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THE
PAGAN ORIGIN OF FAIRS
BY
T. F. G. DEXTER, Ph.D., B.A., B.Sc.
“I do herein rely upon those bards or Irish chronicles . . . . . but unto them besides I add mine own reading and out of them both together with comparison of times, likewise of manners and customs, affinity of words and manner, properties of nature and uses, resemblances of rites and ceremonies, monuments of churches and tombs and many other like circumstances, I do gather a likelihood of truth, not certainly affirming anything, but by conferring of times, language, monuments and such like, I do hunt out a probability of things which I leave to your judgment to believe or refuse.”
Edmund Spencer, “View of the State of Ireland,” 1595.
NEW KNOWLEDGE PRESS
Perranporth
CORNWALL.
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Also by Dr. DEXTER
CIVILISATION IN BRITAIN, 2000 b.c.
“Dr. Dexter writes an interesting sketch of the pre-History of Ancient Britain, emphasizing the high state of culture of the people and favouring the belief that it was largely derived from Egypt.”—Times Literary Supplement.
THE SACRED STONE
“The history and significance of the stone monuments of Britain are interestingly discussed, and the value of the narrative is entranced by twenty-seven good illustrations.”—W.R.D. in Lloyd’s List.
Ready Shortly
FIRE WORSHIP IN BRITAIN
“I welcome the advent of ‘The New Knowledge Press.’ . One cannot but look forward with pleasure to future publications.”—Macleod Yearsley in The Literary Guide.
The above are uniform with the present Booklet in size, style and price.
* * * * *
CORNISH NAMES
[An attempt to explain over 1600 names.]
Boards. Crown 8vo. 90 pp. 3s. 6d. net.
“Compact and Scholarly.”–Times Literary Supplement.
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The belief in the Christian origin of British fairs is untenable, because:
(1) Fairs were and are held in non-Christian countries. (§§ 2–9.)
(2) Fairs (which developed from assemblies connected with the worship of the dead) were held in pagan Ireland and in Classic lands under the auspices of gods or semi-mythical beings. (§§ 10–26.)
(3) The holding of fairs in Britain near barrows and in churchyards points to their having been held in honour of the dead just as they were in Ireland. (§§ 27–38.)
(4) Fairs held on boundaries are very ancient. (§§ 39–42.)
(5) Fairs held on hills seem contemporary with the ancient trackways of pagan times. (§§ 43–46.)
(6) Fairs once held on Good Friday must be of great antiquity, for Good Friday is a date dependent on the moon, and moon-time is far older than sun-time. (§§ 47–51.)
(7) Sunday fairs, though of less antiquity, are also pagan. (§§ 52–53.)
(8) Fairs are as a rule not dependent upon Saints’ days. (§§ 54–59.)
(1) The theory of the Christian origin of fairs does not rest on evidence, but apparently on the false assumption that before the advent of Christianity our ancestors were degraded savages quite incapable of the power of organisation which the holding of a fair implies. (§§ 60–63.)
(2) There is evidence that gods or semi-mythical beings presided over fairs in Britain (§§ 42, 44, 46) just as they did in Ireland and elsewhere. An intensive study of the dates, names, customs, etc. of fairs may yield valuable results relative to the beliefs of our pagan ancestors.
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