Hancocks of the West

Description

From a donated copy.

Hancock’s Fair became folklore in the West Country, as did Miss Sophie’s flamboyant dresses and hats. Hancocks were destined to become legend in fairground history. Travelled by brothers, William and Charles Hancock, and their sister, Miss Sophie, their amusements appeared at every major regatta and fair in the West Country. In 1990 the Western Evening Herald likened their story to “a tale with all the ripe ingredients for a spectacular Broadway musical, brimming over with orphans, rampaging suffragettes, and delinquent lady balloonists“.

It begins like a romantic novel, when a young woman fell in love with a travelling showman, but goes tragically wrong when the family, who built up the fairs and regattas of the West, lose their business through arson and fierce competition.

Fully illustrated throughout.

In good used condition.