A Brief History Of The Travelling Funfair

airs in this country have a long and ancient history, deeply rooted in tradition.

The word fair is derived from the Latin ‘feria’, meaning a holiday and at one time the Romans

were credited with the introduction of fairs. It is generally accepted now that they have their

origins in the pagan customs of the people who first settled this land, their seasonal gatherings

held for the purposes of both trade and festivity, contained within them the essential elements of

the fair.

The Romans did much to promote fairs by improving trade and communications

throughout the country. During the centuries following the departure of the Romans, many fairs

and other festivals were incorporated into the calendar of the growing Christian Church.

Charters granted by the sovereign gave the fair legal status and an increasing

importance in the economic life of the nation. Merchants and traders from Europe, the middle

east and beyond were drawn to the great chartered fairs of the Middle Ages bringing with them a

wealth of goods. The sheer number of these fairs - no fewer than 4860 were chartered between

the years 1200 and 1400 - drew not only merchant but entertainers as well: jugglers, musicians

and tumblers - the ancestors of today’s showmen.

The Black Death of 1348-49 brought about a new kind of fair. In order to stem the rise in

wages caused by the shortage of workers, Edward III introduced the Statute of Labourers. This

compelled all able bodied men to present themselves annually for hire at a stated wage. These

gathering or hiring fairs were held mainly around Michealmas, the end of the agricultural year.

By the early eighteenth century the trading aspects of the charter fairs had waned and

most fairs consisted almost entirely of amusements, acrobats, illusionists and theatrical

companies all plied their trade on fairgrounds. Around this time the first fairground rides began to

appear, small crudely constructed out of wood and propelled by gangs of boys.

In 1868, Frederick Savage, a successful agricultural engineer from Kings Lynn, devised a

method of driving rides by steam. His invention, a steam engine mounted in the centre of the ride

was to transform the fairground industry. Freed from the limitations of muscle power, rides could

be made larger, more capacious and more heavily ornamented. The showman’s demand for

novelty was matched by the ingenuity of Savage and other engineers. In the wake of the steam

revolution an amazing variety of new designs and rides appeared.

These rides were the forerunners of today’s amazing thrill rides, over time innovations such

as electric lighting, electric motors, hydraulics etc. allowed rides to evolve into the amazing devices

that are seen today at any local fairground

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