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The Cattle Market |
The village has had a market, according
to records, from around 1221. The
permission to hold a market in the
village was granted to a Richard de
Wyke.
For most of us the market conjures up
images of The Square and nearby roads
bustling with cattle lorries, tractors
and trailers, landrovers and cars with
trailers, all with signs of having
recently conveyed some kind of
livestock.
It is understood that lorries were
getting bigger and the amount of traffic
in general was the downfall for a small
village with narrow access roads. The
market eventually closed and moved to
the more-accessible market at
Hallworthy.
(See the article below as reported
by the Cornish & Devon Post) |
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Here
are a few images of
the cattle market in action.
You can almost smell the
atmosphere from here! |
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As reported by The
Cornish & Devon Post:-
Week St. Mary bids
farewell
Market moving to
Hallworthy
By Colin Brent
The hammer came down on
69 years of history at
Week St. Mary on
Saturday when the weekly
fatstock market closed
down – a victim of its
own success.
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Mr. Jack
Ridgman
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The market,
which handles on
average 120
cattle and 1200
sheep a week,
has outgrown its
site at Week St.
Mary.
Auctioneers
Kittows are
transferring it
to the larger
Hallworthy
premises.
Celebration
mingled with
sadness as
farmers gathered
for the final
sale. Jack
Ridgman. A
former fatstock
officer,
recalled seeing
the first Week
St. Mary market
in 1918.
It started when
two local
farmers, Chris
Venning and
William Paynter,
sold six cattle
and sixteen
sheep in the
village square.
Said Mr.
Ridgman: “I was
seven years old.
At those early
markets the
cattle were all
Devons with loop
horns. I saw the
market start and
now I will see
it finish, but
it’s a sad day
for Week St.
Mary.” |
Mr. Gerald
Horrell
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Mr. Cliff
Orchard, the
market Chairman
for twenty-four
years, has
bought more
stock there than
anyone. He
remembered the
market closing
for a time in
1947 because of
a local outbreak
of foot and
mouth disease.
The harsh winter
of 1963 also
prevented the
market from
operating.
But he also
recalled happier
moments: “About
two years ago
some sheep were
being unloaded
and they ran off
across the
village square,
they got into a
holiday chalets
site where there
was a cover over
an outdoor
swimming pool –
one of the sheep
jumped onto the
cover, went
straight through
it and ended up
in the pool!”
Mr. Orchard said
the market had
been good for
Week St. Mary,
but people had
to accept that
change was
inevitable.
“Prosperity has
brought us
problems, but at
least we are
going out on a
high note,” he
added.
Week St. Mary
sub-postmaster,
Mr. Jeff
Roberts, said
the market
closure was bad
news, but he
understood why
it had to go.
“Some villagers
are pleased
because it will
be quieter here,
but I think the
majority are sad
to see it
close,” he said.
The closure does
not mean the end
of work for Mr.
Gerald Horrell,
who has cleaned
the market for
more than thirty
years. He will
be dismantling
the pens, many
of which will go
to Hallworthy.
Kittows became
involved with
the market in
the 1920s when
they acquired
land adjacent to
the square.
Senior partner,
Mr. John Dennis,
who has been
coming to the
market for
thirty-eight
years, was there
on Saturday as
his sons, Peter
and Richard,
carried out the
last auction
with Mr. Simon
Alford. On offer
were 88 cattle,
545 sheep – and
a solitary pig.
When the last
graded animal
was sold, Mr.
John Dennis took
the microphone
and thanked
farmers, the
Ministry of
Agriculture
officials,
hauliers and
market staff for
their help over
the years.
He told “The
Post”: “For
sentimental
reasons I am
saddened to see
the market
close, but it is
progress – we
must have larger
premises – Week
St. Mary market
is a victim of
its own
success.”
Mr. Dennis said
that at
Hallworthy the
same strict
market
procedures would
be carried out –
cattle for
grading would
have to be on
the premises by
10.30 am or they
would be
ineligible.
The market will
be missed at
Week St. Mary’s
Green Inn, where
landlady Mrs.
Diane Hobbs
cooked up to 30
meals each
Saturday for
farmers.
Mrs. Hobbs
penned a 20-line
poem to mark the
closure, which
ended on an
optimistic note:
“We’ve had
plenty of fun,
now bidding is
done, staff at
the Green Inn
can lay in till
one”.
Mrs. Hobbs said
“We’re very sad
to see the
market go, not
just because of
the business it
brought, but
because it’s
part of the
village”.
The Green Inn
had a special
market day
licence
extending its
Saturday
lunch-time
session to 4 pm,
but the pub will
now close at the
standard time of
2.30 pm.
Hallworthy,
which already
operates a
market on
Fridays, will
hold its first
Saturday market
this week – the
only Saturday
fatstock market
between there
and Taunton.
(All of the
the photographs
in this article
are credited to
and
acknowledgement
given to
Primrose Studios
which we believe
has ceased to
trade but we
acknowledge
their copyright
accordingly)
Reproduced by
kind permission
of the Cornish &
Devon Post
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Guiding
hand - Kittows
senior partner
Mr. John Dennis
Going,
going, gone!
Mr. Richard
Dennis and
Mr. Simon
Alford, of
Kittows,
selling the last
of the sheep.
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