OUR LODE

Our lode reaches from here, to Upware

Where boats line the bank, prosperity declare

Walk back down the Lode, where two rivers meet

One goes to Burwell, the other on to Reach

Now to walk from this corner, to our village fair

Of the many hazards before you, one must be aware

The banks are overgrown, with thistles and reeds

And before you get far, you are covered in seeds

Now as you stumble along this rough jungle track

Don’t try to turn round, as you will never get back

And as the sun glints through the reeds so tall

You begin to wonder, if you are in England at all

As you push and scramble along this forsaken place

The water disappears, and thick weeds hides its face

And to leave the path, you must take great care

For under the weeds there is water somewhere

Then at long last a sight for your very sore eyes

The architectural splendour of the sewer plant oh

Our Hythe

When I wrote this the banks and river were overgrown with weeds, making it nearly impossible to walk from Reach to Upware, later this was cleared.

BILL ESTALL 1977

Although Reach was outside the liberty of Cambridge the burgesses of Cambridge had rights over the fair. The fair may be associated with the grant of the monopoly of river bourne trade by King Henry 1.

In 1279 jurors of Cambridge described Rogation fair as held ‘in the town of Cambridge’ whilst jurors of Stone hundred referred to a ‘certain fair’ that was shared between King and the Prior of Ely.

In the eyre of 1286, the burgesses of Kings Lynn, Norfolk complained that they were unjustly distrained at Reach Fair by the burgesses of Cambridge.

In 1388, an inquest found that the Prior of Ely held one third of Reach fair, whilst the burgesses of Cambridge held the other two thirds.