Ox roasting at Stratford-upon-Avon Mop Fair
Scene showing an ox being roasted at the Stratford upon Avon annual Mop Fair, Warwickshire. Farm workers, labourers, servants and some craftsmen would work for their employer from October to October. At the end of the employment they would attend the Mop Fair dressed in their Sunday best clothes and carrying an item signifying their trade. A servant with no particular skills would carry a mop head - hence the term Mop Fair. Employers would move amongst them discussing experience and terms, and once agreement was reached the employer would give the employee a small token of money and the employee would wear bright ribbons to indicate that they had been hired. The stalls at the fair sold food and drink, while others offered games to play
Picture No
10573786
Media ID
47548869
Size
2877px x 2325px
(3.7MB)
Credit
Mary Evans Picture Library/The Pete Frost Collection
Source
Original photograph from Newspaper Illustrations Ltd, Copyright expired
Date
circa 1911





























