The Carlisle Bell is a historic British flat

horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

, first contested in 1599 and still run today. The race's name relates to the bells which were awarded to the winners of the race in the reign of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

. These bells are reputed to be the oldest horse racing prizes in Britain and are now held at the Carlisle Guildhall Museum. It is run at Carlisle Racecourse over a distance of 7 furlongs and 173 yards (1,566 metres) and it is scheduled to take place each year in June alongside another historic race the

Cumberland Plate Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 1974 ...

The bells

There are two bells. The larger one, 2 1/2 inches in diameter, was donated by Lady Dacre in 1559 and bears the inscription: The second, smaller bell is inscribed ''1599 H.B.M.C'' which is believed to stand for "Henry Baines, Mayor of Carlisle". Civic records from the 17th century list the bells among four racing prizes competed for at Carlisle. The bells were thought to have been lost for many years, but were rediscovered in a box in the town clerk's office in the late 19th century.

Winners since 1988

References

Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of ...

**, , , , , , , , , **, , , , , , , , , **, , , , , ,, , , **, ,

Bibliography

* *{{cite book , author-link=Joseph Strutt (engraver and antiquary), last=Strutt , first=Joseph , title=The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England from the Earliest Period , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eJwSAAAAYAAJ&q=carlisle+bells+horse , access-date=21 May 2013 , year=1801 , publisher=

Methuen Methuen may refer to: *Methuen (surname) *Methuen, Massachusetts, a U.S. city **Methuen High School **Methuen Mall *Baron Methuen, a British title of nobility *Methuen Cove, South Orkney Islands *Methuen Publishing, Methuen & Co. Ltd., a British p ...

Flat races in Great Britain Carlisle Racecourse Open mile category horse races Recurring sporting events established before 1750

The bells

Winners since 1988

See also

References

Bibliography