Sept 6th 2025: Pontefract Fair Sept 6th A hugh success!

By the sixth day, the response to the Pontefract market had been enormous. Ironmongers, Blacksmiths, Basketmakers, and many other merchants came to sell their services or wares. Many others had requested an opportunity to trade at the fair. Many had seen rich pickings from a large crowd each day. All had first purchased a licence. The response far exceeded Henry’s expectations. People came from all the invited counties. Pontefract and the surrounding villages were packed. Every available bed space had been sold for a reasonably high price. The Inns were fully engaged in serving food and drink. Realising they would not cope, Henry sold further licences to others to set up stalls, roast meats, ale, bread, and cheese. Many lovely young maidens were serving much more than food and ale. The street entertainers, who usually went from castle to castle, paid Henry for their licences and made rich pickings from street collections. Some traders had done so well that they had to hire guards to escort their carts back home.
Henry de Lacy had been busy at the Castle with other Lords and wealthy merchants carrying out an auction for selected mining rights licences. The king later fined Henry nine pounds eleven shillings for selling these permits without permission. Henry was happy to pay, as the sales of these alone amounted to hundreds of pounds.
Every activity of the fair first required a paid license. There is no record of the actual income that went to the coffers of Henry de Lacy, but it was considerable. Had Henry de Lacy and his Pontefract Fair held the forerunner of all the County Shows that are still held today?