The Hand and Shears, on Cloth Fair, is one of the oldest pubs in the City of London. There’s been a pub on the site since at least 1532.
But what is the connection between this Grade I listed pub – and the ribbon-cutting ceremony used to open events?
There’s a big clue in the street name – Cloth Fair. That refers to the cloth fair that took place nearby on the open space of Smithfield for over 700 years – the Bartholomew Fair.
What started in the 12th century as a small trade fair for textile merchants, had morphed into a two week carnival by the 17th century. Its attractions were many and varied and supposedly included a pig that could tell the time…. blindfolded. However, its party going reputation and increase in criminal activity proved to be its undoing. The last fair took place in 1855.
And it’s thought that the pub’s name originated from that fair. It may well have been a reference to the cloth traders or shears used to cut their cloth or, as we prefer to think, a reference to the fair’s opening ceremony.
Every August - on St Bartholomew’s Eve - the Lord Mayor and the great and the good of the City would process to Cloth Fair and open the fair by cutting the first cloth – presumably with a pair of shears.
Sound familiar? Some say that this is where we get our ribbon-cutting tradition in our opening ceremonies. While the jury may be out on that one, we City mice like to think it’s true.
Talking of juries, the Hand and Shears was also the venue of the pie poudre (or piepowder) court for the Bartholomew Fair. These were occasional courts that were set up during fairs/markets to deliver swift justice on any disputes that arose. Pubs were often the location for these courts, and the Hand and Shears performed that function for the Bartholomew Fair. And in the 19th century, the upstairs room was also used for inquests.
Like many of the City’s pubs, the Hand and Shears has a fascinating history. If you want to know more, join us on our pubs walk.