Annotation:Chelmsford Races
X:1 T:Chelmsford Races M:6/8 L:1/8 N:You'll notice the similarity with "Hullichan Jig" in the B part though its N:not quite the same. The tune is in the Thomas Hardy collection, though N:seemingly unknown in its native Chelmsford-a fact I am trying to remedy. Z:Roger Digby K:G %Transposed from Bb D|"G"G2G GFG|"D"A2A d2d|"G"B2B G2G|"D"FGA DEF| "G"G2G GFG|"D"A2A d2d|"C"ced "D"cBA|"G"G2G G2:| |:d|"G"dcd Bcd|"C"e2e e3|"D"fef def|"G"g2g g3| "G"dcd Bcd|"C"e2f gfe|"G"ded "D7"cBA|"G"G2G G2:||
CHELMSFORD RACES. AKA and see "Hullichan Jig," "Guard House (The)," "Marchioness (The)," "Master Giles," "Soldier's Dance (1)." English, Jig and Country Dance Tune (6/8 time). England, Dorset. B Flat Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The tune dates to the 18th century when it was printed in the 1790's collections of John Watlen and James Aird as "Soldier's Dance (1), and Robert Petrie as "Marchioness (The)." "Hullichan Jig" is cognate in the second strain only.
Chelmsford, in Essex, is an Anglo-Saxon name denoting a ford across a river belonging to a man named Ceolmar (pronounced almost as Chelmer) {Matthews, 1972}. Chelmsford is the county seat of Essex, southeast England, lying approximately 30 miles from London. It was built upon the ruins of a Roman town and developed from two medieval manor towns, Moulsham and Celmeresfort on opposite banks of the River Can. The Chelmsford Races were held at the village of Galleywood Common, two miles south of Chelmsford, and were first recorded in 1759, although came to prominence in 1770, the year in which the track's main event was granted the title of the "Queen's Plate" by King George III, the prize being a plate valued at 100 guineas. The racecourse boasted a two mile circuit that enclosed the church of St. Michael and All Angels. The races lasted until the year 1935. The tune was printed in Munson's Country Dances of 1808. The Ipswich Journal, a local newspaper, printed the following on July 3rd, 1773:
At Chelmsford races, the rider of Mr. Rossiter's horse in going round the bend the third time and by endeavouring to get the whip hand of Mr. Millwood's horse, he turned the corner too sharp and hit his horse on a distance post, fracturing his skull. He died on Thursday morning.
The Old Bailey was the location of the trial of Thomas Heffield, a 23 yr. old man accused of stealing a gelding horse from the racetrack. John Stevens, a higler (a kind of door-to-door salesman of provisions), gave this testimony:
On Tuesday, the 24th of July, I was at Chelmsford races, where I had a drinking-booth. I saw my gelding safe at then o'clock that night, when I sent my man with it-it was a black gelding-it was brought down to be fed at the booth; it was turned out to grass on Galley-common, adjoining the race-course-there were other stall-keepers' horses there. I sent my man for it next morning and it was gone...I sent him nearly twenty miles to look for it; my wife's brother found it in Smithfield.
The horse in question was not a race horse, but rather the property of a low tradesman who ran a stall selling drink at the racetrack. Heffield was convicted after a short trial and sentenced to death. It is not known if the sentence was carried out, however, many if not most such sentences at the time were not enacted for various reasons. The prosecutor in Heffield's trial recommended leniency as the thief was reported to be a "man of good character," so it may be that another punishment was substituted.
