THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE ― These Findon Chronicles are created by Valerie Martin and are progressively growing to be the only record of life around Findon, West Sussex, England.  Everyday stories about real people..... in fact, a potted history of the village.  The topics today, are the history of tomorrow. 

FINDON RACEHORSE TRAINER OF 1877 —  JOSEPH MASCALL MARSH (1852-1926)

Copyright Valerie Martin

In January 2012 I heard from Christopher Normand living at High Salvington regarding Victorian racing days in Findon.    His great grandfather was Joseph Mascall Marsh (a younger brother of Richard John Marsh the many times Flat Racing Champion trainer retained by King Edward VII and King George V).   

SETTING OUT THE FACTS;   Joseph Mascall Marsh had been born in Kent in 1852 and by 1871 he had become a jockey at the age of nineteen.   Although in the racing world he has been a man of some mystery to trace.   He had plenty of competition in his chosen sport as these were the days of Fred Archer.  Fred was the most successful flat race jockey of the  era and champion jockey for thirteen consecutive years — before committing suicide and shooting himself.

Joseph did not stay long in the saddle as according to his obituary many years later, he had turned trainer...... "In 1877, he was training horses in Findon, Sussex, where his patrons included Lord St. Vincent, W. Bevill, P. Pullenie, C. S. Hardy and T. Valentine".     I had hitherto not heard this trainer's name connected to Findon and so this was a bit of a surprise.

It appears that at the age of 24, Joseph trained PLACIDA the winner of the Epsom Oaks in 1877 while acting as private trainer for W. Bevill in Findon.   Placida was bred and raced by John Fiennes.   John Fiennes, went under a nom-de-course and this was "Mr. Pulteney."   It is guessed this was to avoid offending his father who was "a cleric of some note."    I do not know if there are any clues there that can lead us back to Findon on this one?

The fillies in the Epsom Oaks that year came under starter's orders in torrential rain but  PLACIDA ridden by Harry Jeffery was unperturbed and led from the start and beat the rest of the field by ¾ length.    What a filly..   So here I have a puzzle.  This indicates that Joseph was, in fact, working with flat racers in Findon at the time and PLACIDA  was stabled in the village.   Can Findon therefore boast an Epsom Oaks winner?      The mystery remains..... at which Findon stable did Joseph work?  

PLACIDA  from all accounts was a smart filly in the winners' enclosures.   Over the years these included nearby Lewes, Brighton as well as the usual Newmarket, Sandown, Goodwood courses etc.

A print depicting the Epsom Oaks winner, PLACIDA  (born 1874), as she appeared in the press of the day.   Did this filly really grace the downland of Findon?

I was going to stick my neck out and suggest Nepcote Lodge as the stables where Joseph operated and where PLACIDA  was stabled — but then remembered that those stables were not built until 1892 and a flourishing establishment before that date is required to fit into the story.   This leaves me with the Downs Stables as the main contender.   These stables were started by Henry Padwick in 1855 and so could well have entertained our Oaks winner...... if she was, in fact, stabled in Findon.    There is no further mention of Joseph training in the village and Findon drops off the map.  

By 1879 Joseph was on the move and went to Stockbridge in Wiltshire and was training for two owners.

In the early 1890s Joseph was again training racehorses but he had gone to France and was in Paris and was said to be initially successfully, even having his own racing colours, but it is said that "he ran out of patrons".  No other reasons have been discovered and he returned to England.   Approaching the last twenty years of his life Joseph changed his profession.    He kept within the racing world and became a Starter of Races, and also a equine dentist.   

There is another mystery attached to Joseph.  In the 1901 Census, he was residing in Wimbledon with two females, both described as "Wife", one of whom was recorded as "Sarah Marsh".  

At the 1911 Census, he and Sarah were residing at the aptly named property of PLACIDA in the Acacia Road of Hampton on Thames.  In this census, it was claimed that they had been married for ten years.  However there is no record of any divorce or re-marriage in the relevant time frame.    The naming of his house proves that Joseph always had a passion for his Epsom Oaks winner and remembered her when naming his property.   This was situated in a good neighbourhood in those days with Hampton Court, the Royal Mews and the Hurst Park Race Course just around the corner for him.

In his Will he left the bulk of his estate to Sarah Maria Brown, his "dear friend and companion of many years".   Approaching the last 20 years of his life Joseph changed his profession.   He kept within the racing world and became a Starter of Races and an equine dentist.   He died on 26th July 1926.

The following generations of the family were always led to believe that Joseph and his wife were both killed in some form of "coaching accident".

I discovered an entry in the London Gazette of 24th September 1926 stating...

The mystery remains until this day as to which racing establishment in Findon he conducted his horse training career..... and did a horse named PLACIDA do her preparing for the Epsom Oaks on the springy Findon turf?

Continue if you would like to read the Gore & Douglas v Gully Court Case.

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE —  is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.