13th March 1508- The Oldest Foot Race in Britain Is Established
(Detail from Timothy Pont’s late sixteenth century map of Scotland, showing Carnwath and the surrounding area. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland)
A South Lanarkshire village set in muirland at the edge of the Pentland hills, Carnwath is not exactly the most famous place in Scottish history. But keen runners, at least, would do well to remember its name, since Carnwath has a pretty good claim to be the location of the oldest continuously run foot race in Great Britain, and one of the oldest in the world.
The history of this race- the ‘Red Hose Race’- stretches back over five hundred years. On 13th March 1508, King James IV issued two charters in relation to Carnwath. The first, which is believed to be the origin of the race, granted (or rather regranted) the lands and barony of Carnwath to the fourth Lord Somerville. The grant was made in blencheferme- i.e. in return for a very small, nominal rent, in this case a pair of hose (stockings), made from half an ell of English cloth. These pairs of hose were to be awarded yearly to the individual who could run fastest from the east end of Carnwath to the cross commonly called ‘Cawle-cross’ on the feast of St John the Baptist, which took place on 24th June and which was often considered to coincide with Midsummer in the sixteenth century. Even though the Somervilles sold the barony in the early seventeenth century, this strange annual rent seems to have survived. Whether it had a real practical purpose is unclear, although the Carnwath Agricultural Society’s website takes the view that, “A fast runner could bring news of any approaching invasion from the South to Edinburgh and the red hose would be the insignia by which he would be recognised.”
Despite the remarkable survival of a charter documenting the origin of the race, other early records of the event are hard to come by. The next written accounts of the tradition come from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, by which time the custom was already comparatively ancient. The New Statistical Account (published between 1834 and 1845) provides an insight into how the tradition had evolved by the early 1800s. By this time it was no longer held on the old Catholic feast day of John the Baptist, but had been moved to coincide with Carnwath’s fair in August. The prize was still a pair of hose, and these were now explicitly stated to be red, the aspect of the tradition which gives the race its modern name. The race had been held for at least fifty years (and probably much longer) by the time the New Statistical Account was compiled. The minister who wrote Carnwath’s entry claimed that the old people of the parish remembered a previous landowner keeping a messenger on standby each year, so that the news of the race and its winner could be carried immediately to the Lord Advocate in Edinburgh. This tradition had been dispensed with by the time of the New Statistical Account but the then owner of the Carnwath estates, Lord Lockhart of Lee, regularly organised other sporting events like shotput, throwing the hammer, and quoits to run alongside the Red Hose Race, making the event something of a local holiday. By the 1960s, the fair had been replaced by the Carnwath agricultural show, but the race was still held alongside it in August and the prizes were awarded by the wife of Lockhart of Lee, with the red hose handknitted by a local woman.
The tradition of the Red Hose race continues in the 21st century. The date has changed again, though it is still held as part of the agricultural show, which is next scheduled to take place on 31st July 2021- as far as I am aware, the race is still scheduled to go ahead this year at time of writing, though this may well change. The course is rather different- this year, the race will begin at the showfield to the north-east of the village, and it seems that the race usually ends at the starting point as well, after covering a 4.5km route (it is unclear where the ‘Cawle’, ‘Cawlo’ or ‘Calla’ cross of the original charter actually was). But the prize is still a pair of red socks and although anyone from anywhere can take part, only a resident of the parishes around Carnwath is entitled to wear and win the red socks.
Despite fears that the race might die off in 2011, the event was saved and, with the exception of major events like the two world wars, foot and mouth outbreaks, and, of course, COVID-19, it is thought to have been run continuously for the last five hundred years. May it last for at least another five hundred, as a wonderful piece of living history!
Selected Bibliography: - “The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland”, vol. 2, edited by Sir James Balfour Paul - “The New Statistical Account of Scotland”, vol. 6 (entry for Carnwath compiled by the Reverend James Walker) - “The Silver Bough: A Calendar of Scottish National Festivals”, by F. Marian McNeill - Carnwath Agricultural Show’s website which has a section on the race and the rules for entry here
