Yarnbury Castle - Sheep Fairs

Sheep Fairs

The Winterbourne Stoke sheep fair was held on the site from the 18th century until 1916, when the area was commandeered by the army. There are several prominent features associated with this former use, including for several sheep folds to the south eastern corner of the hillfort. These are grouped in two blocks of 8, with low mounded earthworks clearly visible and covering an area of 120 m (390 ft) by 90 m (300 ft). They do not however appear in Sir Richard Colt Hoares pencil sketch of the site from 1810, indicating that these date from later in the 19th century.

The local author Ella Noyes (1863-1949) from Sutton Veny wrote in her book Salisbury Plain (1913), the following about the event:

Once a year Yarnbury becomes reanimate, on the day of the Horse and Sheep Fair, October 4th, held in this lonely trysting place by immemorial tradition. Here.. the flocks..stand close packed in pens; bunches of young ponies are tied up in one corner.. and near by are the sober cart-horses, their plaited manes and tails aprick with ornaments of straw. The vendor of sheep bells spreads his metal wares upon the ground.. the purchase of sheep bells is a serious matter, good ones costing as much as five shillings..In the good old days, up to within the memory of people still living, the fair was followed by horse races next day, and sports of all kinds. But now the pleasure part of the meeting has been abandoned; the folk disperse quietly soon after noon, when business is done, leaving Yarnbury to the silent occupation of its prehistoric ghosts for another year.