Hiring Fairs of Victorian England

Hiring fairs also known as mop fairs or statute fairs were a common practice in Victorian England in rural areas. These fairs provided opportunity to both employers and farm workers. Prospective workers could come to the fairs expound their skills and experience demand a price and enter into contracts for a specified period with the employers, and receive advance money.

Key features of Hiring Fairs:-

1. Badges and symbols:- Workers wore badges or carried items signifying their occupation such as:
* Shepherds: A crook or tuft of wool.
* Cowmen: A lock of cow hair or wisps of straw.
* Dairy maids: Milking stool or pail.
*Farmers: A piece of straw.
Hiring Process: The landlords would approach potential workmen, discuss experience and skills and offer a fast-penny, usually a shilling to seal the agreement.
Periods: A farming Season.

Purpose and Significance: It served as markets attracting large crowds. It also acted as an entertainment for the villagers. It also provided an opportunity for social gathering. 

Decline:
In the nineteenth century the industrialisation attracted manpower to industry and the participation in the fairs were reduced. Workers moved to factories around which new settlements mushroomed and new towns and cites were emerged.

But hiring fairs exist even today in new forms to attract employees and consumers. The UK Career Fairs  and The Bridge are examples of new hiring fairs.





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