ppeared."

The poetical conclusion of the paragraph just quoted implies, I
suspect, a very elegant personal compliment to one of the belles of the
ball, and who should the "Northern Star" be if not my lady Hardwicke,
the first lady of that name, in whose newly acquired title the Royston
people took a pride--or at least it must have been a lady from the
Mansion on the North Road!

[Illustration: LADY IN REIGN OF GEORGE III.]

What a picture the Old Assembly Room at the Red Lion must have
presented! Ladies with gorgeous and triumphant achievements in the
matter of head dresses, hair dressing, and hair powder, and frillings,
such as young ladies of to-day never dream of; and gentlemen in their
wigs, gold lace, silken hose, buckles, and elegant but economical
pantaloons! A dazzling array of candles, artistic decorations, and
Kings and Queens looking down from the walls! "A brilliant and polite
assembly elegantly conducted." These brilliant assemblies were a
common and not unfrequent feature in our old town and district life
{22} all through the reign of George III., and more especially towards
the close of the eighteenth century. Verily, "the world went very well
then," or seems to have done, at least, so far as one half of it was
concerned. Of the other half we may get some other glimpses hereafter.

What were known during the present century as the Royston Races were a
continuation, with more or less interruption, of the old Odsey Races
established as far back as James I., and probably before that time.
The original course for these races was along the level land by the
side of the Baldock Road, near Odsey, and as time went on the course
was brought nearer the town of Royston. Until the later years of last
century the course was just beyond King James' Stables, afterwards,
from the association with the course, called the Jockey House. The
running of the "Royston" Races over a course on the west end of the
present Heath will be referred to under the head of "Sports and
Pastimes."

[Illustration: OLD JOCKEY HOUSE--KING JAMES' STABLES.]

In September, 1764, when the Odsey Races were run, the principal event
was the 100 guineas subscription purse, besides minor events of 50
guineas. That large numbers of persons attended them is evident from
what is related for that year when we learn that James Butler, a
servant of Mr. Beldam, of Royston, was, while engaged in keeping the
horses without the ropes of the cours