Earliest meeting: Tuesday 5th May 1724
Final meeting: Wednesday 22nd April 1868
The Northumberland area of Stagshaw Bank, to the north of Corbridge, was the home of Tynedale Hunt. The earliest record of a meeting in the area, which was reported in the Newcastle Courant, was a two day meeting from Tuesday 5th to Wednesday 6th May 1724. Details of that meeting are shown below. Whilst meetings continued intermittently for the next century, the Hunt was established in 1839 and by the mid-1800s it was organising its own race meetings. The first of their meetings took place in April 1856 at Hexham and was so successful that further meetings were held for the next 12 years, until a final card was staged on Wednesday 22nd April 1868. This final meeting was described as being ‘under the patronage of the gentry of the district’ and was spoiled by fog and incessant rain, although it did not deter a large crowd from assembling at the course on the edge of Stagshaw Bank. The Hunters Stakes, over 2 miles, was won by The Tyke for Mr H Greet, justifying odds of 2/1 On. The Selling Stake Steeplechase Plate over 3 miles went to The Clown, also owned by Mr Greet. The feature race, the Tynedale Hunt Chase saw a good tussle between Harkaway and Once More, with the former prevailing.
The newspaper extract below is shown courtesy of the Newcastle Courant and British Newspaper Online.
Wednesday 22nd April 1868
Tynedale Hunt Steeplechase over 3 miles
1. Harkaway, aged horse owned by Mr W Lambert
2. Once More, aged horse owned by Mr W Lambert
3. Banker, aged horse owned by Mr H B Davidson
The final meeting took place on Wednesday 22nd April 1868.
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
