That sounds a good idea. Of course, you do have also to look at topography. As Barbara says, there are also those that appear to buck the trend, such as Ely. Incidentally, we did also go to Ely. We just couldn't do cathedrals and miss that glorious building out. Perhaps there was a race course there at some time that has sunk beneath the mud? As I've just written to Barbara and forgot to post to list (sorry), there was once a race course in the middle of Manchester but Manchester Cathedral would still have been only a collegiate church at that time, only having been comparatively recently elevated to the status of cathedral. I also think that Barbara's idea of the PhD might be a runner? As for me, I'm going to York Races soon and may or may not visit the minster, having done this before. However, we did miss out the race course on our tour as there wasn't a meeting on at that time. We did make an overall win, using only minimum bets, that provided us with a good evening meal before we arrived back home. I really could recommend the idea. Audrey ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tompkins, M.L.L." <mllt1@leicester.ac.uk> To: <OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 1:31 PM Subject: Re: [OEL] Racecourses and cathedrals > <<My question then and now is why do so many cathedrals have race courses > nearby and the converse, why have so many race courses established > themselves close to cathedrals? Can anyone help with this puzzle of > mine?>> > > My guess would be (and it's just a guess) that race courses were usually > set up in county towns and other similar places, because those were places > where people, especially the horse-owning and -racing classes, tended to > gather (for all sorts of reasons, administrative, legal, commercial, > social) - and most cathedral cities were exactly that kind of place. > > Matt Tompkins > > > ==================================== > WEB PAGE: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~oel/ > ARCHIVES: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=OLD-ENGLISH > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > OLD-ENGLISH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: - Release Date: <unknown> > >

I don't recall ever seeing any mention of race courses anywhere near either of Kent's cathedrals. Having said that Canterbury was associated with a number of fairs and markets. The county meeting place however was on Penenden Heath which is just to the north of Maidstone which at some point in time took over the role of county town from the city of Canterbury. David Pott dip. Kent Hist. Market Inn, Faversham, Kent -----Original Message----- From: old-english-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:old-english-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of A Lee Sent: 18 August 2009 11:16 To: Tompkins, M.L.L.; OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [OEL] Racecourses and cathedrals That sounds a good idea. Of course, you do have also to look at topography. As Barbara says, there are also those that appear to buck the trend, such as Ely. Incidentally, we did also go to Ely. We just couldn't do cathedrals and miss that glorious building out. Perhaps there was a race course there at some time that has sunk beneath the mud? As I've just written to Barbara and forgot to post to list (sorry), there was once a race course in the middle of Manchester but Manchester Cathedral would still have been only a collegiate church at that time, only having been comparatively recently elevated to the status of cathedral. I also think that Barbara's idea of the PhD might be a runner? As for me, I'm going to York Races soon and may or may not visit the minster, having done this before. However, we did miss out the race course on our tour as there wasn't a meeting on at that time. We did make an overall win, using only minimum bets, that provided us with a good evening meal before we arrived back home. I really could recommend the idea. Audrey ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tompkins, M.L.L." <mllt1@leicester.ac.uk> To: <OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 1:31 PM Subject: Re: [OEL] Racecourses and cathedrals > <<My question then and now is why do so many cathedrals have race courses > nearby and the converse, why have so many race courses established > themselves close to cathedrals? Can anyone help with this puzzle of > mine?>> > > My guess would be (and it's just a guess) that race courses were usually > set up in county towns and other similar places, because those were places > where people, especially the horse-owning and -racing classes, tended to > gather (for all sorts of reasons, administrative, legal, commercial, > social) - and most cathedral cities were exactly that kind of place. > > Matt Tompkins > > > ==================================== > WEB PAGE: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~oel/ > ARCHIVES: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=OLD-ENGLISH > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > OLD-ENGLISH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: - Release Date: <unknown> > > ==================================== WEB PAGE: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~oel/ ARCHIVES: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=OLD-ENGLISH ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to OLD-ENGLISH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.13.60/2311 - Release Date: 08/18/09 06:03:00

Yes, Canterbury certainly appears to be an exception. It does have a remarkably good cricket ground but that is rather irrelevant to the present discussion. Audrey ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Pott" <davpott@hotmail.com> To: <OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 4:19 PM Subject: Re: [OEL] Racecourses and cathedrals >I don't recall ever seeing any mention of race courses anywhere near either > of Kent's cathedrals. > > Having said that Canterbury was associated with a number of fairs and > markets. > > The county meeting place however was on Penenden Heath which is just to > the > north of Maidstone which at some point in time took over the role of > county > town from the city of Canterbury. > > > > David Pott dip. Kent Hist. > Market Inn, Faversham, Kent > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: old-english-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:old-english-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of A Lee > Sent: 18 August 2009 11:16 > To: Tompkins, M.L.L.; OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [OEL] Racecourses and cathedrals > > That sounds a good idea. Of course, you do have also to look at > topography. > As Barbara says, there are also those that appear to buck the trend, such > as > > Ely. Incidentally, we did also go to Ely. We just couldn't do cathedrals > and > > miss that glorious building out. Perhaps there was a race course there at > some time that has sunk beneath the mud? As I've just written to Barbara > and > > forgot to post to list (sorry), there was once a race course in the middle > of Manchester but Manchester Cathedral would still have been only a > collegiate church at that time, only having been comparatively recently > elevated to the status of cathedral. I also think that Barbara's idea of > the > > PhD might be a runner? > > As for me, I'm going to York Races soon and may or may not visit the > minster, having done this before. However, we did miss out the race course > on our tour as there wasn't a meeting on at that time. We did make an > overall win, using only minimum bets, that provided us with a good evening > meal before we arrived back home. I really could recommend the idea. > > Audrey > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Tompkins, M.L.L." <mllt1@leicester.ac.uk> > To: <OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 1:31 PM > Subject: Re: [OEL] Racecourses and cathedrals > > >> <<My question then and now is why do so many cathedrals have race courses >> nearby and the converse, why have so many race courses established >> themselves close to cathedrals? Can anyone help with this puzzle of >> mine?>> >> >> My guess would be (and it's just a guess) that race courses were usually >> set up in county towns and other similar places, because those were >> places > >> where people, especially the horse-owning and -racing classes, tended to >> gather (for all sorts of reasons, administrative, legal, commercial, >> social) - and most cathedral cities were exactly that kind of place. >> >> Matt Tompkins >> >> >> ==================================== >> WEB PAGE: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~oel/ >> ARCHIVES: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=OLD-ENGLISH >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> OLD-ENGLISH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> >> -- >> Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. >> Checked by AVG Free Edition. >> Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: - Release Date: <unknown> >> >> > > > > > > ==================================== > WEB PAGE: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~oel/ > ARCHIVES: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=OLD-ENGLISH > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > OLD-ENGLISH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.13.60/2311 - Release Date: 08/18/09 > 06:03:00 > > > > > ==================================== > WEB PAGE: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~oel/ > ARCHIVES: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=OLD-ENGLISH > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > OLD-ENGLISH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: - Release Date: <unknown> > >