How the Milton Abbas Fair Began

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The charter for the market and fair in the old town of Middleton had been granted by King Athelstan. The fair was held on the feast of St Sampson, the patron saint of the town. When present day residents wanted to celebrate the bi-centennial of the founding of the new village they decided to revive the fair. The organisation of such an event involves a great deal of time and effort so it is only held every other year. St Sampson's day is on the 28 July and the fair is held on a Saturday near to that. 

Why the Fair has an Eighteenth Century Theme

Until 1753 the thriving market town of Middleton was situated in the valley between the present day Milton Abbas and the Abbey. In that year, Joseph Damer, (Lord Milton, later Earl of Dorchester) built a Gothic mansion next to the Abbey church. As was fashionable he wanted his house to be set in parkland and called in the leading landscape designer of the day, Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. In other places Brown had moved villages so that his landscapes would not be ruined by the common people, so it was not surprising that he decided to get rid of the noisy and undoubtedly smelly town and create a lake.

Damer commissioned one of the first model villages to house the people from Middleton, who would still be needed to run the big house and estate. Located in a valley just around the corner from the mansion it is this village which is the Milton Abbas of today. Whilst reasonably enlightened, when the last residents refused to leave Middleton, Damer opened the sluice gates of the new dam....