Tregonwell Frampton
Encyclopedia
Tregonwell Frampton was an English racehorse trainer, known as ‘the father of the turf.’
, the fifth son of William Frampton, lord of the manor of Moreton, by his wife, Katharine Tregonwell of Milton Abbas
. He is described by William Chafin as being in 1670 the most active pursuer of hawking in the west of England. He was at the same period a regular attendant at race meetings, kept horses in training, and owned a house at Newmarket, though he passed most of the year in Dorset.
, in a despatch dated March 1675, mentions a horse-racing match ‘wherein Mr. Frampton, a gentleman of some 120l. rent, is engaged 900l. deep.’ Frampton won his money, and in the racing records of the time his name appears more frequently as a winner than a loser, the amounts at stake being higher than was usual. In April 1676, for example, he had two matches in the same week, the one at Newmarket and the other at Salisbury
, each for £1,000.
A well-known tradition on Frampton is given by John Hawkesworth in an essay on instances of cruelty to animals
; but not from personal knowledge. This story is that Frampton's horse Dragon beat a certain mare, winning a stake of £10,000. On the conclusion of the match the owner of the mare instantly offered to run her on the following day for double the sum against any gelding
in the world, and Frampton accepted the challenge. He then castrated Dragon, who was brought out the next day, and again beat the mare, but fell down at the post and died almost immediately. In contradiction, Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway
, in a letter dated 7 October 1682, says: ‘His majesty's horse Dragon, which carried seven stone, was beaten yesterday by a little horse called Post Boy, carrying four stone, and the masters of that art conclude this top horse of England is spoiled for ever.’ A letter written by James, Duke of York to the Prince of Orange
eighteen months after the date of Frampton's alleged cruelty mentions a forthcoming match between the ‘famous horses Dragon and Why Not.’
Frampton, in need of money, made over the family estate, to which he had succeeded on the death of his brother William in 1689, to his cousin Giles Frampton, the next heir, in consideration of £5,000. But the exact dates of both the match and the transfer of property are unknown, though the latter took place before 1702.
In 1700 he first appears in Edward Chamberlayne
's Angliæ Notitia as receiving £1,000 per annum as supervisor of the racehorses at Newmarket, for the maintenance of ten boys, and for provisions of hay, oats, bread, and all other necessaries for ten racehorses. From that date till his death he regularly received a salary, apparently being £100 for every horse in training. He trained the royal horses, and made matches for them, and they generally ran in his name.
He continued to breed horses on his own account, some of which he used to dispose of at high prices to the master of the horse, and he remained a gambler. That part of his time which was not given up to horses was devoted to hawking, hare coursing
, and cock-fighting. He was particularly successful with his cocks, and his taste was largely shared by William III
, who, during his visits to Newmarket, spent afternoons watching his trainer's cocks fight.
Another writer quoted by Whyte in an account of Newmarket in the reign of Queen Anne, remarked:
Mark Noble
wrote:
On the other hand he is tersely dismissed by Sir George Etherege in the couplet:—
I call a spade a spade, Eaton a bully,
Frampton a pimp, and brother John a cully.
The time when Frampton was first given the title 'father of the turf' is not known; he was so described was an engraving of his portrait by John Wootton
in 1791. Frampton's portrait frequently served as a frontispiece to books on racing, for example in Thomas Henry Taunton's Portraits of Celebrated Racehorses.
Life
Frampton was born in 1641 at Moreton, DorsetMoreton, Dorset
Moreton is a village in Dorset, England, situated on the River Frome eight miles east of Dorchester. The village has a population of 270 . It has a number of long distance foot paths and cycle ways passing through it: the Purbeck cycle way, Route 2 , the Frome valley trail, the Jubilee trail, and...
, the fifth son of William Frampton, lord of the manor of Moreton, by his wife, Katharine Tregonwell of Milton Abbas
Milton Abbas
Milton Abbas is a village in Dorset in the south-west of England, approximately seven miles south-west of the market town of Blandford Forum and 11 miles north-east of Dorchester. The village has a population of 766...
. He is described by William Chafin as being in 1670 the most active pursuer of hawking in the west of England. He was at the same period a regular attendant at race meetings, kept horses in training, and owned a house at Newmarket, though he passed most of the year in Dorset.
Gambler
At Newmarket he acquired a reputation for successful gambling. Henry CoventryHenry Coventry
The Honourable Henry Coventry was an English politician, who was Secretary of State for the Northern Department between 1672 and 1674 and the Southern Department between 1674 and 1680.-Origins and education:...
, in a despatch dated March 1675, mentions a horse-racing match ‘wherein Mr. Frampton, a gentleman of some 120l. rent, is engaged 900l. deep.’ Frampton won his money, and in the racing records of the time his name appears more frequently as a winner than a loser, the amounts at stake being higher than was usual. In April 1676, for example, he had two matches in the same week, the one at Newmarket and the other at Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
, each for £1,000.
A well-known tradition on Frampton is given by John Hawkesworth in an essay on instances of cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse or animal neglect, is the infliction of suffering or harm upon non-human animals, for purposes other than self-defense. More narrowly, it can be harm for specific gain, such as killing animals for food or for their fur, although opinions differ with...
; but not from personal knowledge. This story is that Frampton's horse Dragon beat a certain mare, winning a stake of £10,000. On the conclusion of the match the owner of the mare instantly offered to run her on the following day for double the sum against any gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
in the world, and Frampton accepted the challenge. He then castrated Dragon, who was brought out the next day, and again beat the mare, but fell down at the post and died almost immediately. In contradiction, Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway
Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway
Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway PC, FRS was an English peer and politician who served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department between 1681 and 1683.-Life:...
, in a letter dated 7 October 1682, says: ‘His majesty's horse Dragon, which carried seven stone, was beaten yesterday by a little horse called Post Boy, carrying four stone, and the masters of that art conclude this top horse of England is spoiled for ever.’ A letter written by James, Duke of York to the Prince of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
eighteen months after the date of Frampton's alleged cruelty mentions a forthcoming match between the ‘famous horses Dragon and Why Not.’
The Merlin Match
On one occasion he Frampton made a match with Sir William Strickland, a Yorkshire baronet. Frampton managed to arrange a private trial, and covertly put 7lbs. overweight on his horse for it; which was just beaten. In the race itself Frampton's horse was again beaten. Frampton's own losses must have been large; but wider interest was excited by the match, which was looked uon as a struggle between the north and south of England. Several estates changed hands after the event, and many gentlemen were ruined. James Christie Whyte's History of British Turf attributes to the scale of these losses the passing of the Act of Parliament forbidding the legal recovery of any sum due for bets above £10.Frampton, in need of money, made over the family estate, to which he had succeeded on the death of his brother William in 1689, to his cousin Giles Frampton, the next heir, in consideration of £5,000. But the exact dates of both the match and the transfer of property are unknown, though the latter took place before 1702.
Trainer
It was probably in 1695 that Frampton first assumed the duties of the position ascribed to him on his tombstone of ‘keeper of the running horses to their sacred majesties William III, Queen Anne, George I and George II.’ In October of that year he won with the king's horse the town plate at Newmarket, and in the accounts of the master of the horse for the same year there is mention of a payment to him ‘for settling the establishment of racehorses at the Green Cloth and Avery, and for a plate at Newmarket.’In 1700 he first appears in Edward Chamberlayne
Edward Chamberlayne
Edward Chamberlayne was an English writer, known as the author of The Present State of England.-Life:The grandson of Sir Thomas Chamberlayne, knight, at one time English ambassador in the Low Countries, and son of Thomas Chamberlayne, he was born at Oddington, Gloucestershire, on 13 December 1616...
's Angliæ Notitia as receiving £1,000 per annum as supervisor of the racehorses at Newmarket, for the maintenance of ten boys, and for provisions of hay, oats, bread, and all other necessaries for ten racehorses. From that date till his death he regularly received a salary, apparently being £100 for every horse in training. He trained the royal horses, and made matches for them, and they generally ran in his name.
He continued to breed horses on his own account, some of which he used to dispose of at high prices to the master of the horse, and he remained a gambler. That part of his time which was not given up to horses was devoted to hawking, hare coursing
Hare coursing
Hare coursing is the pursuit of hares with greyhounds and other sighthounds, which chase the hare by sight and not by scent. It is a competitive sport, in which dogs are tested on their ability to run, overtake and turn a hare, rather than a form of hunting aiming at the capture of game. It has a...
, and cock-fighting. He was particularly successful with his cocks, and his taste was largely shared by William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
, who, during his visits to Newmarket, spent afternoons watching his trainer's cocks fight.
Death
Frampton kept his post till his last day, which was 12 March 1727. He was buried in the church of All Saints, Newmarket, where on the south side of the altar was a mural monument of black and white marble inscribed to his memory.Reputation
The author of Newmarket, or an Essay on the Turf, London, 1771 described him:He was a known woman hater, passionately fond of horse-racing, cocking, and coursing; remarkable for a peculiar uniformity in his dress, the fashion of which he never changed, and in which, regardless of its uncouth appearance, he would not unfrequently go to court and enquire in the most familiar manner for his master or mistress, the king or queen. Queen Anne used to call him Governor Frampton.
Another writer quoted by Whyte in an account of Newmarket in the reign of Queen Anne, remarked:
There was Mr. Frampton, the oldest, and, as they say, the cunningest jockey in England; one day he lost 1,000 guineas, the next he won 2,000, and so alternately. He made as light of throwing away 500l. or 1,000l. at a time as other men do of their pocket-money, and was perfectly calm, cheerful, and unconcerned when he had lost a thousand pounds as when he won it.
Mark Noble
Mark Noble (biographer)
Mark Noble was an English clergyman, biographer and antiquary.-Life:He was born in Digbeth, Birmingham, the third surviving son of William Heatley Noble, a merchant there...
wrote:
a thorough good groom only, yet would have made a good minister of state if he had been trained for it ... Frampton was supposed to be better acquainted with the genealogy of the most celebrated horses than any man of his time. ... Not a splint or sprain, or bad eye, or old broken knee, or pinched foot, or low heel, escaped in the choice of a horse.
On the other hand he is tersely dismissed by Sir George Etherege in the couplet:—
I call a spade a spade, Eaton a bully,
Frampton a pimp, and brother John a cully.
The time when Frampton was first given the title 'father of the turf' is not known; he was so described was an engraving of his portrait by John Wootton
John Wootton
John Wootton was an English painter of sporting subjects, battle scenes and landscapes, and illustrator.-Life:Born in Snitterfield, Warwickshire , he is best remembered as a pioneer in the painting of sporting subjects – together with Peter Tillemans and James Seymour – and was considered the...
in 1791. Frampton's portrait frequently served as a frontispiece to books on racing, for example in Thomas Henry Taunton's Portraits of Celebrated Racehorses.