William Carver 

Carver, one of the first English jockeys to ride in France, was murdered in Chantilly.

On May 10th 1907, having retired from the saddle, he was assaulted by three men (masons from Vineuil) under unexplained circumstances and died the following morning. Carver was 58 and had a wife and four children.

He had just spent a night with his son-in-law and was returning home at about 10 o’clock. He was found a short time later lying in the road, wounded and bleeding, not far from the Café de Paris at Chantilly. He had two wounds at the back of his head and had apparently been struck with a heavy instrument.

After leaving his son-in-law’s house he had met two friends with whom he went to the café to have a drink. It was while talking to these friends in front of the café that the three masons passed. Carver was going home in the same direction; what happened between him and the masons was never established. What was clear was that the masons were on holiday and completely intoxicated. Two were arrested the following morning but neither could give any explanation of what had happened. They admitted being drunk and that there had been a quarrel. The third mason, arrested later just as he was going to bed, gave the same account. None of them seemed to know how the quarrel originated or who struck the first blow.

Years earlier, Carver had won the 1873 French Derby and the Grand Prize of Paris for M H Delamarre riding Boiard. He also rode the same horse to victory in the Ascot Gold Cup before setting up as trainer after growing too heavy to continue riding.

99 years later, William Carver's grandson, Dick Carver, trained the winner of the same race when sending Lassalle over from France to win the Ascot Gold Cup.