St Thomas Easter Fair in the 1840s:
Wild beasts and well-behaved crowds
By Dr. Jill A. Sullivan, Associate Research Fellow, University of Exeter
The 'annual pleasure Fair, so famous in the annals of this suburban parish'[1] appeared little changed in the 1840s; the opening day of the fair on Easter Monday attracted the largest crowds, with children frequenting the roundabouts, whirligigs and the numerous sweet and gingerbread stalls that lined the field. Football and 'drop-the-handkerchief' were still played in nearby fields and additional attractions included Bromsgrove's Menagerie in 1840 and again (with 'a genuine lion') in 1843, whilst the 'merry fiddle and the dance' at the local public houses continued the festivities into the night.[2]
In contrast to the Post reports of the previous decade, the paper in the 1840s frequently addressed the weather and the crowds, with little detail about the shows. The Western Times was similarly reticent, but in the middle years of the decade the Gazette resumed its fascination with the three-day festival and its attractions for the local 'élite'. In 1843, its reporter highlighted a 'temporary pavilion' where a travelling theatre company
presented the play of "The Statue Bride," and another the "Fat Pig," this last having the superior recommendation of being patronised by Her Majesty and Prince Albert, which of course to a public of nicer discrimination than those present, might have floored at once the unhappy pretensions of the legitimate drama.'
The reporter's reference to the 'élite' was not overly disparaging, he was quick to comment on the good behaviour of the crowds, but expressed concern about the potential for pickpockets at the fair.[3] An arrest had been made the previous year, when PC Joseph Pike had arrested one George Drew for picking Mary Taylor's pocket at the fair. Drew had been taken before the Devon magistrates at the Exeter Castle and committed to the County Gaol for trial.[4]
The Gazette in March 1845 noted that in addition to the 'numerous' stalls, in the main fair field,
there were two theatrical exhibitions, several "wonders of the world" and numerous swings and roundabouts, and no deficiency of booths for refreshment, while outside the humours of an itinerant vendor of hardwares kept many a merry group in constant laughter [...] At night there was a splendid exhibition of fireworks and coloured fires by that renowned pyrotechnic J. Pulman.'[5]
In 1846 the fair included 'rather more than the average number of shows', with 'in the arena opposite the church, a theatre, swings, roundabouts, and shooting galleries.' Once again the fair was joined by travelling theatres and a menagerie of wild beasts, which by 'the flauntiness of its pictures and loudness of its braying trumpets allured many to the front.' And inside, where a 'woman put her head in a lion's mouth'.[6] The fair appears to have grown in size in these years: in 1847 the Gazette once again noticed that the
collection of shows to tempt the holiday folks, theatres, jugglers, peeps, &c., were more numerous than ordinary. There were swings, round-a-bouts, shooting-galleries, and minor gambling for sweets; while the long rows of stalls, with their attractive wares of toys, nuts, and lollipops, tempted the outlay of many a penny.[7]
The Gazette reporters maintained an almost idyllic portrayal of the holiday crowds at the fair, with comments on good behaviour and 'smiling faces'. The report from 1847 even entered into the spirit of the occasion with a short parody on market fairs: 'Trade generally was brisk, and notwithstanding the late fall in the wheat-market, gingerbread maintained its value, while there was a slight rise in ginger-beer!'[8]
Footnotes
[1] Gazette, 22 April 1843, p. [3].
[2] Gazette, 25 April 1840, p. [3], and 22 April 1843, p. [3].
[3] Gazette, 22 April 1843, p. [3].
[4] Post, 7 April 1842, p. 2.
[5] Gazette, 29 March 1845, p. [3].
[6] Gazette, 18 April 1846, p. [3].
[7] Gazette, 10 April 1847, p. 5.
[8] Gazette, 10 April 1847, p. 5.