ECLIPSE

AN INVESTIGATION INTO HIS PEDIGREE

This pedigree contains new and conjectural information of a radical nature - See
CONFUSED PEDIGREES AND MISTAKEN IDENTITIES
DARCY'S YELLOW TURK, DARCY'S WHITE TURK AND HELMSLEY TURK
GARDINER MARE, HUTTON'S SPOT AND ALCOCK'S ARABIAN
LAYTON GREY BARB, ROCKWOOD, TAFFOLET BARB AND TREGONWELL'S BARB MARE
HIGHLANDER, MERLIN AND WOODCOCK
BLACK-A-TOP, OLD MONTAGUE MARE, PULLEINE'S CHESNUT ARABIAN AND WHITESHIRT MARE
SNAKE, CONEYSKINS, LISTER'S TURK AND BYERLEY'S TURK

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".

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 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).

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.

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.

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

        FAIRFAX'S MOROCCO BARB <===================> HELMSLEY TURK
                  |                                       |
                  |                                       --------------------------------
                  |                                       |                              |
         Old Morocco Mare    =    DARCY'S YELLOW TURK     |                           BUSTLER
                             |             |              |                              |
                    -------------------    -------------> | <--------------       ------------------
                    |                 |                   |               |       |                |
                 SPANKER     Darcy's Grey Royal = DARCY'S WHITE TURK   BRIMMER = mare           MERLIN
                    |                           |                              |                   |
                    |                 ---------------------              -------                   |
                    |                 |                   |              |                         |
               Charming Jenny         |                HAUTBOY           |                      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     WILLIAMS'S SQUIRREL   EASBY SNAKE     mare
                       by Spark         |           |                                  | 1721      |
                          |             |           |                                  |           |
                          |             |           |                                  |           |
                           \           /            |                                   \         /
                          ROBINSON CRUSOE          mare                               Mother Western
                                   1723          by Spark                                    | 1731
                                                    |                                        |
                                                    |                                        |
                                                    |                                        |
                                                   mare                                  Spilletta
                                                  by Hip                                 by Regulus
                                                    |                                        | 1749
                                                    |                                        |
                                                    |                                        |
                                                 SAMPSON                                  ECLIPSE
                                                 by Blaze                                by Marske
                                                      1745                                     1764

MARSKE OR SHAKSPEARE

The rumour that Eclipse was not a son of Marske has been circulating now for over 230 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 both versions of his pedigree.

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".

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