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Barnet Fair is an annual horse and pleasure fair held near Mays Lane, Barnet,
Barnet Fair is an annual horse and pleasure fair held near Mays Lane, Barnet, England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, on the first Monday in September.
The Fair takes place over three days starting on 4 September. It still operates under its royal Charter which is issued to Barnet council. The focus in the present-day Fair is no longer on horses and other livestock; but it is rather a pleasure fair instead.
History
The fair began in 1588 whenQueen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...
granted a charter to the Lord of the Manor of Barnet to hold a fair twice yearly, in addition to the weekly Barnet Market. Originally held in June and October, Lord John Tomlinson changed the dates to April and September in 1758 for the reason of improving business. From 1881, the April fair ceased.
The focus of the fair was its livestock, with animals being brought from across the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. In 1834, ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' reported that Barnet Fair was England's largest cattle market, with up to 40,000 animals on display.
From the eighteenth century, the festivities also used to include horse racing, although these ceased in 1870 when the railway station was built on the ground in which they had been held.
Popular culture
In 1896, a film was made about Barnet Fair, entitled '' Barnet Horse Fair''. The term 'Barnet Fair', normally shortened to 'Barnet', has becomerhyming slang
Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England, and was first used in the early 19th century in the East End of London; hence its alternative name, Cockney rhymin ...
for 'hair'.Julian Franklyn, ''A Dictionary of Rhyming Slang'' (Routledge
Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...
, 1960).
"Barnet Fair" is the name of a song by Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, ...
.
See also
References
External links
*{{commons category-inline, Barnet Fair 1588 establishments in England Fairs in England September History of the London Borough of Barnet Chipping Barnet Equestrian festivals Festivals established in the 16th century Charter fair Autumn in England