History of Newmarket

Whilst Newmarket is known as the centre of horseracing in Britain, it also has a number of other notable tourist attractions, as well as a long and important story to tell in terms of its history.

Newmarket's Relationship With the Royal Family

Newmarket has had a very intimate relationship with the royal family throughout time, beginning with James I who saw it as the perfect place to keep his horses. Many monarchs would visit to gamble and watch horses race, and Charles II made Newmarket a truly fashionable town.

Newmarket's Earliest Origins

Unlike most medieval towns, Newmarket was built around the ancient Icknield Way, rather than being centred around a parish Church. The town does have two parish churches, St. Mary's and All Saints, though it is the Icknield Way that was central to the town's origins. It's the oldest road in Britain, and has been important since the Stone Ages as part of a large trade network.

Until the 19th century, there were also a number of Bronze Age barrows, showing signs of Newmarket's early history, spread throughout Newmarket Health. These barrows were eventually removed to help improve the area for the purpose of horseracing.

Nearby, the area of Exning was one of the main settlements of the Iceni tribe. This tribe were famous for having Queen Boudicca as one of their members, who ultimately led a large rebellion against the Romans. An interesting fact about this tribe is that they famously bred horses and dogs, perhaps showing that the areas were used for horses even in the distant past!

The rumour goes that people left Exning to start a new town in Newmarket because of the plague. However, the plague didn't arrive there until 1227, and the town was founded before this, meaning that the rumour just can't be true. In fact, the land where Newmarket stands was originally given as a dowry to Sir Richard de Argentein in 1200AD when he married daughter of the Lord of the manor of Exning, Cassandra. This is when development of the town began, and a charter for a market was given very soon after by the king.

It was in 1223 when the town got its first charter for an annual fair, and it has grown and thrived ever since. It was always in the perfect location for accommodating trade and travellers, until it was discovered that the area was perfect for racing and its popularity really took off.