There are three main types of fairs, ‘Prescriptive Fairs’ which were based on the principle of trading and were established by custom, ‘Charter Fairs’, which were granted and protected by Royal Charter and ‘Mop Fairs’ which developed mainly in agricultural regions for the hiring of laborers, followed a week later by the ‘Runaway Mops’ which gave employers a chance to reconsider their decision and re-hire if necessary. New categories of fairs still continue developing, for instance in recent years there has been a revival of ‘City Center Fairs’ which bring the fairground back to the people and the heart of their cities.
Festivals in this country have a long and ancient history, deeply rooted in tradition.
The word fair is derived from the Latin ‘Beria’, which means the holiday and was once credited to the Romans with the beginning of the festivities.
It is now generally accepted that they originated from the pagan customs of the people who first settled the land; Their seasonal meetings, trade and celebrations are held for both purposes, which are important aspects of the fair.
The Romans did much to promote festivities across the country by improving trade and communication.
In the centuries following the departure of the Romans, many festivals and other festivals were added to the calendar of the growing Christian Church.
Charters granted by the Sovereign gave it the proper legal status and increasing importance in the economic life of the country.
Merchants and merchants from Europe, the Middle East and beyond were attracted to the great chartered fairs of the Middle Ages, which brought with them a wealth of goods.
The number of these festivals, which numbered less than 4860 between 1200 and 1400, attracted not only merchants but also entertainment: jugglers, musicians and tumblers - the ancestors of today's shamans.
The Black Death of 1348-49 led to a new kind of fair.
To prevent wage increases due to labor shortages, Edward III introduced the Labor Act.
This forced all able-bodied men to rent with a fixed salary.
These meetings or recruitment fairs were mainly held around Michaelmas at the end of the farm year.
By the beginning of the eighteenth century the commercial aspects of the charter fairs had waned, and most fairs were almost entirely entertainment, acrobatics, hallucinations, and theater companies doing their business on the fairgrounds.
It was during this time that the first fairground rides began to appear, built with small objects made of wood and carried forward by gangs of boys.
In 1868, Frederick Savage, a successful agricultural engineer in Kings Lynn, devised a method for running steam.
His invention, the steam engine fitted in the middle of the ride, replaced the fairground industry.
Freed from the limitations of muscle power, the ride can be made bigger, more efficient and more massive.
The showman demand for innovation matched the ingenuity of Savage and other engineers.
Stunning new designs and rides appeared in the wake of the Steam Revolution.
These rides predate today's exciting thrill rides, and over time, with electric lighting, electric motors, hydraulics, etc., rides have evolved into the most spectacular equipment ever seen at any local fairground.
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