Buckingham and Bicester Newspapers
Finmere. The Annual Feast was held on Monday last and attendance of holidayists surpassed that of previous years. There was an abundance of stalls, etc., and the dancing booths especially appeared to do good trade. The weather was fine, thereby considerably enhancing the enjoyment of villagers.
The following contributions are from Keith Chandler with our thanks.
LABOURERS' UNION FESTIVAL AT FINMERE
... The Chetwode and the Tingewick Brass bands were in attendance, and with a party of Morris dancers, the procession marched round the village...
... During dinner the band played a selection of music, while the Morris dancers amused by their antics...
FINMERE. N.A.L.U. DEMONSTRATION
On Tuesday last [12 June]... After Finmere, Tingewick received a visit in the same style and the Tingewick band joined them [i.e. the Chetwode Brass Band, leading a procession]. Morrisdancers [sic] at each halting-place performed their antics and were the source of much amusement, indeed bystanders declared that they were the chief attraction, the morris-dancers were the best part of the holiday, representing to the life the sports of our ancestors, with their quaint music and antiquated steps and inventions.
All along the road from Tingewick to Finmere there were groups of people, at Tingewick with the band, banners and morris-dancers was a crowd, and at the Red Lion there was another. These combined could not be less than a thousand, probably double that number, but when the bands arrived about eight o'clock there was considerable difficulty in procuring a meeting, the whole company among which the fair-sex was predominant, preferring dancing, kiss-in-the-ring, etc., to listening to speeches on political questions, about which they knew next to nothing and for which ninety-nine per cent did not care a straw...
[After the N.A.L.U. meeting] The tent was cleared for dancing, the Tingewick band occupying the platform, and playing dance music, and the pleasure was kept up till a late hour. During the public meeting it was sometimes difficult to hear the voices of the speakers owing to the sounds of the fiddle and drum and a regular hubbub of sounds, showing that the County Franchise and Eastern Question must hide their heads for shame in the face of rustic youths and maidens bent on holiday making.
LABOURERS' UNION FESTIVAL AT FINMERE
On Friday, May 31, Finmere was the scene of an annual gathering...About the middle of the day the strains of the Tingewick Band were heard announcing the commencement of the Labourers' Holiday, and the neighbourhood of the "Red Lion" at Finmere presented attractions in the shape of dancing booths...
FINMERE
THE ANNUAL FEAST was held on Monday last [13 October], and the attendance of holidayists surpassed that of many previous years. There was an abundance of stalls, etc., and the dancing booths especially appeared to do a good trade. The weather was fine, thereby considerably enhancing the enjoyment of the villagers.
FINMERE. CLUB FESTIVAL
... The usual attractions in the shape of stalls, shooting galleries, [sic] were well patronised, and many were indulging themselves in the dance to the strains of violin and accordion...
FINMERE.- THE FEAST was held on Sunday and Monday, the 14th and 15th inst. On the latter day there was the usual group of stalls, etc., near the Red Lion Inn, at which place there was dancing...