130 WESTMORLAND AGRICULTURE, 1800— 1900 



The weekly market, though still held on Friday, has never been 

 of importance. 



A fortnightly fair was started in February, 1849, at the railway 

 station, for cattle on Tuesdays, and in the April following one was 

 started fortnightly in the village on Mondays, when 47 head of cattle 

 and 150 sheep were on offer, but neither of them continued very long. 

 In the same year a show of staUions took place after the May fair, and 

 in i860 the amalgamated Burton and Milnthorpe Agricultural Society 

 offered three silver medals for three classes for stallions, the show taking 

 place after the fair was finished ; this practice continued till about 1880. 



SHAP. 



PHILIP LORD WHARTON procured a charter in 1687 for a 

 weekly market at Shap on Wednesday, and three fairs yearly, 

 viz. : — on the 23rd and 24th of April ; the ist and 2nd of August ; and 

 the 17th and i8th of September ; and in the same year, he in con- 

 sideration of the tenants of the manor paying one year's customary 

 rent, freed the market and fairs of toll to them and their heirs. 



In 1829 the market was held on Monday but had only a feeble 

 existence, and the only fair was held on the 4th of May for cattle and 

 merchandise ; in 1849 the market was in the same condition, but before 

 that date, viz., 1841, a monthly show of fat and store cattle had been 

 started. At the fair held on the 4th of May, which is held on the 

 green, only about 100 beasts were shown in 1908, but the small toU of 

 id. per beast was charged for all animals sold. By ancient custom the 

 toll is payable as a perquisite to the head shepherd at Shap Abbey. 

 In 1878, thirty years previous, 57 truck-loads of cattle were despatched 

 by rail from the station after the fair. 



Whellan writes in i860 that " the market is almost obsolete," but 

 a new market house was built in 1861 by Lord Lonsdale and opened 

 on January nth, 1862. There are no toUs attached to it. A new 

 cattle fair to be held on the 3rd Monday in March was started in 1875 

 and ten years later an auction sale was held on the Fair Field, on 

 Wednesday, the 23rd of September. The auction day was changed to 

 Monday in 1889, when on April 25th, 46 cattle and 20 sheep were offered ; 

 in 1893 the day was on Thm-sday and 7^ per cent, interest was paid by 

 the Company that year. It has since ceased. The fairs are now held 

 on May 4th and September 28th. 



