People have been coming together for centuries to visit the fair. Be it for trading or commercial interests, or simply to indulge in an afternoon of pleasure-seeking, the fair encapsulates a surprisingly long-lived tradition that can trace its roots back to the Middle Ages. Hundreds of fairs still exist in Britain today, such as Tavistock Goose Fair in Devon and St Giles’ Fair in Oxford, and many are an important part of the yearly calendar, often held in autumn just after the harvest, or in spring, when traditionally travel would become easier. Some have been located on more or less the same site for centuries and even pre-date the history of the town or settlement in which they are held. While the Victorian era is often considered the golden age of the fairground, fairs were the original focal point of commerce for hundreds of years prior to this, and their origins are a little more humble.

Many fairs started informally in the Middle Ages, developing around places of worship and tied in to religious festivals in order to attract a larger audience, but it is likely that similar events were held in Roman Britain and even earlier. The majority of fairs have their origins in official royal charters and privileges granted in the 12th and 13th centuries. These ‘charter fairs’ were an attempt by the Crown to bring existing fairs under their jurisdiction and therefore the right to control revenues. In return, the organisation of the fair or market was permitted to stay with a specific town, abbey or village. The British Library holds a drawing of a wax seal to a charter granting market rights to the town of Bishops Lydeard. The seal – which shows Edward I sitting on his throne with his symbols of office – allowed the weekly holding of a Monday market and two six-day fairs. The original charter is still displayed in the parish church.

Hiring fairs
Hiring fairs or ‘mop fairs’ were a specific type of fair that developed in agricultural regions for the hiring of labourers. The origins of ‘mops’ can be traced back to the passing of the Statute of Labourers in 1351 by Edward III. They continued until the end of the 19th century and often included a ‘runaway mop’ – a separate fair held shortly after the initial mop in order for employers to re-hire if necessary. A short article in the Berkshire Chronicle in October 1831 about the Michaelmas mop fair reports that ‘The exchange of domestics, both of the masculine and feminine gender, was pretty general; but no great demand for additional ones; and many a lad and lassie gay returned from whence they came to await a chance of a second mop on Tuesday next.’

At these early fairs, entertainment would have taken a back seat in favour of trade and business. Permanent shops were rare outside of major cities before the late 18th century and only local merchants had permission to conduct business in the town. The coming of the fair presented a rare opportunity to buy products from further afield. Early entertainment would have been very basic by today’s standards – crude games, strolling players and primitive riding devices would have featured alongside the trade stalls and booths. By the late 18th and early 19th century the inclusion of stalls for commerce waned in favour of circuses, booths of curiosities and menageries. The remnants of trade such as china and pottery stalls, tools, cloth and household items were pushed into the surrounding streets and the focus of the fair became recreational, particularly with the development of the railways, which changed the movement of goods permanently.

Spectacle
By the 18th century, fairs were more than just simple markets. Bartholomew Fair, which was held in London near Smithfield cattle market, was one of the largest, bringing the latest in spectacle and performance to an audience of thousands. Visitors would have enjoyed acrobatics, tightrope walking, exotic animal exhibitions, and puppet shows, amongst other delights. The fair grew in popularity from its beginnings as a cloth fair to London’s premier entertainment event – so much so that it was extended to two full weeks – and was formally opened each year by the Lord Mayor of London. An early depiction of Bartholomew Fair in 1721, which is held at the British Library, gives a unique insight into the breadth of entertainment on offer such as rides, fortune-tellers, performers, as well as food and drink stalls. These stalls, many of which offered cheap alcohol, saw the ultimate downfall of Bartholomew Fair. In an age of moral reform, the fair was under constant attack from City authorities during the early 19th century for encouraging drunkenness and immorality, as well as enticing the working population away from their daily employ. Bartholomew Fair was eventually outlawed in 1855.

By the beginning of the 19th century, a variety of new and enterprising sideshows were emerging, such as waxworks, freak shows, wrestlers and mechanical puppets. These quickly became an established part of the fairground landscape. By the second half of the 19th century, the golden age of travelling entertainment had arrived and the showmen and their exhibits became the showground celebrities of the day. The Berkshire Chronicle in May 1869 gave an in-depth account of a visit to Reading May Fair which gives an amusing insight into what the audience could expect: ‘We next contemplate a very small tent which is said to contain within its narrow limits, “The Wonders of Abyssinia.”“ In order to induce the lookers to enter, an individual, who seems to have undergone immersion in a tan-pit, makes his appearance at the entrance and commences eating fire in a most outrageous manner. Having no sympathy with the gentleman of the fire-eating persuasion, we enter [the] adjoining circus where some acrobats perform very creditable manoeuvres on the tight rope, after which the irrepressible fortune telling pony comes out to make some important communications… the pony intimating by a sagacious nod of his head that the biggest rogue in the company was the gentleman in the spangled dress who propounded the questions.’

Showmanship played an enormous part in the overall success of an exhibit. The quest for something new and sensational drove showmen to employ a variety of tricks to keep one step ahead of their counterparts and the fair-going public. This included the employment of ‘freaks’ or ‘marvels of nature’ – people who today we would understand to have disabilities – doing extraordinary things. The narrative presented around these types of exhibits often lead to some incredibly tall tales that a modern audience with even a basic understanding of science would struggle to swallow! The tale, however, was essential to the element of performance and would involve gypsy curses or the mother of the person being exhibited being affected by a terrible shock whilst carrying the child. The National Fairground and Circus Archive at the University of Sheffield holds a wealth of material relating to the subject. Their research reveals some of these tales, including Joseph Merrick becoming the Elephant Man because his mother was knocked over by an elephant, and Leonine becoming the Lion Faced Lady because her mother saw her father eaten alive by lions in Sierra Leone. While by today’s standards the relationship between a showman and his exhibits would be deemed at best inappropriate and, at worst, exploitative, it is also important to consider the overall cultural and historical context in which the fair was operating. Most performers, particularly those who couldn’t work, would have experienced extreme poverty were it not for the travelling showmen. Travelling the fairs offered them a modicum of financial security and independence.

Performing animals were also popular exhibits, including parachuting cats, talking fish and the famous Toby the ‘Sapient Pig’. ‘Learned pigs’ such as Toby, as well as other gifted animals were a huge draw for audiences as early as the 17th century. Toby gained fame in the early 19th century for his alleged ability to perform human-like tasks. A poster from 1823 held at the British Library extols Toby as ‘the greatest curiosity in existence’, citing his many talents including ‘perfect knowledge of the alphabet! Understands Arithmetic, and will spell and cast Accounts… He must be SEEN to be BELIEVED.’ He was also credited with psychic powers, although quite how he communicated his discoveries is a mystery! The Oxfordshire Weekly News in September 1884 gives an interesting account of Edmonds’ menagerie at St Giles’ Fair as ‘an extensive and interesting zoological collection, containing groups of lions, headed by the renowned “Giant Wallace,““ tigers, horned horses, antelopes, sagacious elephants, camels, dromedaries, etc., all of which were in excellent condition. Three tiger cubs, born the previous Tuesday, were a great attraction…’

Famous showmen
The fairground saw many famous showmen over the centuries. The self-titled ‘Lord’ George Sanger began his fairground life travelling a peep show with his parents. He rose through the ranks with a conjuring show, circuses and performances and he even presented his circus to Queen Victoria during his 50 or so years in the trade. The Bostock and Wombwell families were the leading showmen in 19th-century travelling menageries, merging their businesses and families in 1852. Perhaps the most well known was, and still is, PT Barnum. The American showman became a global success with his travelling life museum and circus, bringing his unique and innovative approach to the British fair in the second half of the 19th century.

The popularity of the fair waned in the mid-19th century, due in part to the loss of traditional town centre sites and competition from burgeoning mass-market entertainment in music halls, theatres and town centre exhibitions. Fortunately the introduction of steam power and advances in manufacture and production gave the fair a new lease of life. The trading element had all but disappeared – instead the fair was a place to seek pleasure, enjoyment and recreation. The introduction of a steam-powered roundabout at Bolton New Year Fair and Midsummer Fair at Halifax was a revelation. Soon, the firm Savage’s, who were based in King’s Lynn, begun to specialise in mechanised roundabouts and swiftly became the chief innovators in the field. A range of rides emerged, culminating in 1891 with one of the most widely recognised and iconic fairground rides of all time – the ‘Gallopers’, better known in other parts as the merry-go-round or carousel.

Footage of fairs and fairgrounds in the British Pathé archives from the turn of the century shows how wide-ranging the application of steam and mechanisation was to the fairground landscape. By the end of the Victorian era, steam yachts, switchbacks and other variants on the carousel had all been added to the fairground repertoire and the fair became a place to showcase new and developing technologies such as cinematograph and x-ray photography. This is perhaps what is widely recognised as being the golden age of the fair and by the turn of the century over 200 events were taking place in the UK every weekend from Easter to November.

The 20th century saw the introduction of electricity as well as inspiration from Europe and America – rides such as the ‘Chair-o-Plane’ (Germany), ‘The Whip’ (the United States) and the ‘Swirls’ (an early type of Waltzer) – were all showcased in a riot of modernity and motion.

While today’s fairs owe their existence to the chartered fairs and markets of the Middle Ages, it was the transformative effect of the Industrial Revolution that enabled the fair to rightfully earn its place in our collective history. Alongside modern classics such as the dodgems, fairs today celebrate their history by continuing to offer classic rides too – a satisfying nod towards their heritage. But most importantly, they are still the unifying, community events that they always were; a unique celebration of fun and pleasure to which everyone is invited.