Dungannon (horse)
Encyclopedia
Dungannon, was a thoroughbred racehorse owned by the tobacco planter and horse breeder George Hume Steuart
(1700–1784), who imported the horse from England
to race against his rival, Charles Carroll of Annapolis
(1703–1783). Dungannon won the Annapolis Subscription Plate
, in May 1743, the first recorded formal horse race in colonial Maryland
, and the second oldest in North America.
The Annapolis Subscription Plate
was held in May 1743 at Parole, Maryland
, near Annapolis, on the South River, at a site which eventually became the Parole Hunt Club
. Charles Carroll of Annapolis
(whose son, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
, would later sign the Declaration of Independence
in 1776) had wagered Steuart that his horse would win in a 3-mile race. In the 1740s racing was established in almost every large town in Maryland, with many gentlemen of means establishing large studs. The Maryland Jockey Club
was founded in Annapolis in 1743, and racing soon came to form an important part of the social and political life of the colony.
At stake was the Annapolis Subscription Plate
, today the oldest surviving silver object made in Maryland and the second oldest horseracing trophy in America. The silver plate itself - in reality more of a bowl than a plate - was donated to the Baltimore Museum of Art
by Mrs Alice Key Montell and Mrs Sarah Steuart Hartshorne, where it is now on display. It was crafted by the Annapolis silversmith John Inch (1721–1763).
A solid silver replica of similar weight and dimensions mirroring the original Annapolis Subscription Plate was commissioned in 1955 by the Maryland Jockey Club
. The replica, known as "The Dungannon Bowl", is a perpetual trophy given annually to the winner of the Dixie Stakes, the oldest stakes race run in Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic states.
The Annapolis Subscription Plate has also been revived in recent years by the descendants of Dungannon's former owner, Dr George Hume Steuart, who still live at Steuart's former tobacco plantation, Dodon
, today. The commemorative race is held annually at Roedown Farm, Davidsonville, Maryland.
George Hume Steuart
George Hume Steuart, was a physician, tobacco planter, and Loyalist politician in colonial Maryland. Born in Perthshire, Scotland, Steuart emigrated to Maryland in around 1721, where he benefited from proprietarial patronage and was appointed to a number of colonial offices, eventually becoming a...
(1700–1784), who imported the horse from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to race against his rival, Charles Carroll of Annapolis
Charles Carroll of Annapolis
Charles Carroll of Annapolis was a wealthy Maryland planter and lawyer. His father was Charles Carroll the Settler, an immigrant to Maryland who had arrived in the colony in 1689 with a commission as Attorney General, and had accumulated a vast fortune, emerging as Maryland's wealthiest citizen...
(1703–1783). Dungannon won the Annapolis Subscription Plate
Annapolis Subscription Plate
The Annapolis Subscription Plate is the name given both to the first recorded formal horse race in colonial Maryland and to the silver trophy awarded to the winner of the race...
, in May 1743, the first recorded formal horse race in colonial Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, and the second oldest in North America.
History
Annapolis Subscription Plate
The Annapolis Subscription Plate is the name given both to the first recorded formal horse race in colonial Maryland and to the silver trophy awarded to the winner of the race...
was held in May 1743 at Parole, Maryland
Parole, Maryland
Parole is a census-designated place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 14,031 at the 2000 census. It is where several major roads intersect at the edge of the state capital, Annapolis, and adjacent to the Annapolis Mall shopping center and Anne Arundel Medical Center...
, near Annapolis, on the South River, at a site which eventually became the Parole Hunt Club
Parole Hunt Club
The Parole Hunt Club was a half-mile race track in Parole, Maryland, dedicated to horse racing, including pacers and trotters, on land now known as Riva Road...
. Charles Carroll of Annapolis
Charles Carroll of Annapolis
Charles Carroll of Annapolis was a wealthy Maryland planter and lawyer. His father was Charles Carroll the Settler, an immigrant to Maryland who had arrived in the colony in 1689 with a commission as Attorney General, and had accumulated a vast fortune, emerging as Maryland's wealthiest citizen...
(whose son, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Charles Carroll of Carrollton was a wealthy Maryland planter and an early advocate of independence from Great Britain. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later as United States Senator for Maryland...
, would later sign the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
in 1776) had wagered Steuart that his horse would win in a 3-mile race. In the 1740s racing was established in almost every large town in Maryland, with many gentlemen of means establishing large studs. The Maryland Jockey Club
Maryland Jockey Club
The Maryland Jockey Club is a sporting organization dedicated to horse racing, founded in Annapolis in 1743. The Jockey Club was founded more than 30 years before the start of the Revolutionary War and is chartered as the oldest sporting organization in North America...
was founded in Annapolis in 1743, and racing soon came to form an important part of the social and political life of the colony.
At stake was the Annapolis Subscription Plate
Annapolis Subscription Plate
The Annapolis Subscription Plate is the name given both to the first recorded formal horse race in colonial Maryland and to the silver trophy awarded to the winner of the race...
, today the oldest surviving silver object made in Maryland and the second oldest horseracing trophy in America. The silver plate itself - in reality more of a bowl than a plate - was donated to the Baltimore Museum of Art
Baltimore Museum of Art
The Baltimore Museum of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, was founded in 1914. Built in the Roman Temple style, the Museum is home to an internationally renowned collection of 19th-century, modern, and contemporary art. Founded in 1914 with a single painting, the BMA today has 90,000 works...
by Mrs Alice Key Montell and Mrs Sarah Steuart Hartshorne, where it is now on display. It was crafted by the Annapolis silversmith John Inch (1721–1763).
Legacy
Maryland Jockey Club
The Maryland Jockey Club is a sporting organization dedicated to horse racing, founded in Annapolis in 1743. The Jockey Club was founded more than 30 years before the start of the Revolutionary War and is chartered as the oldest sporting organization in North America...
. The replica, known as "The Dungannon Bowl", is a perpetual trophy given annually to the winner of the Dixie Stakes, the oldest stakes race run in Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic states.
The Annapolis Subscription Plate has also been revived in recent years by the descendants of Dungannon's former owner, Dr George Hume Steuart, who still live at Steuart's former tobacco plantation, Dodon
Dodon
Dodon, is a farm and former tobacco plantation in Maryland, located near the South River about south west of Annapolis. Purchased in around 1744 by the planter and politician Dr George H. Steuart, it remains the home of Steuart's descendants to this day...
, today. The commemorative race is held annually at Roedown Farm, Davidsonville, Maryland.
See also
- Annapolis Subscription PlateAnnapolis Subscription PlateThe Annapolis Subscription Plate is the name given both to the first recorded formal horse race in colonial Maryland and to the silver trophy awarded to the winner of the race...
- George H. Steuart (planter)
- DodonDodonDodon, is a farm and former tobacco plantation in Maryland, located near the South River about south west of Annapolis. Purchased in around 1744 by the planter and politician Dr George H. Steuart, it remains the home of Steuart's descendants to this day...
- Maryland Jockey ClubMaryland Jockey ClubThe Maryland Jockey Club is a sporting organization dedicated to horse racing, founded in Annapolis in 1743. The Jockey Club was founded more than 30 years before the start of the Revolutionary War and is chartered as the oldest sporting organization in North America...
External links
- Official Dodon website and history of the estate Retrieved February 18, 2010
- Article on Annapolis Subscription Plate at www.hometownannapolis.com Retrieved February 18, 2010
- History of Maryland Jockey Club Retrieved February 18, 2010