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.

SHEEP FAIR - 2007

Copyright Valerie Martin 2007

What do you think the crowd depicted below are doing......

I have no information on next year's Sheep Fair.... but in anticipation I thought I would make a page in readiness   There is nothing like being prepared.

The above is an old photograph of one of the Findon Sheep Fairs back in the 1930s.    My guess is that it is raining at the time.  Were you there in the 1930s?   Can you recall a Sheep Fair when it was raining?   Here's the full photograph.

You will notice that there are far more men than females around in the 1930s than now.    Not many vehicles either.  I am making a wild guess and will suggest that the gentleman farmer in the left foreground of the photograph perhaps is the driver of one of the cars depicted.

 

I assumed that as usual this year's event would be without a sheep auction so I took some photographs of a few Findon sheep for you.    Have you ever noticed what funny expressions these animals have on their faces....

These were all caught looking at me at the beginning of March this year on the north side of Cissbury Ring.

At the beginning of August, Simon Stace sent me the following.....

 

Bringing Sheep back to the Findon Sheep Fair
Saturday 8th September 2007


It was March of this year when it was agreed, we would try to bring sheep back to the Findon Sheep Fair, to continue the history of over 100 years where sheep would be on Nepcote Green on the 2nd Saturday in September.

Talking to one or two farmers, asking if they were interested in bringing sheep to the Findon Sheep Fair, it soon became apparent how much they cared for the yearly Fair. They told stories of how it was the Sheep Fair that had got them started in sheep farming and how some had walked sheep for miles over the Downs to be at the sale.

Local farmers started to ask if we had approached this farmer and that farmer and it was a pleasure driving around the lanes of Sussex and hearing a different story about their experience with the show. A network of sheep farming is very prominent today around and on the South Downs.

However, after the selling of sheep stopped due to the foot and mouth outbreak in 2000, pens were no longer kept so we had to start seeking new pens for this year. Again, the farming community were very supportive and it led to Mcveigh Parker of Billingshurst providing the right equipment for the sheep to be housed on the green.

With the regulations of animal movement being controlled by Defra it has been necessary for the organising committee to apply for an Animal Gathering Licence. We have found everybody involved being very supportive and again stories have been told how holding numbers had been issued in years gone by to the organisers of the sheep sale. Farthings Veterinary Group from Horsham will attend at the start of the show.

One of the organisations that we contacted were the Southdown Sheep Society, now based in East Anglia. They again held the occasion in high regard and went out of their way to find members who could come and support the show on Saturday 8th September. The Findon Sheep Fair is well known throughout the country !!

We have various breeds of sheep coming including of course the Southdown. The support from large and small farms has been excellent and they are the farmers managing our land and Downs today. For tomorrow, we rely on colleges such as Chichester Agriculture College at Pulborough to produce the farmers for the future and we are very pleased they will be coming with their Southdown sheep.

Although there will not be the sale of sheep this year as in years gone by, the sheep will be at Findon on show and for people to talk to the farmers about sheep farming as it is today.
 

 

Simon followed this up on 22nd August 2007 with....    Dear Valerie......Sorry for the delay in e-mailing, just to a note to say ' the show will go on ! ' everything is now in place, the only item outstanding is the Sheep.

Yesterdays news is that the UK Government is going to Brussels on Thursday to attempt to get the EU to agree to only a 21 day movement order restriction for foot and mouth. This would enable the lifting of the restrictions before the sheep fair.

If the EU stick to normal EU rules it is 30 days which by our calculation is midnight on the 7th September which might be a problem!

The sheep show have been out and purchased some ducks, the sheep dogs have enjoyed them very much and I understand they are now probably getting some more ducks! I understand that either way this years sheep show will be very entertaining if not for the faint hearted!

The farmers that were going to brings along the sheep have said that they can bring other animals, ponies, chickens, rabbits etc.

Hope this helps. Kind regards, Simon".

 

A SNIPPET OF HISTORICAL CONTENT......FINDON SHEEP FAIR OF 112 YEARS AGO.   Some 11,800 sheep, plus horses and calves were displayed at the Sheep Fair in 1885.    This attracted .......

"the usual assemblage of travelling shows, knock-'em-downs etc. which had plenty of patrons in the afternoon, when the village folk came on the ground to amuse themselves".

Click on the link if you wish to read about the 2008 Fair.... Memories are Made of this — Sheep Fair 2008

 

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

 

               

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Do let me know of anything you hear about Findon - not too controversial.   Please note that opinions expressed in the Findon Chronicles are not necessarily reflective of my own thoughts.... but sometimes they are!