William Noble

William Noble (1814–1897) was a 19th-century English jockey, best known for winning the first Cambridgeshire Handicap in 1839.

Personal life Noble was born in 1814 at Whitewall Corner, a hamlet in the township and parish of Norton, Yorkshire. He was baptised on the 17 August that year. His parents were Mark and Jane (née Maughan). Noble's father was the winning jockey of the first-ever running of the Manchester Cup in 1816 on Friend Ned.

Noble married Ann Knight on 25 October 1845 in the Parish of Dirleton, East Lothian, Scotland. William and Ann had at least four children: Margaret Noble, (born circa 1847 in Scotland); William (born 1849 at Richmond, North Yorkshire, died 16 January 1926 at Whitelees, Symington, Ayrshire, Scotland); Georgina Ann Noble (born 1851 at Richmond, North Yorkshire, died 14 March 1916 at Ratho Station, Midlothian, Scotland);

Noble suffered from asthma and epilepsy at the time of his death in Gullane, East Lothian on 19 September 1897, aged 83. The race was run over 9 furlongs on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket in October 1839.

Two years later, in 1841, he rode Lanercost to victory in the Ascot Cup, beating rival Beeswing. William also won the Ayr Gold Cup on four occasions – in 1836 (Despot), 1840 (The Doctor), 1842 (The Recorder), and 1843 (The Shadow).

In his later years, Noble was a horse trainer in Gullane, which in the middle part of the 19th century was referred to as the ‘Newmarket of the North’. In his book, ‘Turf Memories of Sixty Years’, Alexander Scott describes how “long streams of thoroughbreds would be seen galloping over the beautiful old turf on the hilltop.” According to Scott, in the early 1860s William would sit at night with other trainers including James Binnie and Jos Arnold, making matches between horses they trained for various owners, to be decided early the following morning on the Downs for a side stake of £1.