User:Taggsyard23/Thomas cheshire tagg

Thomas Cheshire Tagg was a one time Steeplechase and Flat Jockey he started his racing career at the age of eleven on the flat at litchfield which he won, he rode in the Cambridgeshire on Red Comyn against the best jockeys of the day, Frederick Archer and George Fordham. His parents disaproved of racing so he ran away from home at the age of eleven and was taken in by John Osborne the famous Yorkshire trainer and Rider from here he changed his name to Thomas Skelton for riding only which kick started his racing career. Osborne taught in the ways of the hunting buisness and not racing stables his father was a Horsebreaker so Tagg was brought up with horses. He grew in stature so became a steeplechase jockey and rode in six Grand Nationals winning in 1886, he rode on the continent and in England and trained for the German Banker Baron Eduard Oppenheim at his stables in colonge Germany. He once took part in a steeplechase race in Russia that was harder than the National with railway sleepers on end, from then he came back to drive Roadcoaches in France and England were he competed against the likes of Alfred Vanderbilt the American milionaire and Ted Fownes he won the championship of the world for coaching a gold cup put up for competition by Alfred Vanderbilt. He was also known as the Champion Whip of England and became a leading coachman until 1914 driving very well known coaches as Perserverance London to Dorking the Red Rover Folkstone to Canterbury and Reynard London to Windsor coaches. The war stopped all Roadcoaching so Tom opened his own stables in 1915 training both Flat and Steeplechasers until about 1928 he stopped and was giving riding lessons and teaching people to drive coaches up until 1936, in between judging Tournements and playing the part of a stagecoach driver in the Dick Turpin film with Victor Mclaglen as the main Charactor in 1933. In 1936 Tom closed his stables and joined Bertram Mills Circus to train the horses and drive the coaches, by 1938 he became Master of the Horse for Bertram Mills whom he had to this point known for Forty years he drove famous coaches such as the Old Times, Commodore and Quicksilver mail coach, he won many trophies for Bertram Mills and in his time he drove such celebrities as the Duke of Beaufort, Lord William Beresford and Captain Carlton Blythe also James Selby the famous coachman to the Old Times, Alfred Vanderbilt to whom he competed against before his sad death in 1914 and Lord Lonsdale who had a very high opinion of his driving skills. Tom stayed with the circus until his death in 1946 he was truly Master of the Horse.

Referances in Buxton under the Duke of Devonshire by R Grundy Heape, Bertram Mills - The Circus that Travelled by Train, The Road and the Ring by Sylvia Brocklebank, Newspaper Articles - Surrey Mirror etc