medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> As today is the feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle...
The Today in Literature newsletter (free:
http://www.todayinliterature.com/newsletters.asp) observes the feast by
commenting on the famous London fair:
The Feast of St. Bartholomew, observed on August 24th, gave its name to
Bartholomew Fair, held on this day for over 700 years (1133-1855) in the
Smithfield area of London. Ben Jonson celebrated the saturnalian side of
the occasion in his play, Bartholomew Faire: "Here you may have your
punk [prostitute] and your pig in state, sir, piping hot." (After
attending a performance of the play in 1661, Samuel Pepys noted that it
was enjoyable but "too much prophane and abusive.") These lines are from
a description of the Fair in 1682 by John Phillips:
Here's that will challenge all the fairs,
Come buy my nuts and damsons and Burgamy pears!
Here's the Woman of Babylon, the Devil and the Pope.
And here's the little girl just going on the rope!
Here's Dives and Lazarus, and the World's Creation;
Here's the Tall Dutchwoman, the like's not in the nation....
--
What the newsletter doesn't mention is that the church of the priory
that founded and gained the revenues from the fair until 1538, is still
extant: St. Bartholomew the Great, the only surviving part of the
Augustinian priory founded in 1123. Though partially dismantled during
the Dissolution, and partially rebuilt (the Victorian restoration
included a new facade), it is London's oldest working church. The tomb
of the founder, Prior Rahere, is 16th century.
Henry I granted the priory the right to hold the fair, a three-day event
beginning on St. B's Eve. At first it was important as a cloth fair,
later also as a cattle market, and by the 17th century was popular for
entertainment, with numerous theatrical performances. The priory lost
its right to the fair and eventually it was taken over by the City of
London. When the fair wterminated in 1855 because it encouraged
rowdiness and debauchery, the 10-acre site became the Smithfield Market,
London's wholesale meat market.
As an open space near the city Smithfield had other uses including
tournaments and sporting events, and for 400 years was used for public
executions. Bloody Mary burned more than 200 martyrs here 1554-58.
(London Encyclopedia, 1983 ed., pp. 42, 694, 789-90)
Cheers,
Al Magary
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