COUNTRY FAIRS AND REVELS. 
79 
visitors, by many for the first time. The open hillsides allow the 
sport to be witnessed by all. The hunt over, large parties of friends 
are entertained at dinner in the various houses ; and in the evening 
still larger parties meet, and pass the time with dancing and music. 
The second day is spent in coursing in the more enclosed lands, 
and the evening is again given over to parties and social gatherings. 
The third day is mostly taken advantage of by those who have 
friends from a distance, for excursions to show their visitors the 
neighbourhood, generally to Teignmouth, Dawlish, or Chudleigh. 
The shows, fairing stalls, merry-go-rounds, and other attractions, 
have all the time been fully patronized, and doubtless the "publics" 
are not neglected. 
At Holne an ancient revel is kept up on "Old Midsummer" day, 
when a ram is roasted whole in a field behind the church called 
Play Park, by virtue of ancient usage. Tradition says the in- 
habitants have a right to take the first they find on entering the 
Moor for this purpose, but now I believe it is subscribed for. This 
ram-roasting on Midsummer or St. John Baptist's day is doubtless 
a relic of paganism, being a modern form of the old Beltan fires 
and feast, formerly held at the summer solstice, and continued 
almost unaltered in honour to the saint who " bore witness to the 
light," and was described by our Saviour as "a burning and shining 
light." When properly roasted the ram is carried in procession, 
preceded by a fiddler, to the inn, and cut up by an experienced 
person and distributed among the people, the poor not being 
forgotten. Old people who have made it a point to get a slice 
every year, assure me " that a slice of revel ram beats every other 
sort of roast meat in flavour and richness ; for," say they, " 'tis so 
' sweet.' " The feast over, wrestling and sports commence, then 
the fiddlers appear, and dancing is kept up to a late hour. 
" The glove " is still hoisted during the fairs at Exeter, Torrington, 
Barnstaple, Totnes, Modbury, and I have no doubt many other 
places. This is the remains of the idea of the free-trade element 
of ancient fairs, as well as a public sign of their duration. 
In how many towns the original charters are preserved it is 
impossible to say. A collection of them would be of historical 
value to the county. As a specimen of them, I will quote that for 
Totnes Fair, granted, or rather confirmed, by Queen Elizabeth at 
Greenwich, on 31st August, 1596, being the thirtieth year of her 
reign : 
