St James’s Fair at Garvock

Every August a great horse and cattle fair called St James’s Fair was held on the open ground half a mile north of the manse of Garvock. It was the only fair in the parish and one of the largest in the county. The minister of Garvock noted the oddity that the ground belonged to the Earl of Kintore while the market dues had always gone to another laird. An August date suggests St James’s day of 25 July reckoned by the old calendar.