“Appleby Fair”

Description

Every year the Travellers are at the horse fair in Appleby Top. Some horses have "seen better days" and take knacker prices. A few sold "good stuff" and Dan Mannion "kept trotting horses which have brought him great fame" and his daughter "a posh car"

Notes

Jim Carroll's notes to IRTravellers01: "The small town of Appleby in Cumbria has held an annual fair every June since ... 1684 .... Nowadays it is solely for horses."

"Rich" Johnny Connors's version relies heavily on Traveller slang which is translated in the notes. "Knacker prices" may be Traveller slang for slaughter-house prices but it's an expression I've heard many times before. - BS

Recordings

  • "Rich" Johnny Connors, "Appleby Fair" (on IRTravellers01)

References

  1. Roud #16699
  2. BI, RcAppFair

About

Author: unknown
Earliest date: 1985 (IRTravellers01)
Found in: Britain(England(North))