ECLIPSE

AN INVESTIGATION INTO HIS PEDIGREE

The following is the pedigree of Eclipse as compiled from the General Stud Book, volume 1, 5th edition, 1891:

Marske

According to the GSB, volume 1, 5th edition, page 34, the dam of Marske was the Ruby Mare by Hutton's Blacklegs, her dam by Bay Bolton - Fox Cub - Coneyskins - Hutton's Grey Barb - Hutton's Royal Colt - Byerley's Turk - Bustler.

Pick's Turf Register, volume 1, page 160, says - "Marsk was got by Squirt, out of the Ruby Mare; she was from a daughter of Bay Bolton, and Mr. Hutton's Blacklegs; grandam by Fox-Cub; great grandam by Coneyskins; great great grandam by Mr. Hutton's Grey Barb, a daughter of Mr. Hutton's Royal Colt, a daughter of the Byerley Turk, from a Bustler Mare. This pedigree was supplied by E. Geldard as a true copy from Mr. Hutton's Stud-Book and dated Marsk, Oct. 1801".

Pick's Pedigrees and Performances of the most celebrated Race-Horses, Part 1, 1785, pages 67 and 68, says - "Marsk, bred by Mr. Hutton, who disposed of him when young to his Royal Highness the late Duke of Cumberland. He was got by Squirt, son of Bartlett's Childers; his dam by the said Mr. Hutton's Blacklegs, who was bred by a former Mr. Hutton, and got by his Bay Barb, sire of Black Chance. Marsk's grandam was got by Fox Cub; his great grandam by the Duke of Rutland's Coneyskins, (that won the Royal plate at York in 1718) son of Lister's Turk, sire of Snake, the Duke of Kingston's Brisk and Piping Peg, of the dam of Hip, and the grandam of the Bolton Sweepstakes. Marsk's great great grandam was got by the Grey Barb, which was a present from King William to Mr. Hutton and Mr. Wilkinson. Marsk was allowed to be the first stallion in England for a great number of years, and was sire of Eclipse, Garrick, Masquerade, Pretender, Young Marsk, Mr. Dowson's Marsk, (sire of Clayhall) and many other eminent racers. He died in July 1779, aged 31".

According to An Introduction to a General Stud-Book, 1791, page 6, Marske was by Squirt out of a mare by Hutton's Blacklegs, her dam by Fox Cub - Coneyskins - Hutton's Grey Barb.

Heber's Racing Calendar, volume XVI, for the year 1766, page 172, Stallions to cover in the following season, 1767, says - "Mask was got by Squirt, Dam by Hutton's Black Legs, his Grandam by Lister's Squirrel".

Heber's Racing Calendar, volume XVIII, for the year 1768, page 197, Stallions to cover in the following season, 1769, says - "N. B. He [Marske] was got by Squirt, a Son of Bartlet's Childers, his Dam by Hutton's Black Legs, his Grand Dam by the Fox Cub, his Great Grand Dam by Coney Skins, his Great Great Grand Dam by Mr. Hutton's Grey Barb, and is thought to be the highest English-bred Horse in the Kingdom".

The 2nd Marquis of Rockingham's pedigree collection, Sheffield Archives, Document Reference WWM/R/193/67, says - "Marske - Dam of the D of Cumberland's Marske 1754 & Mixberry
Marske Augt ye 29th 1754 The Brown Mare was got by my Blacklegs, her Dam by Mr Lister's Fox Cub, her Grandam by Coneyskins, her great Grandam by the Hutton Grey Barb, her gt gt Grandam by the Royal Colt, her gt gt gt Grandam by Byerley Turk out of a Mare got by Bustler. A year old Fillye from the above Mare got by Cade. / John Hutton
Marske Augt ye 29th 1754 A Bay Fillye two years old this grass got by Regulus, her Dam by Mixberry, her Grandam by the Bay Turk (that got Blacklegs) her great Grandam by Bay Bolton her gt gt Grandam by Coneyskins her great gt gt Grandam by ye Hutton Grey Barb, and her Dam by Byerley Turk from a Bustler Mare. / John Hutton".

The pedigree of Marske's dam, certified by her breeder, John Hutton, in 1754, when Marske was four years old, says she was out of a Fox-Cub mare. The stallion advertisement for Marske in Heber's Racing Calendar, when he was 16 years old, says his dam was out of a Squirrel [Fox-Cub] mare. The stallion advertisement for Marske in Heber's Racing Calendar, when he was 18 years old, says his dam was out of a Fox-Cub mare. The pedigree of Marske in An Introduction to a General Stud-Book in 1791 says his dam was out of a Fox-Cub mare. In none of these pedigrees is a name given to the dam of Marske. The 2nd Marquis of Rockingham refers to her as "Marske - Dam of the D of Cumberland's Marske".

The "true copy from Mr. Hutton's Stud-Book" dated 1801, that appears in Pick's Turf Register, that was used to "correct" the pedigree of Marske in the 5th edition of volume 1 of the GSB, is the first time his dam is called the Ruby Mare and the first time she is said to be out of a Bay Bolton mare.

The 2nd Marquis of Rockingham's pedigree collection, Sheffield Archives, Document Reference WWM/R/193/36, says - "Nov ye 2d 1754 Ld Portmore has sold Ld Rockingham the Ruby Mare, own Sister to the dam of Martin" and "Ruby was got by old Crab, her dam Abigail was got by Greyhound, out of Routh's Worlock Dam of Wyvill's Fox Cub, &c / Cover'd by Whitenose 1754". The dam of Marske was also covered by Whitenose in 1754.

According to this evidence the dam of Marske was not called the Ruby Mare and the grandam of Marske was by Fox-Cub and not Bay Bolton.

History of the British Turf, by James Christie Whyte, 1840, volume 1, chapter XII, says - "We will conclude this chapter with the most accurate pedigree of Eclipse we have been able to put together".

It being assumed that Whyte was privy to information that we are not, this is a most interesting pedigree. Squirt's grandam (Grey Wilkes) is shown as being by Grey Hautboy and Grey Hautboy's dam is shown as Arlington's Barb Mare. The reference, in the pedigree of Regulus, to Snake's dam being sister to Grey Hautboy is a printing error. This should read (Hautboy - dam unknown) as in the pedigree of Squirt, while the (Hautboy - Arlington's barb mare) should be dropped one place as the parents of Grey Hautboy. As Grey Wilkes was also known as Wilkes Old Hautboy mare, it seems more likely that it was Grey Hautboy, and not his sire, who was also known as Wilkes Old Hautboy.

Cheny's Racing Calendar for 1744, in the index, page v, says - "Bucephalus [chesnut gelding 1738] was bred by Mr. Aisliabie, and got by Robinson Crusoe, Son of Jigg, Son of the Byerley Turk. His Dam was got by Snake, his Grand-Dam by Hautboy. Robinson Crusoe (Sire of Bucephalus) was bred by Mr. Robinson of Richmond, Yorkshire, out of a Grandaughter of an Eminent Mare called Old Wilks, which was bred in the Darcy Family, and got by the said Mr. Wilks's Old Hautboy".

It should be noted in Whyte's pedigree that although the dam of Marske is here shown as Ruby Mare, the grandam is correctly given as a Fox-Cub mare.

Mother Western

According to The Family Tables of Racehorses, by K Bobinski, Mother Western was foaled in 1731.

According to Pick's Turf Register, volume 2, page 9, the great grandam of Cosmo was - "by Mr. Smith's Son of Snake, (sire of Mother Western), out of a favourite Mare of Lord D'Arcy's, which his Lordship, a short time before his death, gave to Mr. Smith". This mare was full sister to Mother Western. Lord Darcy died July 19, 1731. If the mare was given to Mr Smith in 1730 and Mother Western was her first foal bred by him, then 1731 is probably correct.

According to the GSB, volume 1, 5th edition, page 1, Mr Smith's bay colt Smith's Son of Snake or Easby Snake was full brother to Williams's Squirrel by Lister's Snake.

An Introduction to a General Stud-Book, 1791, page 187, says - "Squirrel, (Williams's), Mr. Smith, 1719, By a Son of Snake - Akaster Turk - son of the Pulleine Chesnut Arabian - Brimmer".

Baily's Racing Register, volume 1, page 10, in the result of His Majesty's Plate at Newmarket in October 1725, says - "Mr. Williams's Squirrel, by Smith's son of Snake".

Cheny's Racing Calendar for 1728, page 27, in the result of the Royal Plate for five year old mares at Black-Hambleton, says - "Mr Smith's Chesnut, bred by himself [in 1723], was out of the Dam of Mr Williams's Squirrel, and got by a Horse of the said Mr Smith's own, that was got by Snake".

According to this evidence the stallion known as Smith's Son of Snake was not a brother to Williams's Squirrel but was, in fact, his sire.

The GSB, volume 1, 5th edition, page 380, says - "Driver (Beaver's), 1732, by Snake - Thwaite's Dun Mare, by the Akaster Turk. The Dun Mare bred also a f. by Partner".

Pond's Sporting Kalendar for 1752, page 139, says - "White Stockings, Lord Chedworth's, was got by Hutton's Spot ; his Dam by Elleger's Snake, Sire of Beaver's Driver".

Prior's Early Records of the Thoroughbred Horse, page 43, in Cuthbert Routh's Stud-Book, says - "A Gray colt, out of the Gray mare above, now at Mr Carr's, and got by Mr Elerker's Horse, Easby Snake, was 3 years old 4th of April last [Foaled 1730]".

The Newcastle Courant, Saturday, March 20, 1735-6, Number 569, says - "This is to give Notice, That Mr Ellerker's Chesnut Horse will continue to be Leaped this Season at Hart, for a Guinea a Mare, Leaps and Tryals, and one Shilling the Keeper. He is strong, sound, and without blemish, was bred by Mr Robinson of Easby in Yorkshire, was got by Snake, Snake got by Lister's Turk, his Dam got by the Duke of Rutland's grey Turk, her Dam by Hoyboy, the grand Dam by Busler, and Busler got by Hemsly Turk".

The Newcastle Courant, Saturday, March 15, 1739-40, Number 777, says - "Also to be leap'd this Season, At Hart, near Hartlepool, in the County aforesaid, At One Guinea a Mare, and 1 s the Keeper, Mr Ellerker's chesnut Horse Snake, which was bred by Mr Robinson; he is sound and fresh as ever he was in his Life: This Horse has leap'd a thousand Mare, and One Guinea each Mare, in ten Years time".

The GSB, volume 1, 5th edition, page 75, in the pedigree of Dairy Maid, says - "Miss Western, by Sedbury - Mother Western - brother to Mr Williams's Squirrel".

According to this evidence the sire of Mother Western was "brother to Mr Williams's Squirrel" who was by Smith's Son of Snake. This must have been "Mr Elerker's Horse, Easby Snake", a chesnut son of the bay Smith's Son of Snake. Easby Snake ran in races for six year olds in 1727.

Pick's Turf Register, volume III, page 6, says - "Cannibal was got by Match'em ; his dam by Blank ; grandam, (Trajan's dam) by Bajazet ; great grandam by the Duke of Devonshire's Blacklegs, Mr Smith's Son of Snake, Montague, out of a daughter of a Son of Old Hautboy".

Trajan's dam was actually the Blacklegs mare and the next dam was full sister to Mother Western. Mother Western's grandam is here given as by a Son of Old Hautboy, who was almost certainly Grey Hautboy.

Mother Western's dam was by Darcy's Montague. The Lonsdale Library, volume XXVIII, Flat Racing, chapter one, The Origin & History of the British Thoroughbred Horse, by J. B. Robertson, M.R.C.V.S. (Mankato), pages 34 and 35, says - "The Hautboy Mare produced a mare by Darcy's Old Montague (by Woodcock, out of a mare obtained from Lord Montague of Cowdray, Sussex).

Darcy's Montague

Darcy's Montague was probably full brother to the Old Montague Mare, the dam of Sedbury. Their sire, Woodcock, was foaled in 1702, by Merlin out of Tyrconnel Barb Mare and sired foals from 1716 to 1724. Tyrconnel Barb Mare may be a corruption of Tregonnel Barb Mare.

Grey Hautboy, Coneyskins and Grey Wilkes

An Introduction to a General Stud-Book, 1791, page 187, says - "Squirrel, (Williams's), Mr. Smith, 1719, By a Son of Snake - Akaster Turk - son of the Pulleine Chesnut Arabian - Brimmer".

Prior's Early Records of the Thoroughbred Horse, page 37, in Cuthbert Routh's Stud-Book, says - "Simon. Leapd at Cathrick, 5 years old, 1738. Was gott by [Bartlet's] Childers, his dam was own sistr to Mr. Williams' Squirrell, gott by old Snake, his grand-dam by Acastr Turk, his great grand dam was a mare of Ld D'arcy's, and got by Layton Gray Barb, the dam of which was a Royall mare".

The Newcastle Courant, Saturday, March 20, 1735-6, Number 569, says - "This is to give Notice, That Mr Ellerker's Chesnut Horse will continue to be Leaped this Season at Hart, for a Guinea a Mare, Leaps and Tryals, and one Shilling the Keeper. He is strong, sound, and without blemish, was bred by Mr Robinson of Easby in Yorkshire, was got by Snake, Snake got by Lister's Turk, his Dam got by the Duke of Rutland's grey Turk, her Dam by Hoyboy, the grand Dam by Busler, and Busler got by Hemsly Turk".

The grandam of Squirrel and Easby Snake is variously described here as by 'son of the Pulleine Chesnut Arabian', 'Layton Grey Barb' and 'Hoyboy'. The 'son of the Pulleine Chesnut Arabian' should read 'son of the Pulleine Arabian', a stallion also known as 'son of Rockwood'. These are all different names for Grey Hautboy.

The Akaster Turk, correctly spelled Acaster in Cuthbert Routh's Stud Book, which has already been identified as Lord Carlisle's White Turk, is here further identified as the Duke of Rutland's Grey Turk. The Duke of Rutland's Grey Turk was probably identical with the Duke of Rutland's Coneyskins whose daughter bred a filly by Smith's Son of Snake, which was the grandam of Royal George.

The dam of Hutton's Blacklegs was by Coneyskins out of Old Clubfoot. The GSB, volume 1, 5th edition, page 378, says - "Old Club Foot, by Hautboy".

Prior's Early Records of the Thoroughbred Horse, page 30, in Cuthbert Routh's Stud-Book, says - "The mare [my] Surley was out of was got by Coney skins, her dam by old Ho'boy, & her dam [i.e., the Ho'boy mare] was bred by old Wilks, and out of a mare of Sr Wm Wyvill's, calld Clubfoot".

The Newcastle Courant, Saturday, March 17, 1732-3, Number 412, says - "To be leap’d, this Season, at Mr Benjamin Scaife’s, the Sign of the black Lyon in Stockton, in the County of Durham, at one Guinea a Mare, and 2 s 6 d the Keeper the famous Horse call’d Robinson Crusoe, bred by Mr Robinson of Easeby: He was got by Jigg, out of a Sparke Mare, which was from a Snake Mare, the full Sister to the famous Egerston’s Mare (Country Wench) which Snake Mare was out of a Hautboy Mare bought of Mr Wilk’s: Her Dam being a Pett-Filly Mr Wilk’s bought of Mrs Betty D’Arcy, which was a Foal of her Brother Mr Christopher D’Arcy’s, out of a Royal Mare".

These Hautboy mares appear to be the same. This is Grey Wilkes or Old Wilkes, bred by Mr Wilkes, by his Hautboy (Grey Hautboy) out of Miss Betty Darcy's Pet Mare, also known as Clubfoot.

See SNAKE, CONEYSKINS, LISTER'S TURK AND BYERLEY'S TURK for evidence that:
1) Smith's Son of Snake was by Snake out of Grey Wilkes
2) Snake was also known as Jigg and was out of Charming Jenny
3) Lister's Turk is a corruption of Leicester Turk and was also known as Byerley's Turk

DAM LINE OF ECLIPSE

According to the GSB, volume 1, 5th edition, page 102, Mr Robinson's Sampson was by Blaze oo mare by Hip oo mare by Spark (son of Honeycomb Punch) oo mare by Snake oo Darcy's Queen by a son of Hautboy oo mare by Brimmer oo Royal Mare.

An advertisement in the Newcastle Courant, Saturday, November 29, 1764, number 4598, says - "To be Sold, a Grey Colt, rising four Years old, handsome and strong, lately from Grass, and now broke. He was got by Admiral Sir Charles Saunders’s Grey Mountain Barb, and out of a Daughter of Regulus; which Regulus Mare has bred three winning Things to the Black Barb; She was out of the Dam of Sampson and Baboon, a daughter of Hip, son of the famous Bay Barb, his Great Grandam, by Spark, Son of the famous Honeycomb Punch, Son of the Taffilet Barb; his Great Great Grandam, by Snake; and that Snake Mare was own sister to Williams’s famous Squirrel, his Great Great Great Grandam, by a Son of Hautboy, out of a Brimmer Mare. He is about 15 hands high".

If the "Snake Mare was own sister to Williams’s famous Squirrel" then the next dam cannot be a mare by a Son of Hautboy. Pedigrees of Squirrel and his brother Easby Snake show quite clearly that their dam was by the Acaster Turk out of the mare by a Son of Hautboy. This pedigree was concocted to hide the fact that Sampson was descended from a cart horse.

Mother Western's dam was by Darcy's Montague. The Lonsdale Library, volume XXVIII, Flat Racing, chapter one, The Origin & History of the British Thoroughbred Horse, by J. B. Robertson, M.R.C.V.S. (Mankato), pages 34 and 35, says - "The Hautboy Mare produced a mare by Darcy's Old Montague (by Woodcock, out of a mare obtained from Lord Montague of Cowdray, Sussex)". This Hautboy mare was probably Darcy's Queen by Grey Hautboy.

Skeleton of Eclipse

The skeleton of Eclipse is kept at the Royal Veterinary College, although there have been rumours that the skeleton is not that of Eclipse. At one time there were several skeletons that were claimed to be that of Eclipse, and at least seven purported hooves are currently in existence. One report states that Eclipse's skeleton became part of the Royal Veterinary College's teaching collection and was stored for some time in an attic, in a box with other disarticulated horse bones.

mtDNA

An article in Archaeometry 54, 5 (2012) 916-925, entitled 'Truth in the Bones: Resolving the Identity of the Founding Elite Thoroughbred Racehorses', by M A Bower et al, says - "We obtained Mitochondrial D-Loop DNA from the bones of Eclipse". "We proposed that if the putative skeleton of Eclipse has identical mtDNA to that of the real Eclipse's dam's female descendants (Family 12, n = 15), it is highly likely that the skeleton is indeed Eclipse". "We then analysed DNA isolated from four discrete anatomical features of the skeleton: one tooth (lower M3) and three bones - metacarpus, humerus and tibia. The mtDNA sequences from each sample were identical, suggesting that all originated from the skeleton of a single horse. To further confirm that skeletal elements pertained to a single individual, we measured the three bones' carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (the tooth was excluded due to lack of material). The variation between the skeletal elements fell within the range expected from a single animal. Previous SNaPshot [TM] profiling of all DNA isolates identified a chestnut horse, which is in agreement with the recorded phenotype. While these data indicate that the skeleton originated from a chestnut-coloured horse with the same proportions as Eclipse, mtDNA D-loop sequence data revealed that the skeleton belonged to maternal Family 20, and not to Family 12 as listed in the current (46th) edition of the General stud book. According to the current GSB, Eclipse's dam was Spilletta. Spilletta's dam, Mother Western, was a sister to the Whiteshirt mare, with their dam (Eclipse's great-grandmother) being 'Old Montagu mare'. An analysis of mtDNA from 15 living Thoroughbred horses designated as Family 12 revealed that all living horses descended from Mother Western (Eclipse's maternal grandmother, n = 3) in the female line had an identical sequence to Eclipse and Family 20 (n = 9). Eclipse's haplotype was also shared by Family 19 (n = 1) and Family 2 (n = 1), but since these were single individuals, they were excluded from the data analysis. Those descended from the Whiteshirt mare (n = 12) shared mtDNA sequence identity with each other and with Family 9 (n = 14). We propose, therefore, that an error has been introduced to the GSB, at the time of the introduction of this pedigree in the fifth edition (1891)". "As only 3% of horses fall into the Family 20 group (9/296), it seems unlikely that a different, random horse of the same size and coat colour as Eclipse would also be in the Royal Veterinary College collection. We therefore suggest that the putative skeleton of Eclipse is the authentic skeleton, and that a revision of the GSB pedigree record for Eclipse is required".

See BLACK-A-TOP, OLD MONTAGUE MARE, PULLEINE'S CHESNUT ARABIAN AND WHITESHIRT MARE for evidence that the Whiteshirt mare was the Vintner Mare of Family 9.

The whole of what is left of Family 12 descends from the Grey Hautboy mare which I have identified as Darcy's Queen. It is possible that she had a daughter by Gascoigne's Foreign Horse from which the whole of Family 20 descends.

See CONFUSED PEDIGREES AND MISTAKEN IDENTITIES for evidence that the Eclipse mare, dam of Lambinos, traces to the Layton Barb Mare.

DESCENT CHART 1
[INCORPORATING THE EVIDENCE AND CONJECTURE CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE]

                  FAIRFAX'S MOROCCO BARB <=======================> HELMSLEY TURK
                             |                                           |
                             |                                           ---------------------------------------------
                             |                                           |                                           |
                        Old Morocco      =      DARCY'S YELLOW TURK      |           Arlington Barb Mare             |
                            Mare         |               |               |                    |                      |
                             |           |               --------------> | <----------------> | <------------------> | <----------------
                             |           |               |               |               \   / \       |             |                 |
                             |           |         DICKY PIERSON         |               mare   |      |             |                 |
                             |           |               | 1663          |                |     |      |             |                 |
                             |           |               --------------> | <-----------   |     |      |             |                 |
                             |           |                               |            |   |     |      |             |                 |
                             |        --------------------               |            |   |     |      |             |                 |
                             |        |                  |               |             \ /      |      |             |                 |
                             |     SPANKER          Darcy's  =  DARCY'S WHITE TURK  =  mare     |      |          BUSTLER  =  Pierson's Sorrel Mare
                             |        |           Grey Royal |             1668     |           |      |             |     |
                             |        |                      |                      |           |      |             |     --------
                             |        |                      |                      |           |      |             |            |
                             |        |                      |                     mare         |      |             |         MERLIN
                             |        |                      |                      |           |      |             |            |
                             |        |                      |                      ----------> | <--> | <-----      |            |
                             |        |                      |                                  |      |      |      |            |
                             |        |                      --------------------               |      |      |      |            |
                              \      /                       |                  |               |      |       \    /             |
                           Charming Jenny                    |               HAUTBOY            |   BRIMMER  =  mare           MERLIN
                                  |                          |                  |               |            |                    |
                                  |                          |                  ------     ------            |                    |
                                  |                          |                        \   /                  |                    |
                                  |                   Old Grey Royal      =      SON OF HAUTBOY      =      mare              WOODCOCK
                                  |                                       |      [GREY HAUTBOY]      |                            | 1702
                                  -------------          ------------------                          |                            |
                                              |          |                                           |                            |
                                            JIGG   =  Grey Wilkes                              Darcy's Queen      =        DARCY'S MONTAGUE
                                           [SNAKE] |                                                 |            |
                                                   ---------------                           -------------------> | <------------------------------------
                                                   |             |                           |                    |              |                      |
                                                  mare     SON OF SNAKE      =       Acaster Turk mare           mare           mare                   mare
                                                   |             |           |                                    |        by a cart horse        by Gascoigne's
                                                   |             |           --------------------------           |              |                Foreign Horse
                                                   |             |           |                        |           |              |                      |
                                                   |             |           |                        |           |              |                      |
                                                   |             |           |                        |           |              |                      |
                                                  mare           |       WILLIAMS'S              EASBY SNAKE      |             mare                Favourite
                                                by Spark         |        SQUIRREL                    | 1721      |        by Son of Snake        by Royal Ball
                                                   |             |                                    |           |              |                      | 1728
                                                   |             |                                    |           |              |                      |
                                                    \           /                                      \         /               |                      |
                                                   ROBINSON CRUSOE                                   Mother Western             mare                   mare
                                                            1723                                            | 1731            by Spark            by Little John
                                                                                                            |                    |                      |
                                                                                                            |                    |                      |
                                                                                                            |                    |                      |
                                                                                                        Spilletta               mare                   mare
                                                                                                       by Regulus              by Hip                 by Cade
                                                                                                            | 1749               |                      |
                                                                                                            |                    |                      -------------------
                                                                                                            |                    |                      |                 |
                                                                                                         ECLIPSE              SAMPSOM                  mare            MAMBRINO
                                                                                                        by Marske             by Blaze             by Engineer        by Engineer
                                                                                                              1764                 1745                 | 1771              1768
                                                                                                                                                        |
                                                                                                                                                        |
                                                                                                                                                  YOUNG SIR PETER
                                                                                                                                                      by Doge
                                                                                                                                                          1775

MARSKE OR SHAKSPEARE

The rumour that Eclipse was not a son of Marske has been circulating now for over 250 years and the only published work on the subject was penned by John Lawrence. While not wishing to comment either way, I append here the relevant passage together with a letter that appeared in The Sporting Magazine.

The History and Delineation of the Horse in all his Varieties, by John Lawrence, 1809, pages 229 and 230, says - "I will, in this place, speak a few words on the pedigree of the renowned Eclipse. It has always been taken for granted, that he was a son of Marske, a fact, beyond the power of man to ascertain. Eclipse's dam was covered both by Shakespeare and Marske, and she came to Marske's time, so the honour was awarded to him. If I recollect aright, she had missed by him the previous year. But the circumstance of a mare coming regularly to her time, determines nothing, since they are so uncertain in that respect, in which I have repeatedly known variations from a week or ten days, to two or three weeks. Great stress was laid upon the supposed likeness of Basilius, one of the earliest sons of Eclipse, to old Marske, and indeed the resemblance appeared to me strong ; but I could discover no common family-resemblance between Eclipse and his presumed full-brother Garrick. On the other hand, I think Eclipse strongly resembled the family of Shakespeare, in colour, in certain particulars of form, and in temper. Nothing can be more unimportant than these speculations, and Eclipse's pedigree would suffer no loss of honour or credit, should Shakespeare be placed at the head of it ; which Horse had more of the Darley Arabian in him, than Marske, and in all respects, was equally well-bred, and full as good a runner. Shakespeare, like Marske, was a great-grandson of the Darley Arabian, through Hobgoblin and Aleppo, and his dam the little Harteley mare ; the dam also of Blank, was a grand-daughter of the same Arabian, and out of the famous Flying Whig. One or two of the sons of Eclipse, yet alive, appear to me strongly to resemble the Shakespeare.

It is necessary, however, to subjoin the late intelligence on this subject, with which I have been favoured by Mr. Sandiver, of Newmarket, which goes to assert, on the authority of the stud-groom, that Eclipse's dam really never was covered by Shakespeare. On this I can only observe, that in the year 1778, I was frequently in the habit of visiting Old Eclipse, then at Epsom, on which occasions I often discoursed the subject of the disputed pedigree, with Colonel O'Kelly's then groom, who assured me that the mare was covered by Shakespeare, which account I also had from various other persons, as a well-known fact. And to conceal nothing, it had been reported, that a groom had been bribed to ascribe the get of Eclipse to Marske, there being a strong interest in the reputation of that stallion. I have no doubt, but Mr. Vauxhall Clarke will recollect this report".

The Sporting Magazine, November 1828, volume XXIII, number CXXXIV, a letter to the editor, signed Uleg, dated October 15, 1828, pages 34 to 36, says - "Sir, From the readiness with which you inserted my account of Eclipse, I flatter myself you will afford me an opportunity of stating my reasons for not ascribing to Shakspeare the honour of being sire of that horse of horses, whose very name, in equestrian parlance, has become synonimous with speed and pre-eminence ; promising that you shall have no more last words from me on a subject, which, in my mind, has been, already sufficiently discussed. 'One,' of Worcestershire, says in the last Number (p. 412), that he was struck with the much greater likeness exhibited in the portraits of Eclipse and Shakspeare, than is to be found in that of this celebrated horse and his reputed sire, Marske. This, it must be conceded, is a most fallible token to judge by; as the produce of many mares bear a striking resemblance to the dam ; and it not unfrequently occurs, that in some foals, not only a likeness, but certain points and peculiarities of the grandsire, grandam, or even more remote ancestor, are perceptible. Mr. John Lawrence, in his splendidly decorated History of the Horse, tells us, that 'it has always been taken for granted that he was a son of Marske, a fact beyond the power of man to ascertain. Eclipse's dam was covered both by Shakspeare and Marske :' —rather a bold assertion this, by the bye. Mr. L. acknowledges, however, in the following page, that he had learned from Mr. Sandivir, of Newmarket, that Eclipse's dam really was never covered by Shakspeare. From habits, situation in life, and, consequently, familiar intercourse with those competent to afford correct information on every point connected with the turf, the opinion of so eminent a man must be considered as of the highest authority. I, too, have heard the same, not only from Mr. Sandivir, but from the late Mr. Richard Goodisson. In addition to this testimony, Mr. Smith, son of Barnard Smith, many years stud-groom to the Duke of Cumberland, positively affirmed to me, in the presence of my friend Mr. Thos. Gosden, at Ascot, that his father, in order to gratify some sceptics, actually made oath, that Marske was the sire of Eclipse, and not Shakspeare, as erroneously asserted. Whoever raised any objection, let me ask, to Jigg (a son of the Byerly Turk) as the sire of Partner, the best racer of his time, and as fine a stallion as was ever bred in the kingdom ; though it is well known that Jigg was a common country stallion in Lincolnshire, unnoticed till Partner was six years old ? Again : Old Traveller, a son of Partner, served only indifferent mares for a long time, and those principally galloways; but some of his get running in form, a few wellbred mares were sent to him; still he was thought little of till Dainty Davy and Squirrel appeared. Take also Sprightly by Cade, who, when seventeen years old, was sold to a miller at Sedgefield, near Durham, for ten guineas. The running of Pyrrhus, however, induced Mr. Swinburn to repurchase the old horse ; and he was lucky enough to get him back at the trifling advance of two guineas only! About ten days after Lord Bolingbroke offered five hundred guineas for him,which Mr. S. declined to accept. An apt illustration of the uncertainty attending breeding is shewn in Blank and Old England, sons of the Godolphin Arabian, out of the Little Hartley Mare. The former was a stallion deservedly in high repute, but a very middling racer ; while the latter proved an indifferent stallion, but a truly good runner. Lath and Cade, by the same Arabian, both out of Roxana: the former a racer of the first order, but as a stallion much below the mark ; the latter scarcely to be called a runner, but as a stallion ranks high indeed. Why then should our wonder and astonishment be excited because Garrick was so inferior to his brother Eclipse? I am aware that it has been urged in support of Shakspeare's claim, that Marske was a brown horse, and Shakspeare a chesnut, the colour of Eclipse. This I deem a mere feather in the scale, when weighed against the positive evidence adduced above. Cardinal York, Caesar, Pontac, Pontifex, Pretender, and Revenge, sons of Marske, were all chesnuts. Garrick, full brother to Eclipse, was also a chesnut. It is a curious fact, too, that Puffendorf, out of Merlitena, by Eclipse, was a bay; and that Fierifacias, out of the same mare by Marske, was a chesnut. Mr. Lawrence gravely writes : —'To conceal nothing, it had been reported that a groom had been bribed to ascribe the get of Eclipse to Marske, there being a strong interest in the reputation of that stallion.' Can any reasonable man say, that this paragraph throws any light upon the subject ? Why does not Mr. L. give the name of Mr. O'Kelly's groom, with whom, in the year 1778, in his frequent visits to old Eclipse, he 'often discoursed on the subject of the disputed pedigree ?' 'To assist in the detection of spurious and the correction of inaccurate pedigrees,' says Mr. Weatherby, 'is one of the purposes of the Stud Book.' If any just doubt, therefore, existed upon the subject, would the keeper of the Match Book for more than half a century, with his acknowledged means of acquiring intelligence from the fountain-head, have remained silent; or would the enthusiastic and indefatigable William Pick have contented himself with informing the Racing World that Eclipse was got by Marske out of Spiletta? The pedigrees of Shakspeare and Marske are subjoined. The reader will observe, that both are descended, on the side of the sire, in the same degree, from the Darley Arabian. On the score of blood, therefore, the Duke of Cumberland could have no solid reason for sending Spiletta to Epsom, to which place Shakspeare had been removed from Yorkshire, where he had covered for a series of years at the low price of three guineas, without exciting any peculiar interest in his favour. Shakspeare, ch. foaled 1745, by Hobgoblin, a brown horse, a son of Aleppo, a bay, by the Darley Arabian, sire of Flying Childers : dam, the Little Hartley mare, by Bartlet's Childers ; grandam, Flying Whig, by the Woodstock Arabian ; great grandam (Sister to the Bald Galloway), by St. Victor's Barb; great great grandam, by Whynot (Son of the Fenwick Barb), out of a Royal Mare. Marske, br. foaled 1750, by Squirt, a ch. h. son of Bartlet's Childers (Brother to Flying Childers), by the Darley Arabian : dam, the Ruby Mare, by Hutton's Blacklegs (a son of the Mulso Bay Turk, commonly called Mr. Hutton's Bay Barb) —Fox Cub—Coneyskins—Hutton's Grey Barb—Hutton's 'Royal Colt—Byerley Turk, out of a Bustler Mare. The Grey Barb was a present from King William to Mr. Hutton in 1700, and that Gentleman also purchased the Royal colt of Sir Marmaduke Wyvill, Bart, in the same year : he was got by the Helmsley Turk, out of a Sedbury Royal mare. Marske was bred by Mr. Hutton, of Marske, near Richmond, Yorkshire, who, in 1750, exchanged him for a chesnut Arabian with H. R. H. the Duke of Cumberland. When four years old, he won the Jockey Club Plate, beating Pylho by Crab, Brilliant by Crab, Ginger by Shock, and Beau by the Ancaster Starling. In October of the same year, he again beat Ginger a match over the B. C. for 500gs. In 1755, he was beat by Brilliant, and Syphon by Squirt: in 1755, in two matches, by Snap; and he also paid forfeit to Spectator, by Crab. Marske was then taken out of training, and became a private stallion, till the death of His Royal Highness in 1765, when his stud was brought to the hammer, and Marske passed into the hands of a farmer at a low figure, being deemed at the time of no worth as a stallion ; and he actually served mares in Dorsetshire, the season of 1766, at half a guinea each. Mr. Wildman, the purchaser of Eclipse, however, had the good fortune to obtain possession of the sire, at twenty guineas, the seller rejoicing at making so good a bargain. In 1767, he covered at three guineas in Hampshire ; 1769, at five guineas; and in 1770, at ten guineas ; afterwards the charge advanced to thirty guineas ; and from the extraordinary performances of his son Eclipse, he became the leading stallion of the day. In such high repute did he stand, that Mr. Wildman sold him to Lord Abingdon for 1000gs. For the season of 1776 he was announced to cover at Rycot, near Tetsworth, Oxfordshire, the seat of his Lordship, thirty-two mares, including twelve the property of his noble owner, at one hundred guineas each. Marske was sire of many capital stallions, brood mares, and racers of the first class. In 1775 and 1776, forty-seven of his sons and daughters were the succesful competitors of prizes amounting to 37,736 l. 8s. in specie—exclusive of thirteen hogsheads of claret, by Shark ; fifteen hogsheads of the same exhilarating juice, by Pontac, at Newmarket ; and a Gold Cup at Ipswich, by Hephestion. -Marske died July 1779, aged 29. Such is the fate attendant on celebrity. As seven cities contended for the honour of giving birth to Homer; so certain individuals are not satisfied that the sire of Shark (the winner of the Whip), Hephestion, Masquerade, Pretender, Pontac, Salopian, Stripling, Temperance, &c. should claim Eclipse as a son. To such (pray excuse me, I cannot refrain from quoting my favorite Virgil, and he was a judge of horses too) I say, Non bene ripae creditur."

It should be noted that, as in Whyte's pedigree, although the dam of Marske is here shown as Ruby Mare, the grandam is correctly given as a Fox-Cub mare.

And finally

Eclipse was bred by the Duke of Cumberland. In The Sporting Calendar by William Tuting and Thomas Fawconer, volume III, 1771, page lxxxiii, after the advertisement for the stallion Marske, a statement says - "Mask was the sire of Eclipse, - Witness my hand, B. Smith, Stud groom to the late Duke of Cumberland".

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