Floreat Etona: Anecdotes and Memories of Eton CollegeNevill, Ralph
History
Floreat Etona: Anecdotes and Memories of Eton College
Nevill, Ralph
Eton College
At the Fair a large quantity of pocket-money was expended at the
various booths, the keepers of which, of course, at once recognised an
Eton boy, whom all the professional tricksters of the place looked upon
as their surest game. Every device was put before him, and all sorts of
temptations held out to induce him to stop and have a trial, as they
called it, of his luck. Cards, rings, coins, everything in fact was
made into an instrument for gaining a little money during this harvest
of inexperience.
The rifle gallery, where they gave two shots for a penny, was a
favourite resort, and every stall which the boys passed, whatever
was the sort of trumpery with which it was filled, formed an excuse
for loitering to examine what there was. Dolls and knives and penny
trumpets and rattles, all required attention; boxes and brooches were
haggled over, and rings, and even rags, minutely inspected.
The Fair consisted of a number of booths stretching from the Town Hall
to Castle Yard. There were the usual shows, and in the eighteenth
century a bull bait on Bachelors’ Acre, the place of which, in
latter years, was taken by roulette. This game, of course, run by
doubtful characters, was highly attractive to certain venturesome
Etonians--there was real danger in it, for a boy caught playing was
turned down to a lower form as well as whipped.
Though many boys were flogged for going to this October festival, it
was always a source of great delight to the school, for it gave rise to
many jokes.
It was a common practice for boys to purchase all sorts of mechanical
toys--jumping frogs and the like--there, and surreptitiously introduce
them upon some master’s desk. On one occasion, a perfect menagerie was
successfully planted on the table before Dr. Hawtrey’s very nose, and
all the punishment the culprits received for their tomfoolery was his
withering remark, “Babies!”
As late as the beginning of the nineteenth century the old Windsor
Theatre was often visited by Etonians. The gallery, indeed, seems
to have been more or less reserved for their use. By the middle of
the century, however, the boys had long ceased to indulge in this
amusement, but up to the late seventies a considerable number
frequented Windsor races, at that time an open meeting.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account