Might be of interest for some. Rainham was the first known centre of coursing in Essex. And where the first running of the Barbican cup was run and The first recorded meeting was held there in 1845, and coursing continued intermittently until the marshes were sold in 1906 to the War Office , the marshes were 12 mile from center of London a place where us and most folk for miles would go to for a days hunting altho the war office changed the nature of the land in the war with rifle ranges it changed from coursing land to rat rabbit n fox heaven