Earliest meeting: Saturday 25th February 1832
Final meeting: Saturday 25th February 1832
The tiny Oxfordshire village of Tetsworth lies some 5 kilometres south of the market town of Thame. It is famous in racing circles because it held the first recorded steeplechase meeting in Oxfordshire. The meeting took place on Saturday 25th February 1832 and consisted of a field of 11 runners each carrying 10 st 7 lbs. The race was under the direction of Henry Peyton Esq and was a genuine point to point race. It began in a field to the east of the village and finished on the hill near to Rycote, with horses covering a distance of 3 miles. When the Domesday Book was written in 1086 the village did not exist as a separate Manor, but the village came in to being in the 12th century when local landowners donated their land for the use of the Cistercian Thame Abbey. At various times over the next few hundred years the ownership of the land rotated between the Abbey, the Crown and individuals. In 1589 the Crown owned the land and sold it to Christopher Petty of Tetsworth. Although this was the final meeting held in Tetsworth, the village still maintained a link with horse racing when the 19th Hussars organised a point to point steeplechase meeting in the vicinity of the village on Wednesday 3rd April 1889, while in the early part of the 20th century the South Oxfordshire Bona-fide Hunt Steeplechases were held near the village. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 2 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Mr Henry Peyton, Mr S Quartermaine |
| Principal Races |
Tetsworth 3 mile Steeplechase |
Saturday 25th February 1832 |
Tetsworth Steeplechase over 3 miles
1. An unnamed grey horse by Arbutus owned by Mr S Quartermaine. |
| The final meeting took place on Saturday 25th February 1832. |
| Course today |
A 3 mile race starting to the east of Tetsworth and finishing on the hill near Rycote. |
| 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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