BARTHOLOMEW FAIR, formerly held at West Smithfield, London, but discontinued since 1835. The charter of this fair was granted by Henry I., in 1133, to a monk named Bayer or Rahere, who had been his jester, and had founded the church and priory of St. Bartholomew, with an hospital attached. The fair was held annually at the festival of St. Bartholomew (Aug. 24. old style), and, like all ancient fairs, was originally con nected with the church, under whose auspices miracleplays (q.v.), founded on the legends of saints, were represented, which gave place to mysteries, and these again to moralities; afterwards. profane stories were introduced—the origin of the modern English drama. After the opening of the fair, it was customary anciently for wrestlers to exer-. eise their art. Wild rabbits were hunted for sport by the mob, and the scholars from the different London schools met at the priory for disputations on grammar and logic, and to wrangle together in verse. In the first centuries of its existence, B. F. was one of the great annual markets of the nation, and the chief cloth-fair of the kingdom. The clothiers of England and the drapers of London had their standings, during the fair; in the priory church-yard. A peddler's court, or court of pie poudre (see PIEPOWDER Coma). was held within the priory gates, for debts and contracts, before a jury of traders formed on the spot, at which the prior, as lord of the fair, presided by his repre sentative or steward. In 144i, four persons were appointed by the court of aldermen as keepers of the fair and of the court of pie poudre, the city being thus in that court represented as joint lord of the fair with the prior. As the fair prospered, its chief articles of traffic were, in the tirst instance, cloth stuffs, leather, pewter, and live cattle; while it was rendered attractive to the crowds that attended it by a variety of popular amusements. All manner of shows, exhibition?, theatrical booths, etc., thronged the fair; and tumblers, acrobats, stilt-walkers, mummers, mountebanks, and merry andrews resorted to it in great numbers. On the suppression of the religious houses, the priory
was disjoined from the hospital. and the latter, on 27th Dec., 1546, was, by Henry VIII., transferred to the corporation of London. a new hospital being established on the site of the former. The priory was purchased for £1064, lls. 3d. by Sir Richard Rich, chancellor of the court of augmentations, afterwards lord chancellor under the title of lord Rich, and became his town-house. Towards the close of the 16th c., streets'of houses to be built on the site of the cloth-fair, a nanie which is still retained. In 1593, the keeping of the fair was, for the first time, suspended by the raging of the plague. The same thing happened in 1603, in 1623, in 1630, in 1665, and in 1666. ' At this fair, foreigners were at first licensed for three days. and the city freemen as long as they would, which was six or seven days. In 1661, after the restoration, the fair lasted for 14 days or more. In 165, it was leased by the city to the sword-hearer. After this period, it began to decay as a place of trade. In 1691, the continuance of the fair was limited to three days, besides the proclamation day. In 1701, it was represented as a nuisance. In 1750, it was again limited to three days. By the alteration of the calendar , in 1739, the fair. in the following year. was, for the first time, proclaimed on 3d Sep ' tember. In 1708, the question of abolishing the fair was discussed by the corporation. It had long ceased to he a place of traffic, and was only considered as a haunt of amuse ment, riot, and dissipation. The fair had latterly been attended only by the keepers of a few gingerbread-stalls; and in 1839. measures were first seriously adopted for its sup pression, y In 1840, the exhibitions were removed to Islington. Wild-beast shows were allowed, dwarfs and giants were excluded. I a 1850, the last proclamation by the lord mayor took place. and in 1853. the once famous B. F. came to an end. An octavo volume, entitled Memoirs (1 Bartholomew Fair, by henry Morley, was published in London in 1830. , .