Lot 72: Albert Clark (British, 1821-1909) Three Norfolk trotters: Alethorpe Surprise, Great Shot II & Ormonde

Three Norfolk trotters: Alethorpe Surprise, Great Shot II & Ormonde
two signed and dated 1891, oil on canvas,
43 x 53cm (16 15/16 x 20 7/8in).
(3)

Provenance: by descent

By the latter half of the seventeenth century, Arabian stallions were being imported into Yorkshire and East Anglia, the two dominant areas for horse-breeding in England. The most influential sire in the history of the Norfolk Trotter was the half-bred stallion, Shales (foaled 1755) descended in direct line (his grandsire was Flying Childers, a famous race horse) from the most important of the foundation sires of English thoroughbred stock, the Darley Arabian (foaled c.1700 and brought to England in 1704). The Arab blood gave refinement and elegance to these trotting horses but breeding with native mares ensured the stamina and soundness of the original English stock. The improved trotting breeds were exceptionally fast, with great speed and endurance; and as a consequence, the fame of the Norfolk Trotter, the Lincolnshire Trotter and the Yorkshire Roadster became widespread during the 18th century.

Regardless of name, all are the same breed of horse. They were used under saddle as the quickest means of travel in areas where there were no established roads. Their smooth, fast gait was comfortable but their other outstanding quality was the ability to carry a heavy man for great distances at speeds of up to 16-17 mph. General improvements in road conditions in the early part of the 19th century gave rise to road races -usually under saddle - becoming commonplace events with money exchanging hands in the form of wagers:
3 April, 1809
"A trotting match took place between Young Adonis, a colt belonging to Mr James Neeve, of Terrington St Clement, and an eight year old horse, Hue and Cry, outed by Mr James Mathew, of the same place. The stakes were £20 a side, and the distance five miles. The colt, which carried 13 stones, covered the distance in 19 minutes and won."
Norfolk Annals 1801-1850 compiled from the files of the 'Norfolk Chronicle' by Charles Mackie, 1901

In 1878 in a meeting was held at Downham Market, Norfolk. The horse-breeders present resolved to establish a register for English trotting horses. Henry Euren, the then editor of the Norwich Mercury newspaper, undertook the task. In 1883 the register became the basis for the Hackney Stud book (the hackney horse nowadays renowned worldwide as a high performance harness horse). Trotting and hackney stallions commanded high prices and were exported all over the world, from South America to Russia to Europe; and the sport of trotting is still enormously popular today both on the Continent and in America.

The Islington Horse Show was first held in 1864 at the Agricultural Hall in Islington - an exceptional indoor venue where horses could be exhibited, saddled and harnessed, in an arena sufficiently large to display their paces. Held annually in the week between Epsom and Ascot races, the Show consistently attracted the most fashionable company in London. By the 1890s, it was acknowledged as the most prestigious horse show in England and was regarded as an important showcase for the finest examples of every breed and type of horse – the forerunner to the latter day Royal International Horse Show and Horse of the Year Show.

The horses in these paintings were all shown not under saddle but in harness. Their driver was Edgar Chapman , their breeder, Edmund Crowe Chapman, cattle dealer and grazier, who in 1879 had butcher's premises at Norwich Street in the north Norfolk market town of Fakenham but by the mid 1880s had taken a 240 acre farm at Alethorpe - a tiny parish lying about a mile east of the town - hence the stud prefix to the horses' names.

All three of these horses were classed as 'Norfolk Trotters' and were winners of their Class Championships. A main part of the prize was to have a portrait of the championship horse painted by a leading equine artist such as Albert Clark. Although the high-stepping elegance of the Hackney horse was beginning to predominate in the last decade of the 19th century, the Norfolk Trotter as represented by these horses, bred in Norfolk and with bloodlines traceable back to the original Norfolk trotting stallion, was still regarded as the superlative trotting horse.

After their success at the Islington Show, all three horses were sold abroad: Alethorpe Great Shot II went to the stables of the Prince of Hanover; Alethorpe Supreme was exported to Russia – competitive trotting races had been hugely popular in Russia since the 18th century, racing in sulkies and sleighs; and Alethorpe Ormonde was sold to an Italian stable of trotting horses.