Again, among the numerous other customs which were attached to many of our fairs may be mentioned that popularly designated as ‘Walking the Fair.’ Thus, at Wolverhampton, on the eve of the great fair which took place on the 9th of July, a procession of men in antique armour paraded the town, preceded by the local authorities. According to tradition, this ceremony took its rise when Wolverhampton was a great emporium for wool and resorted to by merchants from all parts of England. These processions, however, were in all probability the remains of the Corpus Christi pageantry, which was frequently celebrated at the yearly fairs. At Avingham fair, held about twelve miles from Newcastle, an amusing ceremony was celebrated called ‘Riding the Fair.’ Early in the morning a procession moved from the principal alehouse in the village, headed by two pipers, known as the ‘Duke of Northumberland’s pipers,’ who, fancifully dressed up for the occasion, were mounted on horses gaily caparisoned, and specially borrowed for the day. These pipers, followed by the Duke of Northumberland’s agent, bailiff, and a numerous escort, rode through the fair; and after proclaiming it opened, they ‘walked the boundary of all that was, or had been, common or waste land.’ Riding the boundaries is still annually practised in many provincial parishes. We must not omit to mention the ‘Procession of Lady Godiva’—one of the grandest of these shows, and which has been the distinguishing feature of Coventry Show Fair, for many years one of the chief marts in the kingdom. This celebrated fair has generally commenced upon Friday in Trinity-week, the charter for it having been granted, it is said, by Henry III. in the year 1218, at the instigation of Randle, Earl of Chester. It is noteworthy, however, that the tradition of Lady Godiva is not confined to Coventry fair, a similar one having been handed down in the neighbourhood of St Briavel’s, Gloucestershire. Thus Rudder, in his History of this county (1779), tells us how, formerly, after divine service on Whitsunday, pieces of bread and cheese were distributed to the congregation at church. To defray the expenses, every householder in the parish paid a penny to the churchwardens, and this was said to be for the liberty of cutting and taking wood in Hudnalls. Tradition affirms that ‘this privilege was obtained of some Earl of Hereford, then lord of the Forest of Dean, at the instance of his lady, upon the same hard terms that Lady Godiva obtained the privileges for the citizens of Coventry.’