Summercourt fair facts for kids

The Summercourt Fair is a special kind of market and funfair held every year in Summercourt, a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Summercourt is about five miles (8 km) south-east of Newquay. This exciting event takes place during the last week of September. It is one of the biggest and oldest fairs in Cornwall, having been around for more than 800 years!

History of the Fair

The Summercourt Fair has a very long and interesting past. A historian named Charles G. Henderson studied the fair's history in the early 1900s. He discovered that the fair started as "The Long Fayre" in Bodmin even before the 11th century.

Over time, the fair moved west to the St Enoder area. It was held there during the Early Middle Ages, first at a place called Penhale. Then, during the time of King Edward II (between 1307 and 1327), the fair finally moved to Summercourt.

Old documents from Cornwall Council show that the fair's rules and history go back to at least 1234. The fair used to be held on September 14th. But in 1752, Britain changed its calendar to the Gregorian calendar. This change moved the fair day to September 25th. In 1838, a writer named Davies Gilbert said the Summercourt Fair was "the most important in Cornwall."

Today, the fair usually starts on the third Thursday in September. The main market day is the following Monday. Besides the market, a big part of the fair is the funfair. This funfair is set up by travelling showmen from The Showmens Guild. David Rowland and Sons are in charge of the funfair rides.

In the past, the fair also featured exciting Cornish wrestling tournaments.

In Books and Songs

The Summercourt Fair has even appeared in art and literature:

• The writer Arthur Quiller-Couch mentioned the fair in his book The Astonishing History of Troy Town, which was written in 1888.
• A musician from Newquay named Ruarri Joseph wrote a song called "Summer Court Fair - 1995." You can find this song on his first album, Tales of Grime and Grit.

See also