‘Tom Pearce, Tom Pearce, lend me your grey mare.
All along, down along, out along lea.
For I want for to go to Widecombe Fair,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan’l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.’
Originally a tiny village fair, the now world-famous Widecombe Fair is held annually in the Dartmoor village of Widecombe-in-the-Moor on the second Tuesday in September. It is well known from the folk song of the same name, which features Uncle Tom Cobley and a motley assortment of friends, who borrow a grey mare to ride to the fair. Despite obviously having a great day out, sadly, none of them made it back home again!
The fair dates back to around 1850 and started off as a cattle fair, although it soon grew to include other animals. It has continued to expand since then to include various additional attractions, with the emphasis on traditional Dartmoor life. Since the Second World War, proceeds from the fair have gone to support various charitable causes.
The fun starts at 9 am and ends when it ends – if you have the stamina! There are showing classes for sheep, horses and ponies, and dogs, as well as a wide variety of stalls selling all manner of crafts and gifts. The day also includes demonstrations of rural crafts and skills, as well as a vintage tractor parade, and the pupils at Widecombe School put on a demonstration of maypole dancing. Other activities include the Town Cryer, Bale Tossing and Cow Pat (don’t ask!!) competitions, as well as the annual Tug of War. There’s folk music from local singers and the day rounds off with a disco until the small hours.
The Fair showcases local produce, including food and drink, and there are numerous stalls selling tasty Devon delights and cider. There’s also a beer tent, provided by the nearby Rugglestone Inn.
However, the highlight of the day has to be the Uncle Tom Cobley Race: this involves being dropped off at a secret point on the top of Widecombe Hill. Entrants then have to make their way back down as quickly as possible, negotiating fields, hedges and ditches on their way. There are prizes for the first man, woman and veteran competitors past the finish line.
And of course, Tom Cobley and his friends always put in an appearance, along with the grey mare!
It’s thought that the song ‘Widecombe Fair’ actually commemorates an event that happened in 1802. The characters probably all existed and are believed to have lived around the villages of Sticklepath and Spreyton, not far from Okehampton – families of the same names certainly inhabited the area at the time. According to a sign in the modern-day pub, the group of friends left the Tom Cobley Tavern in Spreyton to go to the fair. By following the old country paths, the distance between the two villages is only around 12 miles and it seems very likely that people from mid-Devon would have travelled to this fair, or one of a number of similar other fairs in the area, to trade goods and animals at the end of the summer each year.
