Horsmonden

   The Horse Fair at Horsmonden in Kent in October, together with the Barnet Fair, was one of the last events in the English Gypsies' calendar before the winter sets in. Unlike some of the other fairs, Horsmonden has been an all-Gypsy event. It is not governed by an ancient charter and is popularly believed to have grown out of a 19th-century Hop-Pickers' Sunday holiday. Attempts have been made over the years to stop the fair or move it to another location. In 2001, the local authorities made their most determined effort yet to halt the fair and the home secretary declared the village an "exclusion zone." Gypsy activists have maintained a token presence each year since then in the hope of keeping the tradition alive and eventually seeing it restored.