Tide Mills tale of Dinkie Dale who eloped with her dad's ex-stable-lad

Of particular interest at the moment is the area which was used by Dale's Stables of which very little is now known. This enterprise was established in the late 1920s by ex-jockey David Dale. Dale was born in Hull in 1879 and was apprenticed to Thomas Bruckshaw.

He spent the next six years riding for this Yorkshire trainer both in the UK and in France. He then became head man at stables in Hertfordshire before he transferred to the aristocratic Irish owner Henry 'Atty' Persse. He was soon on the Continent again as the head jockey for race horse owner W Carter who sent him to Italy where he rode many winners, including the Italian Grand National.

On returning to England, David Dale settled at the Lewes Racing Stables at Winterbourne which were run by another Yorkshireman, Thomas Fitton. He was their head jockey before he retired from the saddle and took up training himself.

Dale established his stables at Tide Mills on the site of an old coal yard and it is likely that the two stable buildings were built in the ruins of old buildings which had been built by the Admiralty during the First World War.

The 'Turf Who's Who' of 1932 refers to his stables as an 'infirmary for bad-legged horses' where they received 'treatment by salt-water'. He tried to rehabilitate the sick animals and one method he apparently used was to tow one or two horses behind a rowing boat in order to exercise them. At this time there was a clear expanse of sand along Seaford Bay and horses were also exercised by galloping them along the shoreline. Unfortunately, on at least one occasion, this resulted in an animal falling into soft sand and having to be put down.

David Dale, his wife and children, David and Dorothy, lived at the stables in a caravan which was parked close to the Mill Road at Tide Mills.

Dorothy was known as Dinkie to her friends and attended college at Brighton, however at the age of 18 she eloped with one of her father's former stable-lads, William Sylvester. William had got a position as jockey for the Cheltenham trainer Charles Piggott (grandfather of the famous champion jockey Lester Piggott) and Dinkie found work at a nearby hotel.

The couple eventually married with the consent of her parents and the romantic story made the national newspapers with Mrs Dale being interviewed by the Daily Mirror.

The stables probably remained at Bishopstone until the village was cleared prior to the Second World War.

Seaford had two other stables as well as that of Dale's; both of them were on the Eastbourne Road near Sutton Corner.

Seaford Hunting Stables were managed by a Mr RA Moore and the nearby Rock Fire Racing Stables were owned by James Hackett.

He had served his apprenticeship at Chichester and rode many winners including some in Belgium.

After serving in the Great War he established his stables in Seaford and he remained in the town until 1937.

KEVIN GORDON

If you have any information about Dale's Stables at Tide Mills the Project Team of Sussex Archaeological Society would be very pleased to hear from you. Photographs of the stables would be particularly welcome. I can be contacted at [email protected]