Bo'ness
Fairs
Compiled by Ken
Wright
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There
has been a great deal publicised already about the Bo'ness Children's
Fair and therefore this is only intended to be an synopsis of the
events that led up to the formation of the present Children's Fair.
First
Bo'ness Fairs? Ann, Duchess of Hamilton, was given permission
by the Scottish Parliament to hold four fairs per annum in the
town, c. 1670. Duchess Ann was later given permission by
Parliament to change the date of the fourth fair from 18th November
to the second Tuesday in July. It is interesting that the "Riding
of the Marches", which took its charter from Robert II in
1389, was held on Pasche Tuesday in April until 1625, when due
to possible inclement weather it changed to the first Tuesday after
the second Thursday in June. Since these early fairs were places
where local farm labourers would come to seek employment the earlier
date, approximately a month after the "Marches", would
seem a much more suitable time.
First
Miners Fair. To celebrate the Mines Emancipation
Act of 1779 miners, as free men, took a holiday
to march through the town. The Act declared that, "all
the colliers in that part of Great Britain called Scotland
are hereby declared to be free from their servitude." This
later developed into Bo'ness Children's Fair, but at
this time was more of a drinking affair which by the
late 1800's was described as a "drunken orgy".
Held on the Friday between the 12th and 19th July the
march commenced at the miners rows at Borrowstoun and
Newton down to Corbiehall and out to Kinneil House
where the Duke's Estate Factor provided them with whisky
toddy. From there it meandered through the town to the
Grange where the other main colliery owner Cadell would
also welcome his miners by serving whisky toddy. Accompanied
by the town bands they would proceed to the banks of
the Forth where the afternoon's entertainment was provided
by horse and carriage racing. If this sounds grand it
should be remembered that these were working horses
and not thoroughbreds. A fair ground was also set up
at Corbiehall where the day's events would be rounded
off before the evening dance in the Town Hall commenced.
In 1880 the
Fair was held on a Thursday with games on the Friday
and the usual excursion on the Saturday. Although the
miners held their marches on the Thursday the townspeople
and other works did not fully participate thus the
Fair reverted back to a Friday.
By the 1890's the
public criticism of the miner's boisterous and drunken
behaviour led the Newtown Miner's Fair Committee to
approach the local Police Commissioners to gain their
support for the Miners Fair.
Reformation
of the Miners Fair. Although viewed with much
scepticism in 1894 the first march, which resembled
a town parade, with all of its pageantry, took place.
As usual it was led by the miner's Deacon, but was
now followed by Banner Bearers with the town banner
bearing the town coat of arms and motto "Sine
Metu", closely followed by the Provost and Commissioners
in open horse drawn carriages with outriders. This
then was the first town procession, which could be
linked to today's Bo'ness Children's
Fair although the miners march continued in some form
up until 1913/14.
Bo'ness
Children's Fair was founded by one of the towns
first Provosts George Cadell Stewart, who was Provost
of the Burgh from 1894 to 1904. Modelled on Lanark's
Lanimer Day, and probably greatly encouraged by Queen
Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, Provost Stewart for the
first time in 1897 introduce the children of
the town into the festivities replacing the hose racing
with a programme of revels more suitable for children.
Grace Strachan, from Anderson Academy, was the first
of many Bo'ness Fair "Queens" to chosen by
their fellow pupils. The last Queen from Bo'ness Academy
was Kathleen Wildman in 1969.
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Unfortunately
due to a dispute about the order of precedence
the Newtown miners boycotted the Children's Fair
taking no part in the proceedings. In fact they
carried on the old style miners march up until
the beginning of WWI.
This
first Children's Fair also celebrated the sixtieth
anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign. The opening
ceremony for Philpingstone Road was held
on the first Children's Fair day as was the turning
on of the Diamond Fountain in Victoria
Park.
| This
is a table of the approximate number of children
that attended the first Bo'ness Children's
Fair indicating which school they were from.
Distinctive colours in their caps identified
them. |
| School |
No.
of Pupils |
Identification
Colour |
| Bo'ness
Infants |
240 |
Yellow |
| Grangepans
Infants School |
240 |
Pink |
| Bo'ness
Public School |
440 |
Red |
| Anderson
Academy |
150 |
Blue & Gold |
| Kinneil
School |
350 |
Red,
White & Blue |
| Borrowstoun
School |
220 |
White & Blue |
| Carriden,
Muirhouses and Blackness Schools |
320 |
Blue |
| Total |
1,960 |
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The Glebe
Park was formally opened on Bo'ness Fair
Day 1900 by Mrs Law and Stewart Avenue was
officially opened when Mrs Drysdale cut the ribbon.
1997 was
the 100th anniversary of the Bo'ness Children's
Fair, but was in fact the 88th Fair since there
were no Fairs held during the war years and in
1926 due to the industrial situation. Instead a
children's day was held in Ladywell Park with a
midday meal to be
made "as substantial as funds will permit." 
It is
recorded that there was a Bo'ness Children's
Day held in 1915, but without a coronation ceremony,
where the children met at their respective schools
an marched to Brewlands Park where maypole dancing
and displays of physical drill took place.
The
hundredth Bo'ness Children's fair is therefore
due to be held in 2009!
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