All’s Fair at Horn Fair

Rediscovered Urban Rituals, who helped organised a fantastic May Day Jack in the Green procession in Deptford in 2006, are recreating the famous Charlton Horn Fair procession in a couple of weeks.

The procession of 'Hornified Fumblers', traditionally met at Cuckolds point in Rotherhithe, after crossing the Thames, from the city. They would process through Deptford, Greenwich and onto the Charlton Horn Fair. The Horn Fair was granted a charter by the Abbot of Bermondsey in 1268 for an annual fair to be held at Charlton, but was eventually banned by the Victorians in 1872 for ‘licentious conduct’. The celebrants would dress up in drag and adorn horns & masks to attend this carnival of cuckoldry, cross-dressing and the wearing of horns possibly evoking ancient ritual & fertility symbolism. Historically, references to the date of the Horn fair range from Spring through Midsummer being moved in the 17th Century to October 18th – St Luke’s day whose symbol is the bull.

You are welcome to come along and join in the procession on June 28th 2009 this year, starting From Cuckolds Point, Rotherhithe (on the river near to the Rotherhithe Hilton), through Deptford and Greenwich to Charlton House. It will start at 10.30am sharp .