Fairs Act 1871
The Fairs Act 1871 empowered the Secretary of State for the Home Department in the United Kingdom to, on petition, make orders for the abolition of fairs. Such provision was made at this time by Parliament because many fairs traditionally held in early Victorian England were, according to the preamble to the act, held to be
- unnecessary,
- the cause of grievous immorality, and
- very injurious to the inhabitants of the towns in which such fairs are held
Fairs abolished under the act included Ickleton Fair in Cambridgeshire[1] and St Matthew's Fair in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
References
- Salzman, L.F., ed. (1948). "The Priory of Ickleton". A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 2. Victoria County History. pp. 223–226.
- Text of the Fairs Act 1871 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.
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