PUNCHESTOWN IN 1868

The Kildare Observer 14 May 1904

PUNCHESTOWN IN 1868 

We clip the following from the excellently illustrated paper, the “Society Pictorial” of last week. It is from the pen of “L.W.”:

I wonder how many of those who will welcome the King and Queen at Punchestown this week can claim to have been present when “the Prince and Princess of Wales” visited Kildare carnival for the first time in 1869. Thirty-six years ago! And what amazing changes those years have brought! It is only our beautiful Queen who seems always young, and never to grow older as the sands run through the glass. She is a lovely woman to-day; but how infinitely more lovely when she paid her last visit to Ireland only those who saw her in her youth and beauty know. The Prince and Princess (for I shall call them by that title in those reminiscences of that by-gone day) had only been four years married, and the centre of interest during the memorable visit was the graceful Danish Princess, who was destined to become Queen of the British Empire. The Prince of Wales had already been in Ireland several times, first with the Queen and Prince Albert, and afterwards at the Curragh with his regiment, the 10th Hussars. The Princess’ visit had been long talked of, but it was not till 17th, April, 1868 that she really landed on Irish soil and the welcome given to the Royal couple was whole-hearted and generous. To go back to historic Punchestown is to recall names that have long since been added to the closed volumes. The Lord Lieutenant of that year was the Marquis of Abercorn, who, a few months later, was declared Duke. The Marchioness, now the Dowager Duchess, still survives, a wonderful old lady of ninety-two, who only the other day was photographed with her grandchild’s grandchild, Lady Bertha Egerton’s little baby. The Duke, of course, has long since passed away, his son, the present Duke of Abercorn, succeeds him. At that time he was Lord Hamilton, and unmarried, and was in attendance on the Prince of Wales as Lord-in-waiting. Two of his sisters, Lady Georgia Hamilton (now the Dowager Lady Lichfield) and Lady Albertha Hamilton (now Lady Blandford, the Duke of Marlborough’s mother), were in the Princess’ suite; and the Royal entourage also included the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Teck, the Marchioness of Carmathon, and the Hon Mrs. Stoner (the Princess’ Ladies-in-Waiting), Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, Sir William Knollys (Comptroller), Major Grey (Equerry), and Mr. Herbert Fisher (the Prince’s private secretary). Anything like the excitement and enthusiasm which the Royal visit called forth has never, I suppose been known in Ireland. The way the good folks of Dublin managed to reach the racecourses is in itself a proof that many of them very nearly lost their heads in more senses than one; for those who could not find room inside the railway carriages simply clambered on the roof and journeyed down to Sallins, regardless of the danger of the numerous bridges under which the speeding train dashed.

The attendance at Punchestown that year seems to have been a record one, and a brilliant and notable gathering was that of the favoured visitors on the Royal stand. There was Lord Drogheda, to whose untiring efforts, extending over a period of many years; the fame and success of the great steeplechase meeting of Ireland were solely due. It was he who made it what it was; and his successor in the management, Mr. Percy La Touche, is to-day to be congratulated on so well maintaining the same magnificent standard of excellence, and on making even further progress year by year. The Marchioness of Drogheda was also there, and among a host of others – many of whom, like Lord and Lady Drogheda, have since joined the great majority – were Lord and Lady Charlemont, Lord Mayo (at that time Chief Secretary for Ireland, and cruelly assassinated in India four years later), Lord Strathnairn (then commanding the Forces in Ireland), Lord and Lady Powerscourt (then only recently married), the Marquis of Kildare (afterds Duke of Leinster, the present Duke’s grandfather), Lord and Lady Dufferin (another young married couple, and now he is taken, and she is left), Lord Clonmell (the handsome bachelor Earl, since whose day there have been three successors to the title), the Duchess of Manchester (now the Duchess of Devonshire, the only Duchess, I believe, present at the meeting), Sir Benjamin Guinness (father of Lords Ardilaun and Iveagh, who were students in Trinity College at that time), the Baron de Robeck (almost the only one left of the group who will bid Their Majesties welcome this week), and the Baroness, whose grave is only a year green. Others in that notable crowd were Prince Leiningen (in command of the Fleet), Lord Queensberry, Lord Howth, Lord St Lawrence, Lord Cork, Lord Valentine, Lord and Lady Clanmorris, Lord and Lady Exeter, Lord Cloncurry, Mr Percy Wyndham (the present Chief Secretary’s father), Lord and Lady Erne (the present Earl’s father and mother), Lord Doneraile, and Lord Mouthcharles. I could mention many others, but at best the roll call is a sad one with so very few left to answer to their names.

What Punchestown is to-day it practically was in 1868, and we can picture the scene about which the chroniclers of the time wrote with such enthusiasm. The arrival of the gorgeous cavalcade, the stately equippages and scarlet liveries of the Lord Lieutenant, and then the cead mile failthe of the vast multitude as the future King and Queen of England alighted from their carriage, the Duke of Abercorn escorting the Princess, who out of compliment to Ireland wore a charming gown of green poplin trimmed with old Limerick lace. A little bonnet of white silk the strings tied under the chin, was vastly becoming to the Royal wearer, who was cynosure of all eyes, as she smiled and bowed in response to the welcome with that infinite winning grace which has always been her own. The Prince of Wales was geniality itself, and according to the reporters of the day was evidently immensely delighted with the warmth of the Irish demonstration. The weather appears to have been on its best behaviour, though an April shower (a thing almost unheard of according to the “Irish Times” of April, 19th, 1868!) would have been very acceptable to lay the dust. The railway, by the way, at that time extended no further than Sallins, and their Royal Highnesses had a long drive to the course, their only escort being a troop of mounted police. Cars and vehicles of every description journeyed down the whole way by road from Dublin in those days, and the Prince and Princess must have been vastly amused at the astonishing collection of “equipages” which they passed along the dusty country roads. The town of Naas was gaily decorated and there were several triumphal arches along the route.

It is said that there were at least one hundred and fifty thousand people at Punchestown that year, so one can imagine the deafening cheers which greeted the Heir Apparent and his Consort. Such a crowd had never been so seen on an Irish racecourse before. From time immemorial Ireland has been famous for sport, and curiously enough this year is the centenary of steeple-chasing in the United Kingdom, the first regular steeplechase on record having taken place in County Galway in 1803, among some members of that Hunt. As long ago as 1868 Punchestown had established a name for sport of the highest excellence, and the racing that year was well up to the brilliant standard which has been uninterruptedly maintained at the Kildare Hunt meeting. The great event of the meeting was the Prince of Wales’ Plate, established then for the first time in honour of the Royal visit. It was over the Downshire Course, three miles and a half, and included the four and a half-foot wall. Twenty horses started for the race, which was eventually won by Captain Pigott’s “Excelsior,” ridden by Captain Harford, who appears to have had a fairly easy victory. The Kildare Hunt Cup was won by Colonel Forster’s “The Cardinal,” in the hands of Captain Smith. Colonel Forster was till very recently, Master of the House to the Lord Lieutenant and he is still a familiar figure in the hunting field and on the racecourse. Lord Strathnairn’s “Charley” was second, and Mr William Forbe’s “Huntsman” third, ridden by Captain Candy, the father of the present Duchess of Newcastle. The Grand Military Steeple-chase was secured by Colonel Ainslie’s “Juryman.” The owner at that time commanded the Royal Dragoons, and his horse was ridden by Captain Hutton, who also, later in life, became Colonel of the crack corps. After each race the winning horses were led past the Royal stand in order that the Prince and Princess might see them to greater advantage.           

Re-typed by Jill O’Connell.