THIS IS FINDON
VILLAGE created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.
CAPTAIN MACHELL'S
WITHDRAWA
L
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The Downs stable yard in 1896 |
Text copyright Valerie Martin 1999
I have found that Henry Chaplin sent his new prospect for the 1867 Derby, along with his other horses, to be trained by William Goater at the Downs Stables in Findon.
Hermit had developed into a sleek creature with a rich red chestnut burnished coat. There was just a trace of white on his forehead, and he stood slightly over 15.2 hands. He had style and he looked great.
Hermit ran six times as a two-year old in 1866 and won four times with undue effort. Then at a Bath meeting he showed some unruliness down at the start. Harvey Covey, a lad from Findon and a rider of no great experience, rode him at the time. When the horses came under starter's orders, Hermit became aroused and impatient to be off. This was misconstrued as being fractious and difficult and some misinterpreted his behaviour. In fact, he had an amiable temperament and was placid and proud and, being headstrong and determined, he resented restraint when eager to gallop at his best.
It was about this time that Chaplin's young racing manager, Captain James
Octavia Machell (1837-1902), a man who understood all the intricacies of the racing game, put some bearing on the scene.
He had been in the 14th Foot (Prince of Wales Own Regiment of Yorkshire) at
Curagh in Ireland. He decided in his wisdom to move Hermit away from Findon. From that day on, Findon lost the chance of having a Derby winner in the village.
William Goater also departed from the Downs Stables and he started training at Michelgrove above
Long Furlong in Findon, where he stayed until the end of his days.
Hermit was now sent to a dependable Newmarket character named "Old Bloss". He was a simple countryman who respected and understood the horses put under his care. His interest and knowledge of betting was nil and he could be entrusted implicitly with the care of Hermit. Because of the old man's obvious limitations, Hermit was still under the strict surveillance of the astute and experienced racing establishment of Captain
Machell.
The following is how I came by the only picture of Captain Machell that I
have been able to find. This shows him on his Lake district estate at
Crackenthorpe Hall near Appleby in Cumbria, which he purchased in 1877.
Everything is explained in an e-mail I received in October 2002 from Brian
Strong in Merishausen, Switzerland .....
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14th October 2002.
Dear Mrs Martin,
I recently began researching the life of James Octavia
Machell and as a result found your web site containing the various stories
of his Derby triumph. My interest stems from an oil painting I recently
bought at auction which I believe is the Captain in the grounds of
Crackenthorpe Hall, a property which he purchased in 1877. I would be
gratefull if you could direct me to any sources of information concerning
his life and movements.
Many Thanks
Brian Strong
Brian Strong, Merishausen, Switzerland.
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14th
October 2002.
Valerie,
I don't know a great
deal about Captain Machell although I believe he was
died a batchelor and left his estate to his nephew Percy
Machell, who married Lady Valda, Queen Victorias niece and Goddaughter.
Percy Machell was killed in 1916 in WW 1.
The connection from
our side is that the Captain and Lady Valda were friendly with my Great
Great Grandfather, John Noble one of the Captains tennant farmers.
The painting, the
Captain is obviously on the left as viewed, which has hung in my
Grandparents house as long as my Mother can remember was probably given
to my great Great Grandfather, who is the second person in the picture,
either upon the Captains death in 1902 or when the Hall was sold after
the last Crackenthorpe Machell was killed in 1916 during the First world
war.
I also have a
photograph given to my Great Great Grandfather by `Machell` but I don't
yet know of whom it is or by which Machell it was given, although I
suspect very strongly it is of the Captain.
My mother thought that
the Captain was a jockey, do you know if that was the case or has there
been a misunderstanding down through the generations?
I hope you like my
picture, having grown up with it I decided it would have been a shame to
let it leave the family. Now I am trying to discover its story.
If I find any other
information about the Captains racing background I will let you know.
Thanks for the reply.
Brian Strong
Brian Strong,
Merishausen, Switzerland.
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There is a biography of James Machell written in 1999.
The author was Richard Onslow and the title of the book was CAPTAIN MACHELL. It
was a limited edition book of 1495 copies. It retailed at about £20 I
understand.
In January 2003, I received another e-mail from Brian...
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8th January 2003.
Valerie,
Please find attached an image of the photograph of the Captain that we
found in my Grandmothers attic.
Brian Strong, Merishausen, Switzerland.
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It was not until May 2003 that I learned more about Captain
Machell when I received this from Gerald Machell regarding his
illustrious ancestor —
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26th May 2003.
A photograph of Captain Machell on horseback is in the
Newmarket Horse Racing Museum.
Capt James Octavius Machell is buried in Newmarket
cemetry.
He was in the Guiness Book of records until recently as
the only owner to have a horse that won the Grand National, 2000 guinees
and the Derby. He might still be in.
He was the most successful horse owner and trainer of
Victorian times and owned Isinglass from which many present day race
horses descend.
There is still a Machell stables in Newmarket which he
owned and he lived at Bedford Lodge in Newmarket which is now a Hotel.
The Machell family lived at Crackenthorpe Hall from
about 1100 to about 1780 when the estate was sold to Lord Lowther and Capt
Machell bought it back in the mid 1800's.
The Machell family descend from Matus Catalus (456AD) a
Roman Centurion at Kirbythore Roman fort near Crackenthorpe.
The Machell family papers dating back to 1100 are with
the Dean & Chapter of Carlisle.
Gerald Machell. |
Continue to read how
Hermit Wins the Derby in 1867.
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THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE
—
www.findonvillage.com is
a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for
documenting life in Findon.
