Midsummer Fair is a very typical Charter fair as it follows the same particular pattern. It has generally been successful since 1229, which is the same year as it was granted its Charter by King Henry, where it was granted to the Church, Barnwell Priory. As the Charter was granted, this is one of the factors that make Midsummer Fair a Charter Fair. The source below is an old painting of Barnwell Priory Church, painted in the 1600s, Source 4. This could be an unreliable source as it is a painting which could be part imaginative, however it could be reliable as the artist may have stood in front of it painting in which case, it could be an almost exact copy.
Furthermore, as typical to Charter Fairs, Midsummer Fair always begins with an opening ceremony, lead by the Mayor. However, unlike the old tradition of the mayor opening the fair then throwing newly minted coins to the children, they now throw chocolate coins instead. There was some conflict over who should have control over the fair between the town council and the University of Cambridge. Nevertheless, in 1506, the Mayor took control. “...on March 23rd......the Cambridge town mare has been granted full control...” Source 5, is likely to be reliable as it is from the ‘History of Great Britain’ encyclopaedia.
As time progressed, the Fair grew in length and began to change its content. Like many other fairs, it began specialising in buying and selling china, granting it the name ‘Pot Fair’. It was also a horse and cattle fair, which attracted large numbers of gypsy travellers. However, when horses became less important as the town council stopped providing a site for the travellers, which was a large change for Midsummer Fair to accommodate and could have contributed to the beginning of its decline. The following Source 24, a photo, which shows only the truth so, is factual and reliable, taken of Midsummer Fair in 1955, demonstrates the fair as being an entertainment centre, with rides, food and confectionary stools.
Finally, like all Charter Fair, Midsummer Fair suffered a decline in the 1800s and 1900s because of an increase in violent and anti-social behaviour. “The abominations which are practiced... too notorious to need repetition...” Source 6, could be unreliable as it is a letter to a newspaper, and so may be more opinionated than factual. However, this may not be an entirely accurate source as it is very opinionated, “too notorious to need repetition”. This could be a letter describing what a person witnessed so therefore may not be very reliable. This quote is taken from the Cambridge Chronicle in 1796 and discusses some of the problems occurring at Midsummer Fair.
Another Fair that has been running every year for centuries is Nottingham Goose Fair. Like Midsummer Fair, Nottingham Goose Fair is also a typical Charter Fair and was granted its Charter by King Edward I in 1284. “It began on the Feast of St. Edmund and lasted 12 days.” The fair was opened by the Lord Mayor, as was Midsummer Fair. As late as 1813, Nottingham Goose Fair was still primarily for the exchange of produce and livestock. However, like all Charter Fairs nowadays, it has developed into an entertainment fair. Nevertheless, before Nottingham Goose Fair became a funfair, it, as well as all other typical Charter Fairs suffered a decline. The price of cheese was raised by a third in 1764, which caused “cheese riots” and resulted in the flattening of the Mayor. Midsummer Fair did not suffer this level of violence but complaints were frequent. “... and all but the foolish and frivolous have ceased to derive enjoyment from such scenes.” Source 7, was a quote an article, written by a journalist taken from the Cambridgeshire Chronicle in June 1859. This is a reliable source because it was written at the time by someone who witnessed it so is a primary source.
These two pictures below demonstrate the change that Nottingham Goose Fair has endured over the past few centuries. Sources 8 and 9 are likely to be reliable as they are photographs so a true representation of Nottingham Goose Fair as it existed.
2004 1890
Furthermore, another Charter Fair is the Kings Lynn Mart, which was granted its inaugural recorded Charter by King John in 1204, and was granted a new Charter by King Henry VIII in 1537. The opening ceremony, as with Midsummer Fair and Nottingham Goose Fair, is lead by the Mayor and includes the blessing of the fair. This photo is of the opening ceremony of Kings Lynn Mart in. Source 10, is reliable as again, it is a photograph.
Nevertheless, unlike Midsummer Fair and Nottingham Goose Fair, Kings Lynn Mart did not suffer the same level of decline as the typical Charter Fairs. But as people began to take less interest in machinery, its content did change to become an entertainment ‘funfair’ which does still follow the typical Charter Fair pattern. Like all typical Charter Fairs, Kings Lynn Mart specialised in one particular aspect – agriculture. Frederick Savage, an agricultural engineer from Kings Lynn, used to display his latest roundabouts and other fair ground attractions. The roundabout in the centre of the Source 25 photograph demonstrates this.
The two articles from the Cambridgeshire chronicles are likely to be reliable evidence as they were actually written by reporters who lived at that time and were there and had the first hand experience. Furthermore, the two photos of Midsummer Fair, taken in 1955, would be a reliable source because as it is a photo, it must be completely factual and only what the camera saw, not like a painting which could be either factual or imaginative. As with this photo, all of the photo sources are reliable. The letters are less likely to be reliable as they are one person’s viewpoint and there is no one to verify the facts. Newspaper articles written by journalists are more likely to be reliable because they are professional reporters and should be able to check their facts. Moreover, the Charter confirmation is reliable evidence as it is the legal document that allows Midsummer Fair to happen.
On visits to the sites, there is evidence of the fair itself in its history. Street names like Beche Road, Source 11, and Abbey House provide proof of the Charter granted by King Henry to Midsummer fair. By going to the fair, you could see evidence of the change but what it sells and the type of activities that are there now. Nevertheless, it is not possible to determine several features from the site or sources. These include accurate accounts of the decline of Midsummer Fair, like the levels of violence, and exactly when it was or when the change to the fair was. Moreover, it was difficult to support the speciality Midsummer Fair had in selling horse and cattle and china, especially on the site itself. This is a photograph of the Beche Road signpost which is reliable source as it was taken by me.
In conclusion the sites we visited were helpful in deciding whether or not Midsummer Fair is typical of surviving Charter Fairs and I have concluded that it is. By seeing the site and the sources such as the newspaper articles and photos of Midsummer fair today, I was able to understand the importance. Characteristics were proved names of local streets such as Beche Road and Abbey House provide proof of the Charter granted to Midsummer Far. Most of the sources are good strong evidence and generally reliable. Therefore, they helped me reach my conclusion that Midsummer Common Fair is a typical surviving Charter Fair. Other factors that helped me reach my conclusion are the comparisons I made to Midsummer Fair and Nottingham Goose Fair such as they both became funfairs and stopped being trade fairs. Also, they both suffered a decline in the 1800s and 1900s which is when they decided that in order to keep business and keep the fairs running they must change the whole fair and activities their to suit the new interests of the customers.
Bibliography:
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Source 1 – GCSE Coursework booklet, page 5, Chapter One.
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Source 2 – GCSE Coursework booklet, page 6, Chapter One.
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Source 3 – GCSE Coursework booklet, Charter confirmation, Chapter 1, page 7.
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Source 4 -
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Source 5 - ‘History of Great Britain’ encyclopaedia.
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Source 6 and 7 – Newspaper article from GCSE Coursework Booklet.
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Sources 8 and 9 – http://images.google.co.uk/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=old+nottingham+goose+fair+
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Sources 10 – A History of Fairs – Chapter 8
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Source 11 – photograph of sign post.
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Source 24 - GCSE Coursework booklet, photo.
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Source 25 -
