Words: Aleksandra Georgieva
Images: Gerry Walden
An event that is an age-old tradition amongst farmers and auctioneers is still happening in rural Wiltshire virtually unknown to the general public. The Wilton Sheep Fair has deeper foundations than most people can probably imagine. It all began back in 1200’s when the trading of sheep was less organised but was already an essential part of life in rural Britain. It influenced the lives of many by connecting farmers, and later a local business which became famous globally - the carpet industry which today puts the name of Wilton on the international stage and ensures that British wool is on the floors of palaces and prestige buildings worldwide. The quality of the British wool is of a high calibre, which is the reason behind the high value of the animals. It is also a basis for the development of different local and national businesses such as the one created by Wilton Carpets.
The centuries-old relationship between the Wilton Sheep Fair and the nearby Wilton carpet factory, which today manufactures high quality carpets, means that they are still tightly connected to each other. The fair is held in an area where 14,000 acres (5,665 hectares) of land was originally divided into 14 farms, all of them belonging to the Wilton Estate. However today only one is run directly by the Estate, the rest being by different tenant farmers. There are over now 200 residential properties spread across them while the stately home of Wilton House itself is open to the public, and has been occupied by the Earls of Pembroke since circa 1544. Today it is the home of William Herbert, 18th Earl of Pembroke, and his family who have lived in it since 2012. About one third of the house is occupied by them privately.
The livestock auction business was formalised by John Jeffery of Donhead, and it started trading 85 years later as the Southern Counties Auctioneers company it is now. It is responsible for various weekly agricultural markets throughout the county of Wiltshire where everyone feels welcome and as the business has expanded, the scale of The Wilton Sheep Fair now reaches some impressive numbers. At the event in September of this year 8101 sheep from different origins were penned and ready to be sold. The traditional way of trading is in guineas, which equal £1.05 or one pound and one shilling. This is an old-fashioned way of trading, which these days is used predominantly in pedigree sales rings. Historically the way it worked is that the 5 pence, or the one shilling, usually represented the salesman’s commission.
The Wilton Sheep Fair is a connection between the present and the past, resulting in keeping traditions alive and practical. The event connects people to nature and shows the real potential of the Fair. With its electrifying atmosphere, the collaboration between farmers and traders reveals an outstanding side of the United Kingdom and the British natural resources. As events such as the sheep fair continue to exist and grow, so do businesses which collaborate to expand their capacity and improve the quality of their production. With this in mind perhaps it’s worth remembering that there is more to unite people and their purposes than there is to divide them.
Aleksandra Georgieva is a Bulgarian-born editorial writer now living in England
Gerry Walden is a documentary photographer from Southampton, England
Special thanks to Southern Counties Auctioneers and to Wilton Carpets for their co-operation in allowing photographs to be taken
© Aleksandra Georgieva/Gerry Walden 2016