In the parish of All-Cannings is St Anne's
Hill, vulgarly called Tann Hill, where every yeare on St. Anne's Day
(26th July), is kept a great fair within an old camp, called Oldbury.*
The chiefe commodities are sheep, oxen, and fineries. This faire would
bee more considerable, but that Bristow Faire happens at the same
time.
* [Aubrey errs in stating "Oldbury Camp" to be on St. Anne's Hill;
those places being nearly two miles apart. - J. B.]
At the Devises severall faires; but the greatest is at the Green
there, at Michaelmas: it continues about a week.
___________________________________
MARKETTS. - Warminster is exceeding much frequented for a round corn-
market on Saturday. Hither come the best teemes of horses, and it is
much resorted to by buyers. Good horses for the coach: some of 20li. +
It is held to be the greatest corn-market by much in the West of
England. My bayliif has assured me that twelve or fourteen score
loades of corne on market-dayes are brought thither: the glovers that
work in their shops at the towne's end doe tell the carts as they come
in; but this market of late yeares has decayed; the reason whereof I
had from my honored friend Henry Millburne, Esq. Recorder of Monmouth.
[The reason assigned is, that Mr. Millburne "encouraged badgars" to
take corn from Monmouthshire to Bristol; whereupon the bakers there,
finding the Welsh corn was better, and could be more cheaply conveyed
to them than that grown in Wiltshire, forsook Warminster Market.
Pages:
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267