A Brief History of Epsom & its Racing Heritage
The first recorded history of Epsom dates back to the earliest Saxon period when it was variably known as Ebbisham, Ebesham or Epsham. Its name derives from the presence of a spring in the chalk hills known ” the Earthbourn from whence the Princess Ebba, in time to become the wife of the first Saxon Christian King, received her baptismal title in AD 660. Epsom is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Ebesham, taking its origin from the Saxon word ‘Ebbe’ for ebb (to flow back) and ‘ham’ (a village).
At the time of the Norman Conquest it was the property of the Monastery of Chertsey. Apart from a short period during the reign Henry VIII, it remained among the Crown lands until 1587 when Elizabeth I gave it to Edward Darcy, a headstrong and wilful man, who as a result of gambling was forced to sell it to George Mynn of Lincolns Inn. It was from that period until well into the 19th Century that the Manor of Epsom, as it was then known, came into the ownership of a number of families who had considerable influence on the growth of Epsom.
1618 proved a seminal year in the history of Epsom, for it was during the exceptionally dry summer that a herdsman seeking water came across a watering hole from which his cattle would not drink. It was discovered that the water had strong mineral properties and subsequently Epsom emerged as a spa town comparable to and ultimately surpassing Tunbridge. Epsom Salts then became famous throughout the world as a curative medicine and Victorian travellers rarely embarked on journeys without them.
Whilst racing, after a fashion, had taken place on the Downs (then called Banstead Downs) at the time of James I during his occasional sojourns at nearby Nonsuch Palace, horse racing at a famous spa now became the national corollary. By the time of the Restoration, the halcyon days of Charles II were vividly captured through the immense popularity of Epsom as a fashionable town at which to pass the long days of idleness in hawking, boxing and horse racing on the geographically ideal slopes of the Downs.
It was from this time that horse racing, already conducted in essentials as it is today, became inextricably connected with the development of Epsom from a village to a thriving town. Frequent reference to the races at Epsom is to be found in the writings of Samuel Pepys. Charles II was a regular visitor to the Downs and thus instigated the royal patronage of the races, which has continued at frequent intervals to the popular support of our present Queen.
South Hatch is still there, but the stables have gone. South Hatch was owed by the Pitt family and that is where they had a small but delightful museum. When Wendy finally sold the house they dispersed the collection and I was lucky to get a good collection of it.
To the vast majority, however, Epsom has become synonymous with the Derby itself. No sporting event in history has thrown up such a plethora of intriguing if, at times, tragic anecdotes. Stories abound of the scandals, the famous and equally infamous betting coups, of estates, manor houses and titles lost on a gambling whim, of the legendary training and riding feats of characters like john Bowes, Sir Charles Bunbury, Jem Robinson, Archer and Donoghue, to name but a few. Here is the panoply of a seemingly endless saga perpetuated by contemporaries like Lester Piggott, Vincent O’Brien and many others.
There is no more colourful a sight than the Downs on Derby Day, with its multi-national appeal, the interminable burble of thousands of carefree visitors subdued only by the penetrating silence to be witnessed prior to ‘the off’ and the ensuing cavalcade around Epsom’s twisting gradients.
The Derby was born uniquely by the toss of a coin between the Earl of Derby and Sir Charles Bunbury and remains to this day the greatest sporting gala of all time. It is justifiably retained for posterity as the ‘Blue Riband’ of the turf.
Sherwood cottage known as Downs House, the yard will soon be taken over by George Baker.
Priam Lodge has also gone, replace by housing. It was said to have a Prince of Wales Feathers sculpture above the doorway. No one knowns what happened to that.