Prior to 1752, the corresponding fair was reckoned by the Saint's Day according to tradition or to the official Catholic or Anglican Calendar of Saints; following the shift to New Style dating, however, the fair was reckoned eleven days later.
[1]) By the 19th century, the fair often began on the following Sunday and then lasted between three days and a week.
[1] By that time, the Reformation had already removed the religious solemnities formerly observed and replaced them with programmes of recreational activities.
[1] Owing to the combination of betting, feasting, and drinking, parish festivals built up a reputation for their rowdiness.
[2][3] The local, rural nature of the fairs also occasioned many variations in the rules of the contests, leading to disagreements between parishes.