Racing Women

In 1748, the Bath Journal of August 8:

‘Advertisement, the following ASSES were entered to run on the Town-Common Thursday last; the Names they were enter’d by were Merry Pintle, Spanking, Roger, Morecock, Turpin, Mouse, Perrdy, Spider, Picksey, Pug, Jan Parsons, Roger &c. They were rode by Boys, and the Plate was won by Jackey Skares’ Ass Merry Pintle - There were Six Thousand Persons on the course, and some of Distinction who came many miles to see the Sport - a Smock and Hat were run for at the same Time by Girls.’

There are a couple of things of interest here; firstly, how popular ass racing was and how well-known many of the asses were. Second, it is an early Bath reference to the popular Georgian sport of smock racing. It also suggests something about contemporary attitudes toward working-class women: the Asses were the main attraction and were named.

Another advert for a similar event featuring asses and girls provides further information. The Smock race consisted of three heats; the winner got the smock, the second got the hat, and the third got half a crown, which gives some idea of the clothing's considerable value. Women who wished to compete were required to report to the Common House by 3 p.m. on the day. The asses won a guinea for first, 5 shillings for second and half a crown for third. 

Smocks, or shifts, were the basic, all-purpose undergarments for Georgian women, worn beneath stays and gowns during the day and often in bed at night. The smocks offered as prizes were usually made of high-quality linen and often trimmed with lace and ribbons. People often displayed the prize smock hanging from a nearby flagpole or tree branch. 

Rowlandson 1811

Smock races were popular entertainment throughout the Georgian period partly because they met the almost insatiable demand for gambling opportunities, but also, and perhaps primarily, because they let male spectators see young women in loose clothing, which often became disarranged and flushed from physical exertion. The above Rowlandson print amply illustrates this.

From all the reports and the many prints, competition among the often desperately poor women was fierce. No actual rules seem to have existed, and the women freely tripped and barged their rivals, often knocking them into the dust. The more violent the race became, the more audiences roared their approval and the more acclaim the eventual victor received.

Smock races took place throughout Bath in the eighteenth century, including at the Parades and Lansdown, and were a feature of many fairs.