The Stratford-on-Avon Mops
The two Statute of Mop Fairs in Stratford-on-Avon are held on the day after Michaelmas Day and the second Friday in October - their institution dates back to the days of Richard I, and there is no doubt that Shakespeare attended them, took part in the games and tasted the ox-roasts turned on spits in temporary brick fire places in the streets. A mop is a statute fair for the hiring of domestic servants and farm labourers, and contracts made were binding for one year: the word mop derives from the old custom of maid-servants bringing their badge of office with them to the fairs. The men and women hired at these fairs were called Johnnies and Mollies. The old fairings, that is large sticks of sweets, generally cinnamon or peppermint flavouring, appear on the brightly-lighted stalls
