THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — these Findon Chronicles are created by Valerie Martin and contain scenes from her home village of Findon,
West Sussex, U.K.    Everyday stories about real people.

 FINDON FAIR ORIGINS

Copyright Valerie Martin 2003

First published in the Findon News in August 2003

The Great Findon Sheep Fair held on Nepcote Green has always been a great social occasion in the Findon calendar in past Septembers. 

In fact, fair gatherings in Findon go back almost as far as seven and a half centuries to 1261 when a charter was granted by King Henry III to hold a fair. I wonder if he even knew where our little Sussex village was when he put quill to parchment?

Back in those days, a long line of the De Braose family had held the Manor of Findon for many years.    By the year 1233 the Manor had been possessed in dower by the fair Margaret (born 1210 in far off Caernarvonshire).    She was the widow of John De Braose (born 1198 in nearby Bramber — maybe at the castle there).  John met with a calamity that cut short his life.  His untimely death came about following a fall from his horse on 18th July 1232 at Bramber. 

After his untimely tumble the young widowed Margaret then married Walter de Clifford, who in 1261 obtained the grant of a weekly market, fair and free warren for the village of Findon.  And so it came about that in the 45th year of the reign of Henry III, a Charter was granted to the Lord of the Manor of Findon, Walter de Clifford, for a weekly market to be conducted on Tuesdays.   

The Charter is reputed to be written in the old Norman-French and it is most likely undecipherable today... so I don't think we will even go there and will skip that episode.

There did not appear to be any sheep selling mentioned at this stage, but it may have gone on.  It is believed that the original Fairs in Findon were of a general nature sometimes known as Pedlary.   The exact location in Findon where these original fairs were held is unknown, but we do know that the medieval village of Findon was sited just north of the church.

In 1275, the burgesses of neighbouring Steyning jumped up and down in anguish complaining that our market was prejudicial to the boroughs of their Bramber rape.  Presumably their customers were walking over the downland to attend the Findon market! ' The grant to hold a fair in Findon was eventually annulled in 1275.  Nevertheless, the right to hold the Findon market was confirmed again in 1279..... and rightly so!

Fairs normally lasted for three days and when in progress many people would flock to Findon.   It seems that Walter de Clifford was keen on organising fairs and markets for Findon.  Perhaps he gained a deal of esteem and profit from them.  A three-day fair at the Decollation of St. John the Baptist (29th August) was also granted to him to be held on the 28th, 29th and 30th August each year.  Whereas markets presented inhabitants with a weekly chance to purchase commodities, fairs gave them a once-a-year opportunity to stock up with more exotic items of the day.

Tolls for these three-day fair were still being received many years later in 1425 and this confirms their survival until that date.  Nothing is heard of them thereafter until 1784, when a pedlalry fair was conducted in the parish on Holy Thursday.  It apparently survived until 1833, but then appears to have lapsed.

From then on a Findon market of an informal nature no doubt took place wherever groups of villagers were gathered together and wanted to sell their wares.

The official marketing of local flocks of sheep was certainly well underway by 1785 when an area of ground on Nepcote Green was assigned to George Holford of Findon.  Here this gentleman constructed a shed to house the wattles required for an annual Sheep Fair. 

By the late 19th century, the September fair in Findon was the great village holiday of the year and also served for the hiring of labour. The Findon Sheep Fair has never looked back since.

Antony Greenfield emailed me in October 2005 saying how his Great Grandfather and Great Great Grandfather were shepherds on the South Downs and his Grandfather often recounted tales of driving the sheep to Findon fair.

Antony told me that his Great Grandfather worked at Amberley for some years and it was from there that sheep would have been driven across the downs from Amberley Mount to Findon.  He said that his Grandfather helped under duress as he "did not really get on with the sheep".  This would probably have been around the 1920's. 

Continue if you would like to read about The Shepherds' Wild Turkey

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.