Tag: Kirkham Bird Fair

Going for a Song

Birds like blackbirds, thrushes and magpies caught in local woods and fields were traded at Kirkham Bird Fair. Picture by Mick Gisbourne.

Reader Rex North has been in touch with some interesting contributions on recent topics. He says: “I was interested to hear about the ‘Bird Fair’ at Kirkham. It seemed to me that this must have happened during the 1840s, and prior to that if the band travelled by boat, as the York-Scarborough railway opened in 1845 and it would have then been possible to travel by train from Malton to Kirkham Abbey station more quickly.

“I have an 1840 directory of the East and North Ridings published by William White, and some reference is made to this fair, as follows: ‘A pleasure fair is held near the ruins (of Kirkham Priory) on Trinity Monday, when the principal traffic is in blackbirds, throstles (thrushes), magpies and other birds, taken in the neighbouring woods and plantations.’ This rather suggests a trade of wild birds caught and sold for their singing capabilities, with magpies being capable, I believe, of being taught tricks etc, so perhaps having a value in those days. I would suspect that the trade died out soon after the railway came, but it would be interesting to know more!”

It would, wouldn’t it, Rex, and the added details you have provided are fascinating indeed. I must admit I made the assumption that these avian trades would have involved birds like poultry, pigeons or birds of prey, that were used for food, competition or pest control. It never occurred to me that they would be kept for their singing! These days most of us wouldn’t dream of doing anything as cruel as snatching songbirds from the wild and placing them in a cage purely for our own entertainment. Their song may have sounded sweet, but I can’t imagine the birds were remotely content in their domestic prison.

I was also tickled by the use of the phrase ‘pleasure fair’. It conjures up images of a simpler time, where happiness was gained in less complicated ways than today.

Rex also has some information on Samuel Bean, known to reader Katherine Hill as ‘Grandpa Samuel’ whom she believed had been born at Peep o’Day farm near Husthwaite, Easingwold in the 1880s.

Rex writes: “I was also intrigued by the name ‘Peep o’Day Farm’, and, being interested in family history I found that Samuel Bean was in fact baptised at Acomb, near York, on 27th July 1879, the son and 4th child of Samuel and Sarah Bean. Samuel (senior) was born at Marton in the Forest, near Sheriff Hutton, being baptised at St Mary’s Church there on 19th November 1848, the son of James and Anne, who farmed at Marton Bridge. Sadly there seems to be no link to ‘Peep o’Day’ at Husthwaite as such, but by 1861 James and Anne had moved with their family to Rising Sun Farm at Easingwold, and had arrived at Acomb by 1871. Samuel and Sarah themselves were not only farming, but running the ‘Skip Bridge Inn’ on the York to Knaresborough Road by 1881, as well as managing the four young children. I wonder if your correspondent’s reference to ‘Peep o’Day’ might refer to ‘Rising Sun’, the meaning being virtually the same?”

I passed this information on to Katherine and she replied: “To get such a positive and interesting response is wonderful. The information is really helpful. My mum also told me that some of Grandpa Samuel’s family farmed at Rising Sun. This all links up with our information. Do you know where/which farm they went to in York? One source suggests they were at Rufforth Grange (enclosed by the airfield in WW2). We do know that Grandpa Samuel and siblings were brought up living at Grange Farm, Acomb.” 

I can’t answer her question, but perhaps Rex or another resourceful reader might be able to find out.

Katherine added: “My ‘Bean’ cousins and I are having a get together soon to talk about our family history. I am recording as best I can the information we’ve got and hope to put it together for a booklet for each branch of the family.”

I wish Katherine the best with her booklet and hope all the Beans have a wonderful family celebration! And if any of you reader sleuths can help further in her quest, do get in touch in the usual ways.


Do you have opinions, memories or ideas to share with me? Get in touch with me using the ‘Contact’ button on the top right.

This column appeared in the Darlington & Stockton Times on Friday 20th and the Ryedale Gazette and Herald on Wednesday 18th Feb 2026

Haven’t heard a Peep

Kirkham Priory with Kirkham Bridge visible, top centre, where a nocturnal bird fair used to take place on Trinity Sunday followed by a festival in the abbey grounds. Do you know anything more about this fair? Picture: English Heritage

 

Following my piece a couple of weeks ago on Hamer Inn, also known as the Lettered Board and Hamer House, reader Howard Campion has been in touch.

He writes: “Thank you for the article on Hamer House…I have followed this area with interest since purchasing Bill Cowley’s book ‘Snilesworth’, and have recently located an article that appeared in 1989 as well as a paragraph in your dad’s book ‘Portrait of the North York Moors’ – you will no doubt be familiar with the last – but the newspaper article does not have an author’s name. Do you have an e-mail address to which I can send it?”

I replied to Howard with my email address, so I am hoping to receive a copy of the article soon and will report back as to whether it offers more information on the mysterious inn. Howard also asked me: “Any luck with the bird festival thing at Kirkham?”

Howard was referring to a message he sent me several years ago asking if I could find out more about this festival because he was struggling to track down much information. I looked into it briefly, but after getting waylaid by other stuff failed to pursue it. His new message prompted me to have another go and I found the following reference in a 2005 newspaper article:

Kirkham Priory “…is best viewed from the nearby bridge over the River Derwent. This bridge is associated with an interesting festival, the Kirkham Bird Fair. At two o’clock in the morning on Trinity Sunday, men and boys met on the bridge to exchange or purchase pet birds. At sunrise, the bartering stopped and a village feast with drinking and merrymaking commenced.”

A later article in 2006 mentioned that the merrymaking was held in the grounds of the nearby abbey, and that a band would arrive on a boat from Malton.

Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Whit Sunday (which is the seventh Sunday after Easter) and this year it will fall on 31st May. I wonder if any of you know more about the Kirkham Bird Festival, for how long it ran, and when it was last held?

If you can’t help with that mystery, you might be able to help with another. Reader Katherine Hill has been in touch after coming across a column I wrote in 2022:

“I have just read your beautiful poem about Peep o’Day Farm near Husthwaite, Easingwold. I am writing a family history booklet and I understood from my grandma that my grandpa was born at Peep o’Day Farm. His name was Samuel Bean and would have been born most probably in the 1880s. He was the fifth child in a family of eight. At some point the family moved to live at Grange Farm, Acomb, York. I would be delighted if you knew, or could confirm, that the Bean family lived at Peep o’Day.”

The poem went like this: ‘Rising Sun and Peep o’Day, Throstle Nest and Flower o’May,

Acaster Hill and Baxby Mill, Well Pots Green and Providence Hill.’

I couldn’t answer Katherine’s question, but looking in my files, I found a letter sent by Margaret Kilner at the time, who’d done substantial research about the farm.

The information Margaret gave me included that a ‘Peep o’Day, Easingwold’ was farmed by a Mr W Coates in the 1850s. In 1865, a ‘Mr John Coates of Peep o’Day Easingwold’, took part in a stag hunt. Bulmer’s Husthwaite Directory of 1890 lists William and John Coates at Peep o’Day. By the 1911 census, Peep o’Day was run by widow Hannah Winspear until her death in 1930 at the age of 80. She bequeathed it to her two surviving children and her nephew.

Unfortunately, there is no mention of anyone named Bean. Of course, back then, Margaret was not looking for him, so it’s possible she missed it. Perhaps Samuel Bean was the son of someone who worked at the farm, rather than the owner of it? Or is there another ‘Peep o’Day’ farm in the area?

I tried to contact Margaret but the email bounced back, so you are reading this Margaret, please get in touch! And if anyone else can help Katherine confirm her ancestor Samuel Bean’s link to Peep o’Day, do get in touch using the methods below.

Do you have opinions, memories or ideas to share with me? Get in touch with me using the ‘Contact’ button on the top right.

This column appeared in the Darlington & Stockton Times on Friday 6th and the Ryedale Gazette and Herald on Wednesday 4th Feb 2026