The year book of daily recreation and information concerning remarkable men and manners, times and seasons, solemnities and merry-makings, antiquities and novelties on the plan of the 'Every-day book and table book.' / By William Hone.
- Hone, William, 1780-1842.
- Date:
- 1838
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The year book of daily recreation and information concerning remarkable men and manners, times and seasons, solemnities and merry-makings, antiquities and novelties on the plan of the 'Every-day book and table book.' / By William Hone. Source: Wellcome Collection.
782/842 (page 1539)
![“1539 STOURBRIDGE FAIR. [To Mr. Hone. ] SIR, I amaseptuagenarian, and the following are my personal recollections of more than sixty years ago, concerning the once vast fair at Stourbridge, or Stirbitch, about two miles from Cambridge, from the 16th September until old Michaelmas day. jeri on the high road from.Cambridge to Newmarket, through which is a cart road leading to Chesterton, a pretty rural village, with a good church and a hand- some spire, on the north bank of the river Cam, over which is a ferry. Like all other fairs, your ears inform you before your eyes, that you are on the way to it. After passing Barnwell, the numerous booths and long ranges of standings burst on the sight, and the clamor of trumpets, deep sounding drums, screaming of toy-trumpets, and din of a thousand discordant voices assailed the ear and confused the thoughts. The first booths (C in the plan) on the north side of the road, were occupied by the cus- tomary shows of wild beasts and wild men, conjurors, tumblers, and rope- dancers. Mrs. Baker’s company of “ comedians ” was respectable; and Lewy Owen, the clown, a young ian of good family, who had abandoned himself to this way of life, full of eccentric wit and yrimace, continually excited broad grins. The late Mrs. Inchbald was a performer at this fair, There was a large theatrical booth, occupied by a respect- able company of comedians from Norwich, under the management of Mr. Bailey, formerly a merchant of London. He was a portly good looking man, of gentlemanly manners and address, the compiler of the Directory bearing his name, a work of much merit, containing, besides the concise yet correct topographical descrip- tion of the places: the book is now be- come very scarce. Other show booths, occupied by giants and dwarfs, savage beasts, and other savages, extended with stunning din along this noisy line. In front of these were the fruit and ginger- bread stalls; and, walnuts being in full perfection, the venders continually strolled up and down the fair, bawling every moment in your ear— Twenty a penny walnuts!. Walnuts, twenty a penny! Crack ’um awoy—crack ’um awoy here !”’ % 1540 On the south side of the road opposite to these booths was the cheese fair (E). Dealers from various parts took their stands there, and many tons weight were disposed of; such as were fit for the London market were bought by the fac- tors from thence, and cheese fromCheshire, Wilts, and Gloster, by the gentry, the farmers, and dealers from Suffolk, Nor- folk, and adjoining counties: large quan- tities of Cottenham and cream cheeses, being brought by farmers from those counties for sale. Opposite to the east end of the cheese fair, on the north side of the road, stands a small ancient chapel, or oratory (A), no doubt erected for the devout dealers and others resorting to the fair, and for such pious travellers as passed or repassed the ferry to Chesterton. At and nigh to this spot were the wool fair (F), and the hop-fair (G). Large stores of stack-cloths, waggon-tilts, and such like were near the skin leather sellers’ and glover’s row (N), where the finer articles of leather and leather gloves were sold. Little edifices of general convenience (L) were numerous. At the end of the show-booths, and facing this row, began the principal range of booths, called Garlick-row (M, M), extending quite down to the little inn (B), where a Pied-poudre court was held during the fair. This range of shops was well constructed. Each booth consisted of two rooms, the a boarded partition, served for a bed- chamber and other domestic purposes, from which a back door opened to the field. The range of booths No. 1 was ironmongers, silversmiths, jewellers, ja- paners, and fine cutlery dealers: the muslin, toys, and millinery. No. 3, to dealers in Norwich and Yorkshire manu- factures, mercery, lace, hose, fine made to furs, fans, toys, and to dealers in the various articles of fashionable wares from London.—No. 5 was occupied by oil- men and dealers in paints, pickles, and preserves, one of whom, Mr. Green from Limehouse, kept a most important store here: his returns were from £1500 to £2000 during the fair ; and my father, who kept the fair forty years and upwards, usually brought home £1000, or more for to half that amount on credit to reputable eh al Pe](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b33291755_0782.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
