Newsletters:

Autumn 2011

Looking towards the 2012 fair

Two months have passed by and the 2011 Fair has long gone! So, now, members all, we turn our attention to the coming season of monthly meetings that have been arranged for your entertainment. You can find details elsewhere on this site, so please make a note of them in your diary.

The fair itself went off quite well. There were a few empty spaces because our dates conflicted with Newcastle and Cambridge (their 800th in fact). The showmen therefore had to make the choice of Rothwell or elsewhere. In the event, it would appear that several of them who went elsewhere made the wrong choice!

On the positive side, of course, we had some new machines which proved popular with the crowd so, in all, we did pretty well.

There was a good crowd in attendance at the Blessing on Trinity Sunday, and the Model Exhibition proved to be as popular as ever. Many thanks to the organisers and exhibitors for their efforts in making this such a success once again.

Monday morning saw a pleasing crowd attending the Proclamation and the atmosphere throughout the day was first-class, with the licensed premises doing really good business.

Although it seems a long way off, we now have to turn our attention to Rowell Fair 2012. This is a special year for the Queen, who will celebrate her Diamond Jubilee. The new bank holidays for that occasion are Fair Monday and Tuesday.

That may well give us a few headaches in filling up the ground and also providing entertainment for the extended weekend. In short, we shall be looking for the support of all of our members, plus any new ones, to help the society in its quest to keep the Fair and its traditions going. This is not just the responsibility of the committee but we need the help of you all.

So, a final plea: please support us as much as you can during our run-up to Rowell Fair 2012.

We look forward to seeing you all at our monthly meetings at the Conservative Club.

President Paul & Bob the Bailiff

Fun for all on steam fair coach trip

Some 30 members of the Rowell Fair Society went on what has become the society's annual coach trip-this year's July 16th trip being in two parts.

The first part of the trip was a stop at Stockwood Park on the southern edge of Luton. The second port of call was a visit to Carters Royal Berkshire Steam Fair on Boxmoor Common near Hemel Hempstead.

The Stockwood Discovery Centre (www.stockwooddiscoverycentre.com) has something for everyone, ranging from its impressive gardens to its historic collections, especially the George Mossman collection of carriages, the Wenlock jug and Luton's last tram.

The steam fair was the vision of John Carter, a collector of other peoples cast-offs, who renovated and restored fairground rides from an era now gone. The family has evolved John's passion into a travelling funfair that has now become a by-word for family fun and entertainment.

The rides, for both adults and children, side stalls, hooplas, transport and living wagons all bring back memories of a bygone era. There are none of today's hi-tech rides here.

Instead, there are the gallopers, yachts, dive-bombers, dodgems, chairoplanes, wall of death, octopus and skid. The slot machines in the arcade are all of the same vintage.

Everywhere they open, the Carter family always put on a firework display on the Saturday evening, however our coach trippers could not stay long enough to enjoy this spectacle before returning home.

Frank York

SOME FACTS ABOUT ENGLISH CHARTER FAIRS

Rowell Fair has 2 Charters, the 1st was granted by King John on the 26th of January 1204. The 2nd was granted by King James the First in 1614.

Rowell's Charter is the oldest in Northamptonshire.

There are 63 Charters for fairs that pre-date Rowell's.

The oldest Charter on record is that granted to Malmesbury in Wiltshire, closely followed by Shrewsbury, Winchester and Blyth in Nottinghamshire. All before 1100 AD.

Early Charters were normally granted by the monach, however some early Charters were also granted by William, Earl of Gloucester; Matilda, Lady of the English; Roger de Builli and his wife Muriel and a Eudo Dapifer.

Kings Lynn and Marlborough Charter fairs share the same anniversary as Rowell, allthough Kings Lynn's charter was signed on the 10th of July 1203.

There are only 2 Charter fairs in Wales that pre-date Rowell.

King John never signed any of the Charters he granted, he simply applied his wax seal, due to his illiteracy.

Prior to 1516 AD, 58 Charters for fairs were granted to places in Northamptonshire, by 8 Kings.

King Henry III was the most prolfic with 21.

King Edward I was 2nd with 15.

The others were King Edward II with 5, King Edward III with 6, King Edward IV with 4, King Henry VI with 3, King Richard II with 2 and King John with 2.

Aynho is the only other place in Northamptonshire with a Charter for a fair bestowed by King John, besides Rowell.

Long Buckby has the most fair Charters in Northamptonshire with 4.