National Fairground Archive

Showmen's Guild: Yorkshire Section

Since the Middle Ages fairs have developed in Yorkshire for different reasons. Some are Charter Fairs such as Hull which dates back to the reign of Edward I; others were inaugurated as a result of the Statute of Labours in the 14th Century following the catastrophe caused by the Black Death. As the Industrial Revolution made such gatherings obsolete, it was the entertainment side of the event which allowed their survival into the twentieth century.

Sheffield was one such fair established by charter during the reign of Edward I. The original charter was obtained by Thomas de Furnival from the King, on the 12th November 1296, and granted the right for an annual fair to be held during the three days of the Holy Trinity. By the eighteenth century the fair was still important in the lives of Sheffield folk. One function of the fair was to punish scolding women in public on the cuckstool; another was to give a husband the opportunity to sell his wife! In 1796 it was reported that John Lees, a steel burner, delivered his wife with an halter round the neck to the clerk of the fair and she was sold to Samuel Hall for 6d. It seems the practice survived until at least 1822.

Sheffield, 1995

The hirings were often rough affairs. Farmers' lads and lasses stood on the streets to be poked and examined by hirers almost like slaves at a market. Verbal abuse and coarse horseplay were also directed at the simple country folk who visited Sheffield Fair. All manner of practical jokes were practiced on them. It is not surprising that eventually the statutes died out. In 1843 the Duke of Norfolk had the fair date altered to Whitsun and granted land on Blonk Street on which to hold the event. Even as late as 1907 a horse fair was still being held in Sheffield but the visitors to the fair would have been more attracted by the roundabouts and shows built up in the Smithfield Market. Many of the showpeople spent the winter in Sheffield and so it became an important centre for the fairground. Yorkshire show families associated with Sheffield include the Waddingtons, Farrars, Tubys and Marshalls with the 1906 fair being attended by all of these families.

One famous show family associated with Sheffield is of course the Farrars. Enoch Farrar, the founder of the firm, provided a mirror show and a fine art gallery. The latter was a kind of peep show which had a carved front with Sleeping Beauty featured in a glass case on the front. In 1905 Enoch Farrar broke new ground when he acquired his first cinematograph show later to be replaced by another show which by 1912 was one of the largest travelling the countryside. Other rides associated with Enoch include the Dragon Scenic Railway built by Orton and Spooner of Burton on Trent. So proud were the family of the new ride that a special opening ceremony was performed on the ride and Mrs Farrar gave a short speech and broke a bottle of champagne to christen it. Mr Enoch Farrar died in the 1930s but his sons carried on the business, always keeping up-to-date with new attractions: Dodgems, Noah's Arks, Waltzers, Mont Blancs and Moonrocket by the outbreak of the Second World War.

Another famous showman who attended Sheffield fairs from the early days was Joe Ling. His eldest son John has fortunately recorded his life story of eighty years as a showman. His book Memoirs of a Travelling Life has been published by the Fairground Association of Great Britain. Joe Ling began with a teddy bear show before the Great War. Later this gave way to a cinematograph show which ended its days on Sheffield fairground. After the war he had a set of Steam Yachts, along with a Hoop-la, coconut sheet, spinner and later the famous Chicken Joe stall run with Joe Barak. Later came the Ben Hur Speedway, Moonrocket, Dodgems and Autodrome.

Over in Swinton was the base of another of Yorkshire's well known fairground families. Tom Harniess of the Don Pottery, Swinton, near Rotherham, was one of the earliest Roundabout Proprietors in South Yorkshire. Tom and Fanny Harniess had five children. With the three sons George Samuel, Frank and Len, they travelled the country with their equipment as the Harniess Brothers. Under this name they operated an ornate Gondola Switchback, a set of Galloping Horses, two Electric Motor Scenic Railways, a Cake Walk and a Slip. Their sister Dorinda married Will Starr and they too took an active part, travelling one of the Scenic Railways and later a Dodgem. Today there are still members of the Harniess family attending Yorkshire fairs.

The 'Jewel in the Crown' as far as Yorkshire fairs go is Hull Fair. Occupying fourteen acres of ground in Walton Street, the fair is often described as the largest travelling fair in Britain. Its nearest rivals, Nottingham and Newcastle, fail to present as many adult rides, as machines are brought over from Europe to ensure that the best and most modern selection of rides open each year.

There are obviously other famous families who have spent many years taking their attractions to Yorkshire fairs and feasts and this is only a cross section. Apologies to the Morleys, Pullens, Ashcrofts, Churches, Paynes, Holdsworths, Corrigans, Hobsons, Richards, Williams, Shipleys, Athas, Crows, Tubys, Shaws, Whitings, Johnsons, Seeds, and many others who all have an important part to play in the history of travelling fairs in Yorkshire.