BRILLIANT TALK ON THE HISTORY OF BRIGG FAIR BY TOM GLOSSOP

Maureen Glossop, Brian Denison (BASH committee) and Tom Glossop (Speaker)

The February meeting of Brigg Amateur Social Historians (BASH)  had a packed house to hear Tom Glossop's popular talk on The History of Brigg Fair, writes Josie Webb.
He told of how a charter was laid down in 1204, by King John, to allow Brigg to hold a weekly market and a four-day fair in July. (This was later changed, due to use of the Gregorian calendar, in the 1700s to August 5th). 
In the late 1800s the Romany Gypsies started to come to the fair to trade horses. Sheep were also sold at this fair. Traditionally, most of the selling of horses was done outside The White Horse pub in Wrawby Street, but this changed in the 1970s when it was moved to the old cattle market, off Cary Lane. 
By the 1980s the fair had virtually died out, but in the 1990s a local group of people, headed by Tom Glossop, brought it back again. Its peak was the 800th anniversary in 2004 when many thousands of people visited. 
After this the fair started to decline again, although the gypsies do still come to trade their horses and wares in Station Road. Tom, who is a Freeman of Brigg, ended his talk by singing the famous folk song Brigg Fair.
This was a brilliant evening, rounded off with a raffle and light supper.

TEXT AND PICTURE KINDLY SUPPLIED BY PHIL ALLEN, BASH COMMITTEE