Middx.

At the General Sessions of the Peace holden at Hicks Hall
in St. John Street in and for the County of Middx by adjournmt.
on Thursday the fifteenth Day of May in the year of our Lord
One thousand Seven hundred and forty Six.

Resolutions of Justices
of the Peace of Middx
to Suppress unlawful
Fairs.}

This Court having at the last Quarter Sessions of
the Peace for the said County holden the 10th. Day of April
last taken into Consideration the great Mischiefs & Disorders
frequently occasioned by loose idle and disorderly People who
resert to Several Fairs in this County not warranted by Law
some of such Fairs continue for a fortnight and others for
three Weeks and where great numbers Stay till one or two
o' clock in the Morning did in Order to Suppress and prevent
the same for the future come to the following Resolutions (to wit)
Resolved That it is the Opinion of this Court that the Fairs called
Tottenham Court Fair, May Fair, Welsh Fair
Mile End Fair , Hampstead Fair, Paddington Fair and Bow Fair and particulary Tottenham
Court Fair, May Fair and Welsh Fair do greatly and directly tend to the Encouragement of Vice
Immorality and Prophaneness and to the debauching and raining of Apprentices Servants Labourers
and others as well as to the Disturbance of the Public Peace That Habits of Gaming Drinking
and Swearing are here learnt and contracted and all Sorts of Lewd disorderly Practices
are here carried on and encouraged.

Resolved, That it is the Opinion of this Court that these
Fairs have contributed very much to the Encouragement of
Idleness and to the Impoverishment of the Servant Artificers
Workmen and all the Lower Sort of People, by which Means
Servants when reduced and in Debt have been tempted to
defraud their Masters and other Persons ground desperate
to rob and pilfer which has most probably been the Reason
why so many more Robberies are committed in or near this
Town Soon after these Fairs are concluded as has been remarked to have been
the Case for many years last past.

Resolved That it is the Opinion of this Court that this
great resort to these Fairs may be attended in the great Danger
to the Publick especially at this time when many of his Majesty< no role > 's
Subjects are in open Rebellion, it being impossible to
answer what may happen from so great a Concourse of People
tumultuously assembled, the Number of Persons so assembled
often amounting as this Court hath been credibly informed to
Several Thousands and continuing together committing great
Disorders and Immoralities till early in the Morning.