Bromsgrove Horse Fair

[Family Researcher]

Hi,
Does anybody have any information about the Bromsgrove Horse Fair? When and where was it held?
Any information gratefully received.
Regards,
J

[Keith Houghton]

Hi
I was just idly perusing the posts in Worcestershire and saw your email of last October. I imagine you have the answer by now, but I'm sending this in case you haven't -- I see there were no replies. The horse fair was held as part of the Midsummer's Day Fair in Bromsgrove, 24th June, held each year following a charter permitting the townsfolk to hold an annual fair, issued by King John in 1199. In more modern times Fair Day was the Saturday nearest to this date.The ceremonial part of the fair comprised the Court Leet processing round the town,checking the weight of bread, and quality of leather sold, and tasting the local ale. They also walked the "pleasure fair", which was really the main attraction in more modern times, (the huge Pat Collins travelling fair was there for a week in the postwar years), and opened the horse fair, which was held in the morning of Fair Day when I was a child (1940's, 50s). I believe the horse fair element of the celebrations died out in the mid-1950s, at about the same time I left Bromsgrove myself. Hope this helps, albeit belateldly.

[Keith Houghton]

I should have added that, as far as I can recollect, the Horse Fair part was held in the main High Street itself. The rest of the fair was in the Recreation Ground (known as 'the Rec') next to the cattle market, which I believe has long since disappeared.