Newmarket History
Newmarket has a rich history, with the town as we know it today dating back to 1200.
Its royal history in the 17th century saw it play an integral role of the lives of James I, who built the first grandstand on Newmarket Heath, Charles I, who was in residence here when the English Civil War became an inevitability, and in particular Charles II, during whose reign the entire court would relocate to Newmarket twice a year. What remains of his royal palace, Palace House, can still be found in the town today.
It was Charles II who did more than any other monarch to advance the sport of horseracing in this country - he instituted by Act of Parliament in 1665 the first race to be run in Britain under written rules and exported the name of Newmarket and the sport of horseracing to America that same year - and his love affair with Newmarket (not to mention with his mistress in the town, Nell Gwyn!) is well chronicled.
You will find several articles in this section on aspects of Newmarket's history. We hope you enjoy reading them.
