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Leigh On Sea News. Westminster Report – Westminster Report by The Rt Hon Mark Francois Member of Parliament for Rayleigh and Wickford – supporting Rayleigh’s Popular Trinity Fair

Westminster Report - Westminster Report by The Rt Hon Mark Francois Member of Parliament for Rayleigh and Wickford - supporting Rayleigh’s Popular Trinity Fair

Westminster Report by The Rt Hon Mark Francois Member of Parliament for Rayleigh and Wickford – supporting Rayleigh’s Popular Trinity Fair

AT the start of June, alongside thousands of my constituents, I visited the very popular Trinity Fair in Rayleigh.

The Fair, which stretched the length and breadth of the town’s High Street, gave residents and visitors a great day out, but I wonder how many people are aware that the event stretches back some eight centuries?

The Trinity Fair is steeped in history, with the first recorded event of its kind in Rayleigh dating back to 1227, when a Royal Charter was signed for Rayleigh to hold a “Trinity Fair”.

Interestingly, it was held on “Trinity Sunday” – the eighth Sunday after Easter – and would see the landed gentry and villagers from Rayleigh, and the surrounding area, meeting in the High Street to buy and sell livestock and other animals.

In the early days of the fair, the main focus was to buy and sell horses and according to contemporary accounts sometimes as many as 1,000 horses could change hands.

However, over time, the success of the Trinity Fair began to raise more than a few eyebrows, especially amongst the more pious members of the community. By the late 19th century, there was a well-known saying throughout Essex; ‘As rowdy as Rayleigh’s Trinity Fair’.

It became an excuse for excessive drinking and many would get blind drunk in the High Street. Thus, in 1899, the authorities finally decided to put an end to the long-running event and on August 8 of that year the Rayleigh Trinity Fair was legally abolished in a document personally signed by Matthew Ridley, the then Home Secretary.

Yet, in 2017, thanks to the Rayleigh Town Council, the Fair made a triumphant return and the re-established event saw more than 10,000 people flocking to enjoy a day of fun, for the whole community.

Since that time, the event has continued to be a great success and this year was certainly no exception, with the streets being filled with a huge number of people. This year’s event included a whole variety of stalls for the townsfolk to enjoy, from vintage cars to face-painting, plus live bands performing from a central stage.

There were also many charities present, plus a number of “superheroes” in costume, for families to mix with.

Furthermore, it was great to see that all of the iconic features of the town were open for visitors, including the Rayleigh Mill Arts and Events Centre. Holy Trinity Church also kindly hosted an afternoon of tea and home baked cakes.

It was a real pleasure to attend the Trinity Fair in Rayleigh and to see thousands of my constituents and visitors from further afield out for the day and obviously enjoying themselves.

The Lord was kind with the weather and the event was clearly appreciated by stall holders and local shop keepers, with many local businesses, both new and old, welcoming people through their doors throughout the day.

I would like to commend Rayleigh Town Council and all the volunteers and businesses, who did so much to support a highly popular event and it is great that this ancient fair has been so successfully revived.

Rayleigh Town Council continue to set the bar high, and I am sure they will continue to do so going forward, hopefully for many years to come.

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