A TRADITION in Newton Abbot dating back centuries continued with the presentation of a certificate to the chairman of Teignbridge Council.

The presentation was made by portreeve Roger Keys to Cllr Graham Price at a ceremony at Old Forde House.

It affirmed St Leonard’s Fair was ‘duly proclaimed’ by officers of the Manorial Borough of Newton Abbot and others.

The ceremony was carried out as the right to hold the fair was inherited by Teignbridge Council in 1974 from the former Newton Abbot Urban District Council which, in turn, had inherited it from Wolborough Local Board of Health to whom it had been sold by the lords of the borough in 1868.

Centuries ago, the lords of the manorial borough held a fair in Wolborough Street on the Feast of St Leonard and was known as the cloth fair, from the principal commodity which was bought and sold.

While there is no longer a clothing-making industry, the town is still famous for its markets and various ancient ceremonies have been revived by the town council and borough courts leet and baron.

The Old Forde House ceremony was attended by Mary White from Austins and deputy mayor of Newton Abbot Cllr Ann Jones.