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PORTRAIT
OF A PIONEER
Samuel
Blackwell
By
Vera Fisher
This
is the story of Samuel Blackwell and his favourite horse Panic. Described
as the most famous sire imported into Australia during the last
century, Panic was foaled in 1858, by Alarm from Queen of Beauty. The man
who brought this horse to the Colony was the late Samuel Blackwell. Mr.
Blackwell was born in the tiny English village of Melton
Mowbray in 1814, but moved later to Fosbry in
Wiltshire. There he met the late Mr. John Bisdee Sen. Both belonged to the
exclusive Tedworth Hunt Club, which had some 80 members who rode to the
hounds every day in the week.
Mr
Bisdee had migrated to Van Dieman's Land in 1821, and, after taking up a
holding of land at Hutton Park and running it successfully for some years,
was having a holiday in England.
He persuaded Mr. Blackwell to come with him on his return to this State,
and they arrived in 1840.
Mr.
Blackwell became licensee of the Cape of Good Hope Inn at Apsley. In 1842
he took over the Royal Oaks Hotel at Green Ponds (now Kempton). This
building is now Oakmore, a private residence. Horses owned by him were
already doing well at races on the old Green Ponds track.
On
September 18, 1850 Mr. Blackwell was granted a stage coach licence for a
two-wheel vehicle to run between Green Ponds and Bothwell for 12 months. A
year later he bought land at Cross Marsh (now Melton), and in 1858 he built
a large two-storey inn which he named Melton Mowbray after his birthplace.
It was in the building of the stables, spacious enough to be used as a
motor garage, post office and private dwelling in later years, that Mr.
Blackwell evinced most interest.
In
1853 he entered horses in the Town Plate run at New Town. A few years later
he decided to import a racehorse from England,
and commissioned a Mr. Brown of Hobart
Town, to select a
suitable one during a visit to the Old Country.
Mr.
Brown bought Panic while the horse's owner was absent from home, and there
was consternation when he found his favourite racer had been sold. However,
he agreed to let the purchase stand, and received 1,000 guineas in payment.
Mr. Blackwell and his trainer, Mr. Peter Dallan, travelled to Hobart Town to take delivery of the animal
from the sailing ship Harriet McGregor, under the captaincy of Richard
Copping. However, the horse had been very ill on the voyage out, and was
little more than a bag of bones with swollen legs. Brown agreed to keep the
horse on his property free of charge for six months. After three months the
brown colt was in perfect condition. Panic gained many successes in races,
the most notable being when he won the "Championship" of 1865,
and ran second in the Melbourne Cup. Then he was turned out to stud, and
one of his first stock was Strop who won the Launceston Cup four times.
Another
of Panic's foals was Nimblefoot, owned for a time by Mr. Blackwell, who
sold him a few months before Nimblefoot won the Melbourne Cup. As recently
as 1920 prospective owners were asking for horses with the Panic strain,
for the old horse was renowned for his stamina and staying ability.
In
1860 Mr. Bisdee gave Mr. Blackwell a pack of Beagle hounds, and he hunted
them as the Southern Hunt Club hounds. He had a deer park on his property, and a
racecourse built at the rear of the hotel.
It was
not unusual for travellers on the coaches from Hobart to Launceston to break their
journey for two days at Melton to converse with Mr. Blackwell and admire
his trophies and the handsome pictures which adorned the walls.
Many
members of the Government stopped at Melton Mowbray, and when Governor Weld
was appointed in 1875 he made a habit of spending all his annual holidays
at Melton and travelling up there for all the races. On one occasion His
Excellency sent his children and their governess to the hotel for six weeks'
holiday especially for Mr. Blackwell to teach the children to ride. During
the first Royal Tour of Australia in 1878, the Duke of Edinburgh was the
guest of Mr. Blackwell.
Following
is a copy of the original obituary of Samuel Blackwell printed on silk.
Samuel Blackwell was my great great grandfather.
Janet
Bamford, Yass, New South Wales, Australia.
February 1999
Samuel
Blackwell - Circa 1814 to 12 July 1884.
THE
LATE Mr.S. BLACKWELL, SEN.
(By
Tam 0'SHANTER, in the "Tasmanian Mail" of July 18, 1885.)
Sportsmen
throughout Australasia - and even in the old country - will experience a
sincere feeling of regret upon receipt of intelligence of the death of Mr.
Samuel Blackwell, Sen., which sad event occurred at the deceased's late
residence, Melton Mowbray, on Sunday, 12th July 1885. In racing circles few
men were more popular, and certainly no straighter-going colours were ever
borne to victory or defeat on the colonial turf than the "pink jacket
and black cap" of the old squire. Long ere he settled in the Antipodes
- some 40 years back - Mr. Blackwell took a lively interest in turf
matters, and his name being associated in the sport with the names of
Messrs. Dry, Gee, Hardwicke, Yeend, Rose, and others, he might be classed
among one of the oldest sportsmen in Southern Tasmania. As far back as 1853
he opposed Messrs. Yeend and Rose in the Town Plate run at New Town, but
previous to this horses owned by him were competing on the old Green Ponds
course.
After
engaging in business in one or two townships in the Colony, Mr. Blackwell
sought his fortune in Victoria, ultimately
settling down at Melton Mowbray, an English like village situate about 30
miles from Hobart.
Indeed, the very name of Melton Mowbray has a true sporting ring about it,
reviving memories of those who may have followed the hounds in the
essentially hunting county of Leicestershire, and if the deceased gentleman
did not originally give the place its name, some early colonist, with
sporting proclivities, implanted a lasting recollection of the thriving
little township situate in the county where the renowned Lyme harriers have
followed the game for years past. In the ancient coaching days, where time
permitted, few would continue the journey to Launceston without stopping a
day or two to partake of Host Blackwell's hospitality, and the typical
English gentleman was just as ready to converse about the sport he so
dearly loved as his guests were gratified in having the opportunity of
granting him an audience. As landlord of Melton Mowbray Hotel, Mr.
Blackwell gained countless friends outside the racing world. Adjacent to
the hotel was the racecourse which the worthy host always placed at the
disposal of the promoters of the annual race gathering held here; and out
of respect to their genuine friend, the meetings of 1883 and 1884 were
brought off as complimentary to and in honour of Mr. S. Blackwell, sen.
Deceased in his younger days was a clever horseman, a good shot, and his
knowledge of a horse increased as decades went by. For many years the
deceased was master of the Southern Hounds, and he may be said to have
literally breathed his last in the saddle, as an attack of paralysis, which
seized him on the 20th ult., during a run with the hounds, caused a
prostration which eventuated in his death.
Mr.
Blackwell's name was principally rendered famous from the fact of his
having originally owned the thoroughbred sire Panic, acknowledged on all
hands to be the most useful sire that ever left England for the colonies.
"Useful" would not be all that the defunct son of Alarm was
entitled to, but for the reason that it was years before the horse was
given a chance. One of the first of Panic's stock was the popular equine,
Strop, a quadruple Launceston Cup winner; later on Nimblefoot, a Melbourne
Cup Hero, who was Mr. B's property for a few months prior to his big
Victorian coup; and in the present day is Commotion, who may be said to be
the most consistent performer that ever trod the turf in the Southern
Hemisphere. As a steeplechase sire, Panic had no equal. Panic himself was
successful as a racer, his Champion of '65, and his second in the Melbourne
Cup, to wit. About that year the Panic Produce Stakes was run, Mr.
Blackwell contributing the bulk of the prize. Shillelagh and Modesty were
other good performers owned by the departed squire; also Touchstone, whose
portrait has hung in the snuggery of the Melton Hotel for so long past. The
ever welcome "pink and black" was frequently carried to victory
over cross-country, and among this latter class owned by the deceased
gentleman may be mentioned Black Prince, Beaufort, Blackthorn, etc., and
among platers the names of Spaniard, Sweetlips, Tit-bit, John Peel, and
Donnybrook. It was owing to the defeat of this latter horse at Clarence Plains that the memorable Panic v.
Minstrel match was arranged, which ended in such confusion, owing to the
followers of Minstrel declaring forfeit. Of late years Mr. Blackwell owned
Edward, the steeplechaser, and the day the old grey beat Echo at the
complimentary meeting on the Melton course was such another to the old gent
as when Panic won the Champion. Nicholas was a good average cross-country
horse, and won some capital races for his owner and breeder. From
Princetta, a mare by Gotherstone, from Young Princess, by The Swede, Mr.
Blackwell became possessed of Nicholas, Moss Rose, and Nora, each by
Horatio, and a filly by The Assyrian. The mare and foal were sold a few
months back, which left their late owner, for about the only time without a
racer. Deceased leaves a widow, and also two sons, Samuel and William. As a
genuine sportsman, the same may be said of honest Sam Blackwell as has been
uttered in memory of other turfites of his manly character who have passed
from us - Where'er the flag encircled course or long bold sweep of billowy
down Inspired the deeds of man and horse, Such were the fields of his
renown.
Deceased
was laid in his last resting-place on the 16th July, 1885, in the plot of
ground at the rear of the little chapel which was built principally through
the exertions of his surviving widow. Upwards of 200 persons, representing Hobart, Oatlands,
Bothwell, Green Ponds, etc., attended the funeral.
AND THE MELTON MOWBRAY HOTEL AS IT IS TODAY…
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