| Hugh de Vere of Earls Hall got into a
bit of an argument with Margaret, Countess of Kent, over
the market he ran in Prittlewell village. She said it
interfered with her market at Rayleigh. This was all sorted out
by the year 1257 when Hugh, who was Lord of the Manor of
Earls Hall, was given a Royal Grant to hold markets and
an annual fayre at Prittlewell. And so for about 750
years, on and off, a fayre has been held in the village.
There are not many
documents remaining that describe what went on at these
events, but it is recorded that certainly from the 1600s
to the middle of the 19th century Prittlewell's annual
fayre was one of the great events of the parish year.
It is written
that the main purpose of the fayre was for the sale of
toys and the provision of amusement. The amusement was
provided by performing dogs and dancing bears, jugglers
and musicians, mysterious magicians, the odd apothecary
with miracle cures and, of course, stalls selling all
sorts of delightful and amusing things.
By the time Prittlewell
Priory was closed down in 1536, Leigh village had become
an important trading port and one might imagine that
exotic wares from the Continent were sold at
Prittlewell's fayres, together with toys, honey, candles,
wool and leather goods and the local specialties -
sheep's cheese and oysters.
A
semi-permanent structure was built in St. Mary's church
yard, just behind the original building where the fish
and chip caterers now stands. Here itinerant actors set
up and performed Mystery Plays, great crowd-pullers in
those days.
To accommodate all the
artists and traders who came to Prittlewell for the
annual fayre, several of the buildings, especially those
along the north side of St Mary's church, became
temporary boarding houses or Pad and Cans, as they were
known. Guests staying there were given a pad to sleep on
and a can in which to boil water, and not much else. For
food and refreshment there were, and it seems always have
been, a good number of alehouses in the village - as many
as seven at one time.
At the end of
the 18th century when Southend was being developed as a
sea bathing resort for the wealthy and fashionable of
London, visitors to Southend who wanted to see the
village fayre could do so by taking a pleasant country
walk through the fields and hedgerows - there was no
direct road between Prittlewell and the new town of
Southend at that time.
From the end of the last
century the Church of St Mary has organized the village
fayre (now called the Summer Fete) and every year strives
to make it bigger and better than ever. For seven hundred
years or so the aims of the fayre have remained the same
- the sale of all manner of good things and the provision
of amusement for all those who care to come.
______________________
The fete was opened by His Worship the Mayor of Southend
accompanied by the Lady Mayoress, and about 2000 adults
and numerous children came to enjoy the day.
Thanks go to
all the organisers and helpers and especially to all the
people who came to support the event.
This year St.
Mary's fete raised a net profit of about £3,100. A
magnificent sum which will go towards the cost of
essential and urgent repairs to the church.
|
