18th and Early 19th Century Handbills That Shaped British Horse Racing


February 2026

Before racecards, newspapers and online entries, British horse racing was organised, promoted and remembered through printed handbills. Produced cheaply and intended for short term use, these documents announced upcoming meetings, set out the rules of competition and recorded the horses, owners and prizes that defined the sport in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Passed down through generations of nobility, Dugglebys are pleased to offer this exceptional collection of 18th and early 19th century racing handbills. Rare survivors of Britain’s sporting history, such material is seldom encountered and rarely in such depth or breadth. To bring together so many examples, spanning key race meetings and regions, is an extraordinary occurrence, one that places this collection firmly among the most important of its kind to come to market in recent history.

Racing as a Social Season

Race meeting handbills were not decorative pieces. They were practical tools, printed in local towns and designed to be read quickly by an audience fluent in the language of racing. A typical example can be seen in Lot 7604, which includes an 18th century handbill for Hambleton Races, August 1766, printed by J Jackson of York. The bill sets out the programme in a direct, utilitarian format, listing race days, prize values, weights and the names of horses and owners.

Alongside it sits a handbill for Scarborough Races, August 1767, printed in Tanner Street, Scarborough. Together, these two sheets demonstrate how consistent the structure of racing communication had already become by the mid 18th century, even when produced by different printers in different towns.

While the racing itself was central, these handbills also reveal the meetings as major social events. This is particularly clear in Lot 7601, which brings together several northern race meetings including Leedes Races, June 1760. This bill explicitly advertises Ordinairies, fixed price meals offered by local taverns, and Cockings, organised cockfights staged for entertainment between races. Such details show that race week was about far more than horses. It was a reason to travel, dine, gamble and socialise, drawing together landowners, townspeople and visitors. The same lot includes a Preston Races, June 1783 handbill with handwritten notes down one side, a rare and evocative survival that suggests active use, perhaps by an owner, bettor or organiser tracking results or entries in real time.

Regional Racing & Local Pride

The geographical spread of the handbills underlines how widespread racing had become. Lot 7600 brings together five handbills spanning Malton, Boroughbridge, Preston, Doncaster and York between 1782 and 1803. One, for Malton Races, June 1803, is headed “Sagg’s only correct and authentic list”, a telling phrase that hints at competing versions and the importance of accuracy in an age before centralised records. These provincial meetings were often funded by subscriptions from noblemen and gentlemen, or by town corporations keen to promote prestige and prosperity. The repeated references to Plates, substantial prize sums for the period, reflect the economic and social weight attached to racing at a local level.

No discussion of early racing can ignore Newmarket, already firmly established as the centre of the sport by the late 18th century. Lot 7602 provides an excellent illustration, featuring a double page handbill for the Newmarket Second October Meeting, 1802, printed by Robert Rogers, alongside the Craven Meeting, April 1803.

These documents reveal a more complex and formal racing calendar, with carefully graded races, precise weight regulations and a clear seasonal rhythm. When viewed alongside the York Races handbill of May 1798 in the same lot, they highlight how Newmarket set the standard that other meetings increasingly followed.

From Temporary Notice to Historical Record

Although intended to be ephemeral, these handbills now serve as vital historical records. Lot 7605, which includes four framed handbills spanning Doncaster Races, September 1767 through to York August Meeting, 1806, shows how the basic format endured while details evolved. The substantial double page bill for the Newmarket First Spring Meeting, April 1799 demonstrates the growing scale and complexity of major meetings at the turn of the 19th century.

What is striking across all these lots is how much information was conveyed on a single sheet. Every condition, every runner, every prize was carefully documented, not for posterity, but for immediate use. That these fragile papers have survived at all is remarkable. Taken together, these lots offer a vivid picture of racing as it was lived and experienced over 200 years ago. They capture the sport before photography, before mass media, and before modern administration, yet already reveal a highly organised, socially significant and nationally connected pastime.
With noble provenance and careful framing, these handbills now bridge the gap between ephemera and historical artefact. They appeal not only to racing enthusiasts, but to collectors of social history, print culture and Georgian Britain more broadly. Above all, they remind us that long before today’s racecards and digital entries, the story of British racing was written on paper, pinned to tavern walls, folded into pockets, and read by candlelight by those eager for the next meeting to begin.

Bidding is open on these lots in our Period Home sale and ends Friday 20 February.
Back to discover

What Our Customers Are Saying...

Get News & Updates

Get all our latest news and updates straight to your inbox. Sign up to receive everything you need to know about upcoming auctions, ways to sell, lots we love and much more...

Sign up