and ridden by J Daley 3 2
4. WARSOP LASS, bay mare owned by Mr Robinson and ridden by Darby 0 wdr
5. DELUSION, brown horse owned and ridden by Mr Frost 0 wdr
Ollerton Stewards Cup given by Stewards and Nottingham Gentlemen
1. CONFEDERATE, bay horse owned and ridden by Mr W Wilmot 1 1
2. MAID OF LLANGOLLEN, bay mare owned by Mr Slagg and ridden by Smith 2 2
3. SHEPHERDESS, chestnut mare owned and ridden by Mr Vincent 0 0
After the racing was complete an Ordinary was organised by Mrs Boot at the White Hart Hotel.
The next year the meeting reverted to May Monday, 4th May 1846 and was held on the usual Boughton Brake course.
Ollerton 20 sovereigns Hurdle over a mile and a half and 6 flights
1. ST ALBA, chestnut horse owned and ridden by Mr Scott
2. CASSANDRA, bay mare owned by Mr Wooder and ridden by Swan
3. DONNA ANNA, bay mare owned by Mr Smith and ridden by N Stagg
4. ESCAPE, chestnut mare owned by Mr Saint and ridden by W Taylor
5. WOLDSMAN, bay horse owned by Mr Bird and ridden by Wilmot
6. CHARLES XII, brown horse owned and ridden by Mr Bentley
7. RED ROVER, chestnut horse owned by Mr Trafford and ridden by Jaques
8. THURGARTON, bay horse owned by Mr Reynold and ridden by Darby
9. GIPSY, brown mare owned by Mr Smith and ridden by Chambers
Ollerton 10 sovereigns Sweepstake over a mile and a half
1. ADRIAN, bay horse owned and ridden by Mr Scott
2. CASSANDRA, bay mare owned by Mr Wooder and ridden by Swan
3. DO IT AGAIN, bay mare owned by Mr Shelton and ridden by Frost
4. GIPSY, brown mare owned by Mr Smith and ridden by Chambers
5. LADY ADELA, bay mare owned and ridden by Mr Lane
6. DARIUS, brown horse owned and ridden by Mr Bentley
Handicap Stakes
1. THURGARTON, bay horse owned by Mr Reynold and ridden by Frost
2. GIPSY, brown mare owned by Mr Smith and ridden by Chambers
3. LADY ADELA, bay mare owned by Mr Lane and ridden by N Stagg
4. WOLDSMAN, bay horse owned by Mr Bird and ridden by Jaques
10 Sovereigns MATCH over once round and the distance
1. CHARLES XII, brown horse owned and ridden by Mr Hodgson
2. DARIUS, brown horse owned and ridden by Mr Bentley
The location of Ollerton races each year was a moveable feast, and on Monday 3rd May 1852 the 8th Earl of Scarborough, John Lumley-Savile, leased a piece of unenclosed land at Boughton Brake, a mile from Ollerton centre, to be used for the races. The location was the scene of much life and gaiety from early morning, with all kinds of vehicles arriving at the track, accompanied by a large number of foot passengers. Although the day beforehand had been fair, by 1 o’clock on race day it was cloudy, with a sprinkling of rain before the first race. The opening race, a hurdle race, saw a good field headed by Mr B Land’s The General, although in the first heat he was beaten into second place by Mr G Walker’s Dandy Jem. The result was repeated in the second heat which allowed Mr Walker to claim the prize. A Sweepstake and Handicap completed the days racing.
Ollerton Hurdle Race
1. DANDY JEM, brown gelding owned by Mr G Walker
2. THE GENERAL, aged horse owned by Mr B Land
3. LITTLE JANE, brown mare owned by Mr Chapman
4. THE REIVER, brown gelding owned by Mr John Lamplough
Ollerton 10 Sovereign Sweepstake
1. LATITAT, bay gelding owned by Mr G Taylor
2. KITTY, chestnut mare owned by Mr G Walker
3. PADDY, bay horse owned by Mr C Steele
4. THE GENERAL, aged horse owned by Mr B Land
5. SHELFORD, bay colt owned by Mr Galloway
Ollerton Handicap Sweepstake over a mile and a half
1. THE REIVER, brown gelding owned by Mr John Lamplugh
2. LITTLE JANE, brown mare owned by Mr Chapman
3. SHELFORD, bay colt owned by Mr Galoway
There was a sad footnote to the meeting when, during the second race, Mr Richard Whitworth of Walesby tried to cross the course without realising that the race was still being run, and was hit by Shelford who was some way behind the others. He was knocked unconscious and remained so for a couple of hours, but fortunately no serious injury resulted.
I am grateful to Chris Butler for the photos below which show what the Boughton Brake area, still being used as the racecourse in 1853, looks like today. He has provided a small clip of the area, although the sound is not great as it was very windy.
The final meeting held at Ollerton was staged on Tuesday 3rd May 1853 when a three-race programme was offered, with a total of 7 heats spread throughout the day. The meeting was attended by John Trueman, a local entomologist, who witnessed the opening race, a Hurdle Race over 6 flights of hurdles, being won in 2 heats by Mr G Lockwood’s Bobtail. The second race, a less valuable Hurdle Sweepstake over a mile and a half was won in 3 heats by Mr H Turner’s Kiss Me Quick. The meeting concluded with a Flat Race when Latitat, owned by Mr J Lamplough (sic), was successful, but there was a sad footnote to the meeting when John Trueman met his death when returning home from the races.
Tuesday 3rd May 1853
Ollerton 20 sovereign Hurdle Sweepstakes over a mile and a half and 6 flights
1. BOBTAIL, bay gelding owned by Mr G Lockwood and ridden by C Boyce 1 1
2. KISS ME QUICK, brown mare owned by Mr H Turner and ridden by Walker 2 2
3. BLUE RUIN, bay gelding owned by Mr Hunderwing 3 dr
Ollerton 10 sovereign Hurdle Sweepstake for farmers and tradesmen
1. KISS ME QUICK, brown mare owned by Mr H Turner and ridden by Walker 3 1 1
2. PETER SIMPLE, grey gelding owned by Mr Brownlow 2 2 2
3. BLUE RUIN, bay gelding owned by Mr Hunderwing 1 3 0
Ollerton 10 sovereign Flat Race over a mile and a half
1. LATITAT, bay gelding owned by Mr J Lamplough and ridden by Potter 1 1
2. EMPRESS, black filly owned by Mr G Vickers
3. KISS ME QUICK, brown mare owned by Mr H Turner 3 wdr
The brown mare, Kiss Me Quick, must have been a tough mare, for she ran in all 7 races, covering 10 and a half mile and jumping 30 flights of hurdles.
There was an even sadder footnote to this final meeting at Ollerton concerning John Trueman. John Trueman, well known as an entomologist, was born at Edwinstowe on 3rd May 1802. He never married and lived his entire life at “Trueman’s Yard”, earning a living as a shoemaker. He is described as, “a little man, about five feet five inches tall in stature, with a broad and lofty forehead, over which his black hair stands erect, and a pair of large dark eyes in his head, which are at once merry and thoughtful” (Searle, 1850). Many were the rare insects his intelligent industry collected, including beetles, butterflies and moths of Sherwood Forest from a boy of around seven years and concluding only with his unfortunate death on Tuesday, 3rd May 1853. He was apparently killed in a collision with an omnibus on his 51st birthday together with the pony he was riding while returning home from the races at Boughton Brake (Anon, 1853a). A large, but plain, monument commemorating his indefatigable contribution to entomology was erected over his grave by village subscription next to Edwinstowe church (Anon, 1853b).
The only recorded meeting took place on Tuesday 3rd May 1853.
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
