1. Stourbridge Fair was the greatest of and most celebrated fairs of all England. To what extent was the location the reason why it had declined by 1933 when Midsummer Common Fair had not?

Stourbridge Fair was “the greatest of and most celebrated fairs of all England.” To what extent was the location the reason why it had declined by 1933 when Midsummer Common Fair had not?

Midsummer common is situated in the centre of Cambridge, beside the river Camb. It is situated between the three main shopping cent res in Cambridge, the Grand arcade, Lion Yard and the Grafton Centre. It is also surrounded by Chesterton road and Queens Road and is South of Chesterton. Midsummer Common is situated here as it is easily accessible as there are lots of main roads near by such as Chesterton road and it is conveniently near the town centre and the three main shopping centres in Cambridge; The Grand Arcade, The Grafton and Lion Yard.

Stourbridge Common is on the outskirts of Cambridge. It is north of Newmarket Road and South of the River Camb and adjacent to the railway line. Moreover, it is sliced in half by the train development so there was less space for the fair and is near no shopping centres as it is on the Far East side of Cambridge. It is also South of Chesterton and east of the ring road. Newmarket Road is the nearest main road to Midsummer Common. Stourbridge Fair is situated here because it is near the river and Newmarket road which makes commuting to and from it easier. Also, centuries ago, the goods could have been transported via the river. This map, Source 12, demonstrates where these two places are situated in Cambridge and where they lie in relative to everything and is a recent map of Cambridge which makes it accurate and reliable.

Daniel Defoe wrote a book entitled “Tour through the whole Island of Great Britain”. In his book he wrote briefly about Cambridge University briefly over two pages. However, he dedicated an entire chapter to Stourbridge Fair. He said in a letter in the book, “... which is not only the greatest in the whole nation, but in the world; ... the fairs at Nuremberg, or Augsburg, any way to compare to this fair at Stourbridge.” Source 13, is a reliable source as it is taken from Defoe’s book, ‘Tour through the whole Island of Great Britain’. This refers to Stourbridge Fair at that time, which was still in the peak of its success. This reference and the fact that Defoe wrote a whole chapter on the fair, is evidence and proof of the greatness and success of Stourbridge Fair.

Midsummer Fair and Stourbridge Fair were both Charter Fairs, nevertheless, they did not both follow the same typical pattern. Midsummer Fair was granted a Charter in 1229 by King Henry II. “... Henry, by the grace of God, King of England... Know you, that we have granted, and by this our Charter, have confirmed...” Source 14, is a reliable source because it is taken from a legal document that allows Midsummer Fair to happen. Stourbridge Fair was also granted a Charter in 1211, but it was re-issued in 1589 so that the control of the fair was given to the University. “Stourbridge far surpassed the greatest of and most celebrated fairs of all England... their wares and merchandise to buyers...” Source 15 is reliable as it is a legal document.

Source 15 and source 13 are both strongly linked to each other and almost undeniable evidence that Stourbridge Fair was “the greatest of and most celebrated fairs of all England.” The two sources are almost 150 years apart yet they both state that Stourbridge Fair was the greatest of all fairs and this is significant evidence. Although, one of the sources is an opinion from one individual, the fact that two recorded pieces of evidence separated by such a long period of time say the same thing, indicates that, once Stourbridge Fair quite possibly was the greatest fair of all time ...

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One difference between the two fairs is that is their lengths of the two fairs, as Stourbridge Fair was much longer. Stourbridge Fair was so famous that it lasted for almost a month in its heyday during the 1500s and 1600s, as shown by Source 21 below. Meanwhile, Midsummer Fair lasted a much shorter period of a couple of weeks, as it was considerably smaller. “It was held in September and at its height, lasted for three full weeks,” This is a reliable source because it is from the book ‘Trade Places’ by Christine Redington.

Both fairs specialise in one good in particular, as Midsummer specialised in trading china, giving it the name ‘pot fair’. Midsummer was also a horse and cattle fair, which meant it, attracted gypsy travellers. But, Stourbridge’s speciality was very different, as shown by source 20 below.

“The smells of fish, tar and soap, and the vast array of goods for sale in large semi-permanent booths: perfume, hats, toys, cabinets, books, hardware, leather, tobacco.”

Source 20 is a reliable source as from an old Midsummer Fair poster, one of many that were posted around Cambridge to advertise the fair and the goods it sold.

Another similarity between the two was that both suffered a decline in the 18th and 19th centuries. Midsummer Fair’s decline was mainly to do with increasing violence and unsocial behaviour. “I had not walked more than half a mile from Cambridge towards the fair but I came to a renowned village, which by all reports has gained the name ‘Bawdy-Barnwell’ ... so called because of its reputation...” Source 16, by Edward Ward written in 1850, is likely to be reliable as it is based on the popular opinion of the public at that time.

Stourbridge Fair, however, declined because of the building of the railway in the 1800s, which was built straight through the land used for the famous fair, as shown below. The railway line opened in 1845, cutting the common in half. Source 17, is definitely a reliable source as it is a recent painting, painted in this century of Stourbridge common showing the railway line running straight through it.

Source 22 is a photo of the Victorian houses that were built through Stourbridge Common, that many people felt decreased the open environment of the area greatly. It is a reliable source as it is a photograph so is factual and is an exact copy of what the houses look like.

(add picture of Victorian houses)

Both Fairs specialised in one particular item; Midsummer specialised in trading China, giving it the name ‘Pot Fair’, and Stourbridge specialised in primary goods such as cloth, fish and leather. “... Primary goods sold included...” Source 18 is likely to be reliable as it is written in the source booklet; however there is no actual proof.

As the 19th century progressed to the 20th, both of these fairs had to change their content to survive later and meet the changing wants of their customers. As the towns and cities developed, they had more shops that were also selling wider varieties of items so goods bought at these annual fairs were becoming easier to find. This resulted in fewer people going to fairs to stock up as they generally had all the items which they would have bought there anyway. This is one of the reasons for the declining of Charter Fairs and Midsummer Common and Stourbridge Fair’s decline. Moreover, “the number of permanent shops in the city increased from the mid 1700s.” Improvements in transport resulted in perishable goods being moved and transported more quickly, so shop-keepers could guarantee an all year supply of commodities which previously had to be bought in bulk from the Fair. Furthermore, the regular weekly market was made larger in the Market Square. This meant that the trading area in the city was bigger. Unlike Midsummer Fair, Stourbridge Fair did not change its content to suit the wants of its customers and to end the decline.

The industrial revolution also contributed to the decline of Stourbridge Fair as it allowed mass production of consumer goods in factories, therefore they were available everywhere all the time. This almost concluded the need for residents to wait until the fair came to town to do their shopping.

Source 23 is the reasons for Stourbridge Fair decline and eventual fall. “In 1811 the Stourbridge Fair fields were enclosed, and any land not controlled by the University proved to be very valuable. Some of the ground previously occupied by the Fair was built on, and some quarried for bricks. The railway was built on the site of the Duddery. The Fair could still kept people entertained after the harvest, but it seemed to be of major economic importance.”

This is likely to be reliable source as it is a quote written by an author at that time so they

could have witnessed the decline personally. However, it could also be an exaggeration

or over dramatic to make it more interesting for the readers.

During the 1800s, the University relaxed its ban on theatrical shows in the town centre, so the unique entertainment provided at Stourbridge Fair lost some of its value.

Finally, many people may have felt reluctant to go for a day out in Stourbridge because “the area around the fairground was considered unsavoury”. Source 19, is a quote taken from an article so therefore it is reliable as it was written by a professional. Barnwell was considered the ‘red-light-district’ of Cambridge as early as 1606. This reputation was not improved by the Victorian urban development. Cheap housing was built all around the area, and unusually, it must have felt very cramped compared how it was before the new developments.

“By the mid 19th century, like all fairs, Midsummer Fair was in decline, and was cut back to last only 4 days. Amusements played a much more dominant role, though horse trading was still important at the end of the 19th century. After 1870, steam powered rides appeared and the entertainments included freak shows, boxing, wrestling and moving pictures. Nevertheless, Midsummer Fair benefited from its more central Cambridge location, and survived to this day.”

However, Midsummer Fair has continued and survived its decline because it took the measures necessary, for its survival and adapted. Firstly, it was considered safer and more respectable. Another difference between the two fairs is the lengths. Stourbridge Fair was much longer, lasting over a month unlike Midsummer Fair which lasted for two weeks as it was not such a large Fair. Today it lasts only 4 days as this is more sustainable.

All the reasons that Midsummer Fair has continued are because they did the opposite to what Stourbridge fair. Firstly, for example, there was no transport development built through it like in Stourbridge Fair. Therefore, there was less noise pollution which attracted more people. Secondly, Midsummer changed from being a goods trade market to an entertainment funfair which was what the customers now desired as they no longer needed the fair to supply them goods as the shops had developed. As well as this, the weekly market was made larger in the Market Square so trading area in the city centre became bigger. This also decreased the need of the fair.

Furthermore, the central location of Midsummer Fair helped its survival as it has easy access to many roads such as Chesterton Road and Victoria Avenue and it is much closer to the town centre, so more generally convenient to reach.

In conclusion, Stourbridge Fair was ‘the greatest of and most celebrated fairs of all England’ and its size, great variety of goods and entertainment and the length that it ran for all contributed to this claim. However its strengths became its weaknesses and unlike Midsummer Fair, it could not carry on and was officially abolished in 1934. “And therefore bans the fair at Stourbridge, Cambridge.” The Daniel Defoe source and the Charter by the university both state “Stourbridge Fair was the greatest of and most celebrated fairs....” and as they were written a century and a half apart, this is reliable and dependable evidence. The location, in my opinion, was the largest factor that contributed towards the abolishment of Stourbridge Fair. The main appeal of it originally was the vast and valuable land space, which gave a relaxed and spacious feel. But, the building of the cheap Victorian houses shown above that were built right next to the site and the railways line being constructed right through Stourbridge Common in the 1800s changed this forever. Although this was the main cause, other factors such as the change in the publics wants, the growth of smaller markets and the development of permanent shops in the 1700s all contributed and lead to the abolishment of Stourbridge Common Fair, “the greatest... of all England.”

Bibliography

Source 12 -
Source 13 - Defoe’s book, ‘Tour through the whole Island of Great Britain’.
Source 14 - GCSE Coursework booklet, Charter confirmation, Chapter 1, page 7.
Source 15 – GCSE Coursework Booklet, Chapter 4, Stourbridge Fair, Extract from Charter Granting.
Source 16 – Newspaper article by Edward Ward, 1850.
Source 17 – www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/.../img/camtoo.jpg
Source 18 - GCSE Coursework Booklet, Chapter 3, Midsummer Fair.
Source 19 – Quote taken from newspaper article written at the time.
Source 20 – A quote from a Midsummer Fair poster, made in the 1700s.
Source 21 - Places’ by Christine Redington.
Source 22 – Photograph of houses built on Stourbridge Common in the late 1800s.