COUNTRY FAIRS AND REVELS. 
73 
reared in the country, and seems to have been largely attended by 
the " horse courser," who bought and sold horses already broken 
and in use; while the "horse dealer" traded in those of his own 
rearing and training. The importance of this part of the fair is 
gathered from the numerous statutes relating to the sale of horses 
at fairs. 
The history of fairs, from their full development to the present 
day, can, I believe, best be traced in the statutes made from time 
to time to remedy abuses, which naturally crept in after a lapse of 
years, or were the result of mismanagement or avarice. The best 
evidence of the existence of a custom is a statute made to restrain 
or limit its continuance. For instance, lords kept their fairs open 
longer than the prescribed time, thereby injuring the legitimate 
markets, and perhaps robbing the collectors of customs. To 
provide against this abuse, a statute was passed, 2 Edward III., 
c. 15, which ordered — 
" That all lords which have fairs shall hold the same only for the time 
allowed ; that is, for the time limited by the charters ; and those who have 
them without charter for the time they ought to hold them of right. That 
every lord, at the beginning of the fair, do cry and publish how long the 
fair shall endure, to the intent that merchants shall not be at the same fair 
over the time so published upon pain to be grievously punished toward the 
king. Nor shall the said lords hold them over the due time upon pain to 
seise the fairs into the king's hands until they have made a fine for the 
offence, after it hath been duly found that the lords held the same fair longer 
than they ought, or that the merchants have sitten above the time so cried 
and published." 
The merchants soon seem to have found a flaw in this statute, 
which was winked at by the lords of fairs ; for we find that three 
years afterwards it was enacted, by 5th Edward III., c. 5, 
"That as in the former statute (2 Edward III , c. 15) there is no certain 
punishment ordained against the merchants if they sell after time, it is 
accorded that the merchants after the time shall close their booths or stalls, 
and if anything is sold after the time, the merchant shall forfeit to the 
King the double value of the article, and the informer receive one-fourth 
part." 
Here, then, we have the order for the proclamation of every 
fair, which has continued in some cases to the present time, and 
may be heard at Modbury, Torrington, or Exeter ; accompanied 
with the ceremonies peculiar to each place, which I shall mention 
below, as well as the custom of rearing a large " glove " on a pole 
