Tattersalls
Encyclopedia
Tattersalls is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall (1724–1795), who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. The first premises occupied were near Hyde Park Corner
Hyde Park Corner
Hyde Park Corner is a place in London, at the south-east corner of Hyde Park. It is a major intersection where Park Lane, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, Grosvenor Place and Constitution Hill converge...

, in what was then the outskirts of London. Two "Subscription rooms" were reserved for members of the Jockey Club
Jockey Club
The Jockey Club is the largest commercial organisation in British horseracing. Although no longer responsible for the governance and regulation of the sport, it owns 14 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham and Newmarket, amongst other concerns such as the National Stud and...

, and they became the rendezvous for sporting and betting men. Among the famous dispersal sales conducted by "Old Tatt" were those of the Duke of Kingston's stud in 1774 and of the stud of the Prince of Wales (afterwards George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...

) in 1786. The prince often visited Richard Tattersall, and was joint proprietor with him of the Morning Post
Morning Post
The Morning Post, as the paper was named on its masthead, was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by The Daily Telegraph.- History :...

for several years. He was succeeded by his son, Edmund Tattersall (1758–1810), who extended the business of the firm to France. The third of the dynasty, Richard Tattersall (1785–1859), the eldest of Edmund's three sons, became head of the firm at his father's death. He had his grandfather's ability and tact, and was the intimate of the best sporting men of his time. Another Richard Tattersall (1812–1870), son of the last, then took command of the business. His great-grandfather's 99-year lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...

 having expired, he moved the business to Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...

 in 1865. Richard was followed by his cousin, Edmund Tattersall (1816–1898), and he by his eldest son, Edmund Somerville Tattersall (1863–1942).
Tattersall's remained a family business into the 20th century. In 1965 it introduced bloodstock auctions at Park Paddocks, Newmarket, and in 1988 it also began holding auctions at Old Fairyhouse in County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. Tattersalls Ltd (which has dropped the apostrophe from its name) is now based in Newmarket. There is a separate company in Ireland, but it shares some of the same directors. Tattersalls claims to be the leading bloodstock auctioneer in Europe, selling 10,000 horses a year. The horses are still priced in guinea
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...

s (originally 21 shillings and now one pound
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...

 and five pence), which is possibly the only contemporary usage of this once common British monetary unit.

Interestingly, this firm (at the time trading under the style of "Messrs. Tattersall") has the distinction of setting a judicial precedent on the taxability of unclaimed balances (purchase moneys for horses that had been paid to the firm but which had gone unclaimed for substantial periods of time by the firm's clients). In Morley v Tattersall, the English Court of Appeal held that such sums were not to be treated as profits for the purposes of Income Tax.

2007 sales

In Ireland, yearling Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells (horse)
Sadler's Wells was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was later a leading sire in France, Great Britain & Ireland and North America during the 1990s. He was foaled in 1981 in the United States, but achieved most of his racing and breeding fame in Europe....

 filly, who would be named Liffey Dancer, set a new world record price of $5,330,000 (2.5 Million guinea
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...

s) at the October Tattersalls Book 1 sale. The previous sale record price was set at the 2000 Keeneland yearling sale
Keeneland Sales
The Keeneland Sales is an American Thoroughbred auction house in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing/auction entity on 147 acres of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack O. Keene...

 for Moon's Whisper at $4.4 Million.

Liffey Dancer, out of the mare, Brigid, was sold to mobile phone executive, Craig Bennett. She is a full sister to 2000 Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 champion juvenile filly, Sequoyah and to the 2007 Group I
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...

 winning filly Listen.

See also

  • George Tattersall
    George Tattersall
    George Tattersall was a well-known sporting artist and architect.Born in Hyde Park Corner, London, he was a member of the family which operated the Tattersall's horse market...

    (1817–1849), a son of the second Richard Tattersall, who was a well-known sporting artist.

External links

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