1086 The Domesday Book records the town of Tilchestune
1252 King Henry III grants a Market Charter to Hugh Fitz Ralph, Lord of the Manor
of Ilkeston
1588 Date of the earliest surviving Parish Register for St. Mary's, Ilkeston
1714 Collapse of the spire of St. Mary's, Ilkeston
1847 The first trains run into Ilkeston
1866 New Town Hall erected on Ilkeston Market Place
1887 Ilkeston becomes a Borough in its own right
1903 Derbyshire's first tramway system opens in Ilkeston.
Ilkeston Charter Fair has a rich history spanning 850 years, dating back to the original
Charter granted by Henry III in 1252.
The Medieval Fair was held on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in August
and consisted if a colourful mix of agricultural trade, travelling pedlars and entertainers.
Later in history the agricultural calendar resulted in the necessity of holding a
Statutes or Hiring Fair in October.
In 1888, it was thought necessary to amalgamate the August Charter Fair with the
October Statutes and Wakes week, which had always run consecutively. As a result,
one event was adopted from then on, being known as the Charter Fair, and this was
held during Wakes Week in October.
The amalgamation of the Charter Fair certainly raised its status amongst showmen.
The 1892 Fair featured two Menageries and a set of Steam Gallopers.
And the magnitude of the event is reflected in that in 1908, 48,650 people travelled
on Ilkeston's trams during fair week.
The fair gained true respectability when Councillor H.E. Beardsley became the first
Mayor of Ilkeston to officially open the fair in 1931. In 1952, the 700th Fair was
celebrated by an official civic luncheon, with every school pupil in the town receiving
a souvenir postcard of the Charter.
