These days, children’s rides are the main feature of the Runaway Fair that runs on the Monday of the week after the Michaelmas Fair.
In days of old the Michaelmas and Runaway fairs were both hiring fairs. As late as 1884 the Reading Mercury noted there was still some hiring activity at the Abingdon Runaway Fair.
In 1888, the same paper reported that during the “runaway” fair a 71 year old man from Ock Street was killed by a runaway driver.
We read in the same paper in 1897 that little hiring was noticeable, but country people came into town for Michaelmas purchases, and for a fair on the Market Place.
A fascinating glimpse into history.
As an Ock St. resident I decided to indulge in my passion for Family History research and try and discover what I could about William Morgan who was born in Abingdon about 1817 and was involved in the fatal accident at the Runaway Fair of 1888.
1841 Census – Not Found
1851 Census – Living in Spring Road, Occ: General Dealer, with wife Ann [35] b. Cholsey, Son George [11] b. Cholsey, Son William [2] b. Abingdon.
1861 Census – Living in West St. Helens Street. Occ: Labourer with wife Ann, Occ: Laundress. Son William [12], Daughters Sarah [9], Emilia [4] both born in Abingdon.
1871 Census – Living in New Street (parish of St. Helen) no occupation stated with wife Ann & daughter Emilia [14]. William is described as Head Lodger with Ann as Lodger’s
wife.
1881 Census – Living in Ock Street. Occ: General Labourer with wife Ann, Occ: Laundress. Grand Daughter Emily [7] b. Abingdon.
Died October 1888, buried on 25 October 1888 in Abingdon cemetery.
I have not been able to find his marriage date for definite, but the only William Morgan marrying an Ann was in Reading, and without knowing where he was in 1841 makes this rather difficult, also none of the census sheets give a precise address i.e House No.
I will try and research his children to see if I can further expand my knowledge of this family.
I know I’m about to once more be lambasted by the purists for going off topic, but , does anyone know the truth about the circumstances and outcome of the woman found with multiple injuries in the abbey grounds last week? Both the nail and herald featured the incedent as a ” breaking news” but since then there’s been no follow up? The postings on both say she was a homeless person living in a tent and sadly died on Saturday? Does anyone know anymore?
I believe there were no suspicious circumstances and so no (police) investigation.
However as it is only you and I reading this off topic post it’s unlikely anyone else will be able to comment.
Shame.
Did anyone eat at the fair? Did you think the fair’s fare fare?
Janet, did she die?
Thanks JRB. I got my info by buying a months subscription to a geneology site and searching for Runaway Fair (in Reading Mercury). I also read the Picture Post for the week of my birth. The adverts are very stylish.
I saw the people camping by the ruins late Thursday afternoon, I hadn’t seen anyone camping there before, not seen the homeless guy who stands in the High St in the last few days either.
Did anyone notice there had been a suspected arson attempt on the Saxton Arms last week?
Further to my earlier post I have found details of William Morgan’s wife Ann after his sad death.
1891 Census – Residing in “Apartments’ Drews Yard, Ock St,
(was this one of the Courts?) Occ Charwoman, age given as 75.
1901 Census – Inmate Resident of the Abingdon Workhouse age given as 88. The Workhouse Head at the time was a Joseph Fray with Elizabeth his wife.
Sadly Ann died in the Workhouse in July 1906 aged 92, she was buried in Abingdon Cemetery on 13 July 1906.
I discovered that several of my relatives were in and died in the Workhouse [not Abingdon but Lincolnshire] unfortunately
all the records were destroyed thus preventing me from finding any further details as to why they were in there.
To date I have not furthered my knowledge regarding any of William Morgan’s children, I wonder if any of his desendants are living in the area.
I suppose the fair was more like a market in those days. JRB – Ann lived to a good age for the time considering that she probably had a hard life didn’t she?
I’m struggling to get my head around the direction of this thread? All be it my enquiry about the woman who supposedly died last week was a tad off post, surely she’s worthy of some investigation? We’ve seen here how some of you have done much research on someone who got run over 100!years ago and the plight of a woman who died in the workhouse aged 92, but appear to have no concern for this poor soul who if I think it the person I think it is was completely failed by all.
A month or so ago my wife noticed a young woman in a distressed state and in shockingly worn out clothing walking past our house, two days later I noticed her too, (she was wearing flip flops in really bad weather) I decided to follow her and found she was sleeping rough on a boat, I new the owner of the boat, he said he let her live on it through the week while worked away but she returned to her tent weekends.
A week or so later she walked by clutching her broken flip flops with just a pair of worn through socks on her feet, my wife out some shoes in a bag which I hung on the door handle of the boat, I also let our PCSO know if the woman who apparently went to uni in Oxford but mid course had a complete breakdown which lead to her having to leave uni and give up her accommodation, she then fell off the radar by all authorities and spiralled to rock bottom, the PCSO confirmed her name and that she was homeless, the rest is, unfortunately, history, I hope it wasn’t her !
Captainkaos2: it’s sincerely admirable that you so clearly care about this poor woman.
It may well be that her right to privacy prevents further details being shared, on this site and elsewhere.