Appleby New Fair: Investigating Local Attitudes Towards a Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) Heritage Tradition in the Context of Legislative Change

Abstract

Appleby New Fair has been a significant event in the Gyspy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) calendar for over 100 years. Because of the Fair, the town of Appleby in Cumbria (England) has become a “mecca”, ‘sacred’ to GRT communities. Yet new legislation has put the Fair’s future in doubt, making it illegal to ‘reside or intend to reside on land without the permission of the owner or occupier’. This legislation therefore threatens both an event and a way of life. This paper focuses on the Appleby New Fair, but not from the perspective of the GRT communities. Rather, this study is focused on local perceptions of the Fair and specifically therefore those ‘owners and occupiers’ in whose hands the future of the Fair will likely rest. The paper presents the results of a questionnaire survey conducted amongst local residents in 2021, concluding that the Fair does not have local support. In reaching this conclusion, the survey revealed significant information around perceptions of authenticity and heritage, touching also on identity and tradition, thus extending the implications of this study far beyond Appleby.