Driving club
Encyclopedia
In the 19th century, a driving club was a membership club for the recreational practice of carriage driving
.
, also known as the Benson Driving Club when Bensington became Benson, and commonly referred to as "the B.D.C.". It was disbanded in 1854. The BDC initially met in the White Hart public house. Later the club was relocated to Bedfont, becoming the Bedfont Driving Club with ease (since the initials remained the same), and met in the Black Dog public house. As a consequence it was also known by the informal name the Black and White Club.
Its first president was Charles Finch. Finch's successor as president was Thomas Onslow, 2nd Earl of Onslow
, a.k.a. "Tommy" Onslow. The members of the club were illustrated in Holcroft's comedy The Road to Ruin in Goldfinch. Tommy Onslow was ridiculed in two epigrams, the first of which was:
The second was a variation:
In fact, these were variants of a rhyme that had followed Onslow from his days as a "whip" long before the founding of the Four-In-Hand Club, where he had driven a phaeton
. In Athenæum
one correspondent reported that the verse had been popular in Onslow's younger days, in Surrey, at the start of the 19th century:
), the Whip Club, and the Barouche Club. The third name was after a type of horse carriage called a barouche
, which was driven by its members. The club rules dictated that a barouche should have silver mounted harnesses, rosettes at their heads, yellow bodies, "dickies", and bay horses. However, the final requirement was relaxed. Club members Sir Henry Peyton and Mr Annesley drove roan
horses.
The Four Horse Club rules also had strict dictates about clothing for the drivers. They required a drab coat that reached down to one's ankles, decorated with large mother-of-pearl buttons, and three tiers of pockets; a blue waistcoat
with inch-wide yellow stripes; knee-length breeches
with strings and rosettes, made of plush; and a hat that was at least 3.5 inch deep in the crown.
The FHC encountered difficulties in 1820, revived in 1822 with slightly different club rules, but only lasting until 1826. An 1820 joke went the rounds, of a person addressing a FHC member, saying "I hear that you men have broken up.". To which, the reply was "No. We've broken down; the FHC had not enough in hand to keep on with." The modified rules called for a brown landaulet
carriage, without ornaments; no restrictions upon horse colour; and brass mounted harnesses.
:
The Duke of Beaufort
, named in the poem, did take part in the processions, but was not actually a member of the RDC. Mr Angerstein, also named, was a particularly reckless driver, whose reputation led no-one to want to ride with him. An anecdote relates that on one occasion someone unwittingly climbed into Angerstein's carriage after dinner for the ride home. Angerstein, so excited that someone had actually chosen to ride with him, set off immediately, without waiting for the rest of the procession, and so suddenly that his passenger was thrown head-over-heels. The passenger, realizing whose carriage he had embarked upon, saying nothing jumped straight off.
(later to be named Beacon Park), and the South End Driving Park. The most famous of these clubs, the Metropolitan Driving Club, conducted races for several decades, until the rise in popularity of the motor car caused carriage driving to lose its appeal.
. Still others focus on the driving of draft horse
s and other non-racing breeds for primarily recreational purposes.
Driving (horse)
Driving, when applied to horses, ponies, mules, or donkeys, is a broad term for hitching equines to a wagon, carriage, cart, sleigh, or other horse-drawn vehicle by means of a harness and working them in this way...
.
The B.D.C.
One of the first driving clubs was the Bensington Driving Club, founded in February 1807 at Bensington, OxfordshireBenson, Oxfordshire
Benson is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England. It is about north of Wallingford at the foot of the Chiltern Hills at the confluence of a chalk stream and the River Thames, next to Benson Lock...
, also known as the Benson Driving Club when Bensington became Benson, and commonly referred to as "the B.D.C.". It was disbanded in 1854. The BDC initially met in the White Hart public house. Later the club was relocated to Bedfont, becoming the Bedfont Driving Club with ease (since the initials remained the same), and met in the Black Dog public house. As a consequence it was also known by the informal name the Black and White Club.
Its first president was Charles Finch. Finch's successor as president was Thomas Onslow, 2nd Earl of Onslow
Thomas Onslow, 2nd Earl of Onslow
Thomas Onslow, 2nd Earl of Onslow was an English nobleman and courtier who succeeded to his title in 1814. Originally the Honourable Tom Onslow, he was styled Viscount Cranley from 1801 to 1814...
, a.k.a. "Tommy" Onslow. The members of the club were illustrated in Holcroft's comedy The Road to Ruin in Goldfinch. Tommy Onslow was ridiculed in two epigrams, the first of which was:
The second was a variation:
In fact, these were variants of a rhyme that had followed Onslow from his days as a "whip" long before the founding of the Four-In-Hand Club, where he had driven a phaeton
Phaeton (carriage)
Phaeton is the early 19th-century term for a sporty open carriage drawn by a single horse or a pair, typically with four extravagantly large wheels, very lightly sprung, with a minimal body, fast and dangerous. It usually had no sidepieces in front of the seats...
. In Athenæum
Athenaeum (magazine)
The Athenaeum was a literary magazine published in London from 1828 to 1921. It had a reputation for publishing the very best writers of the age....
one correspondent reported that the verse had been popular in Onslow's younger days, in Surrey, at the start of the 19th century:
The Four Horse Club
The (friendly) rival Four Horse Club was founded the year after the BDC, in April 1808, but didn't last as long. It was founded because the membership of the BDC was limited to 25 people. Charles Buxton, the inventor of the Buxton bit, along with some friends therefore founded the Four Horse Club. It was also informally known by various other names, as the Four-In-Hand Club (after four-in-handFour-in-hand (carriage)
A four-in-hand is a carriage drawn by a team of four horses having the reins rigged in such a way that it can be driven by a single driver. The stagecoach and the tally-ho are usually four-in-hand coaches....
), the Whip Club, and the Barouche Club. The third name was after a type of horse carriage called a barouche
Barouche
A barouche was a fashionable type of horse-drawn carriage in the 19th century. Developed from the calash of the 18th century, it was a four-wheeled, shallow vehicle with two double seats inside, arranged vis-à-vis, so that the sitters on the front seat faced those on the back seat...
, which was driven by its members. The club rules dictated that a barouche should have silver mounted harnesses, rosettes at their heads, yellow bodies, "dickies", and bay horses. However, the final requirement was relaxed. Club members Sir Henry Peyton and Mr Annesley drove roan
Roan (horse)
Roan is a horse coat color pattern characterized by an even mixture of colored and white hairs on the body, while the head and "points"—lower legs, mane and tail—are more solid-colored. The roan pattern is dominantly-inherited, and is found in many horse breeds...
horses.
The Four Horse Club rules also had strict dictates about clothing for the drivers. They required a drab coat that reached down to one's ankles, decorated with large mother-of-pearl buttons, and three tiers of pockets; a blue waistcoat
Waistcoat
A waistcoat or vest is a sleeveless upper-body garment worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear, and as the third piece of the three-piece male business suit.-Characteristics and use:...
with inch-wide yellow stripes; knee-length breeches
Breeches
Breeches are an item of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles...
with strings and rosettes, made of plush; and a hat that was at least 3.5 inch deep in the crown.
The FHC encountered difficulties in 1820, revived in 1822 with slightly different club rules, but only lasting until 1826. An 1820 joke went the rounds, of a person addressing a FHC member, saying "I hear that you men have broken up.". To which, the reply was "No. We've broken down; the FHC had not enough in hand to keep on with." The modified rules called for a brown landaulet
Landaulet
A landaulet or landaulette is a car body style, "an enclosed sedan or coupé with a folding top at the extreme rear quarter, over the rear seat."...
carriage, without ornaments; no restrictions upon horse colour; and brass mounted harnesses.
The Richmond Driving Club
The Richmond Driving Club was founded in 1838 by Lord Chesterfield. It only lasted until 1845. It used to meet at Lord Chesterfield's house, and drive, in procession, to dinner at the Castle Hotel in Richmond. It was satirized by Robert Smith SurteesRobert Smith Surtees
Robert Smith Surtees was an English editor, novelist and sporting writer. He was the second son of Anthony Surtees of Hamsterley Hall, a member of an old County Durham family.-Early life:...
:
The Duke of Beaufort
Duke of Beaufort
Duke of Beaufort is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, illegitimate son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, a Lancastrian leader in the Wars of the...
, named in the poem, did take part in the processions, but was not actually a member of the RDC. Mr Angerstein, also named, was a particularly reckless driver, whose reputation led no-one to want to ride with him. An anecdote relates that on one occasion someone unwittingly climbed into Angerstein's carriage after dinner for the ride home. Angerstein, so excited that someone had actually chosen to ride with him, set off immediately, without waiting for the rest of the procession, and so suddenly that his passenger was thrown head-over-heels. The passenger, realizing whose carriage he had embarked upon, saying nothing jumped straight off.
19th century popularity
Enthusiasts in Boston, Massachusetts formed several driving clubs (also called "gentlemen's driving clubs"), and so-called trotting associations, in the second half of the 19th century. They would race in three locations: the Readville Race Course, the Riverside Riding Park in AllstonAllston
-People:* Aaron Allston , an American novelist* Johanna Allston , an Australian orienteer* Robert Francis Withers Allston , a Governor of South Carolina...
(later to be named Beacon Park), and the South End Driving Park. The most famous of these clubs, the Metropolitan Driving Club, conducted races for several decades, until the rise in popularity of the motor car caused carriage driving to lose its appeal.
20th and 21st century
A 2002 estimate by the USTA was that there were over 500 members of the various registered driving clubs in the United States. Most of these driving clubs are small, holding driving contests at the home tracks before the regular horse races on the racing card. There are additional organizations dedicated to the sport of combined drivingCombined driving
Combined driving also known as Horse Driving Trials is an equestrian sport involving carriage driving. In this discipline the driver sits on a vehicle drawn by a single horse, a pair or a team of four. The sport has three phases: Dressage, Cross-country Marathon and Obstacle Cone Driving and is...
. Still others focus on the driving of draft horse
Draft horse
A draft horse , draught horse or dray horse , less often called a work horse or heavy horse, is a large horse bred for hard, heavy tasks such as ploughing and farm labour...
s and other non-racing breeds for primarily recreational purposes.