Can anyone remember when Arab horses first came into the country? I have a feeling it was sometime in the 18th century. All thoroughbreds trace their breeding back to the first one, I think, although I may be confusing this with something else.? Horses of any sort around here seem to have been on the rare side in the 17th century. Those for riding only were very few. Someone mentioned pigs? I found that these were also for the wealthy. The richest man between 1650-1700 in three townships had two. Most had none at all. They seem to have been kept in sties, not allowed to roam loose. Audrey ----- Original Message ----- From: "Eve McLaughlin" <eve@varneys.demon.co.uk> To: <OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, August 09, 2004 10:42 PM Subject: Re: [OEL] Common vs Open > > >I am just reading about the latter years of the Civil War (1645+), when both > >parties regularly replaced horses killed in combat, by scouring the > >neighbourhoods they marched through. For work-horses, that would be - > >hardly cavalry steeds, I assume. > The cavalry didn't ride any poncy delicate arabs only fit for titupping > about London streets. - they were heavily equipped and were regularly > charging across country, heavy plough, soggy valleys, so draught horses > would be ideal/ > The farmer who lived here got warning of the approach of Prince Rupert > on one of his marauding expeditions after horses and fodder. He is > sup[posed to have had a promising colt, which he his by upending a stone > trough over it. Can't see this - it could only have been a very tiny > foal and it would have yawped for its mother. He could have done better > by using trees and bushes as natural cover, and sticking his plate and > pewter in the trough. > > -- > Eve McLaughlin > > Author of the McLaughlin Guides for family historians > Secretary Bucks Genealogical Society > > > ==== OLD-ENGLISH Mailing List ==== > To UNSUBSCRIBE from list mode -- > Send the one word UNSUBSCRIBE to > OLD-ENGLISH-L-request@rootsweb.com >

The Godolphin Arabian, one of the first, and probably the most important, of the arabian stallions in this country died in 1753 and is buried at Wandlebury just outside Cambridge. I put godolphin+arabian into google and the first site on this list gives a comprehensive summary of his life and descendants, you can find it at http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/GodolphinArabian.html I have seen early 17th century lists/accounts with reference to riding horses, but whether that means they were physically different from coach horses or just that they were horses commonly used for riding, is another matter. Lyn B

In message <00b301c47eca$74b79b60$9cd1fc3e@oemcomputer>, "norman.lee1" <norman.lee1@virgin.net> writes >Can anyone remember when Arab horses first came into the country? I have a >feeling it was sometime in the 18th century. All thoroughbreds trace their >breeding back to the first one, I think, although I may be confusing this >with something else.? exactly - the Byerley Arab was responsible for a lot,. So cavalry of Rupert's time were after heavy draught horses, fully up to the job. > >Horses of any sort around here seem to have been on the rare side in the >17th century. Those for riding only were very few. Well not really - It was normal for the gentry to ride around across country on horseback, and farmers did the same. When coaches came in, there were sneers that only pregnant ladies and old folk should be using them, not 'normal' men or even young women/ > >Someone mentioned pigs? I found that these were also for the wealthy. The >richest man between 1650-1700 in three townships had two. TRhat must have been a very odd community. Pigs were general around cottages, and on farms - the numbers are conditioned by the time of year, since in winter oink oink becomes bacon. But every manor had its pigs, and the right to pannage to feed them. -- Eve McLaughlin Author of the McLaughlin Guides for family historians Secretary Bucks Genealogical Society