Sam Biles on Gilten Market

The Gilten Market is the fat stock market Christmas Show that’s held every year and the winning beast used to be gilded by the Mayor of Newport, but when there was no longer a Mayor of Newport and when Newport Market closed, the gilding of the beast was taken over by the High Sheriff. My dad was High Sheriff in 1997 – 98 and then he managed to get it moved to the High Sheriff so it’s now the beast is gilded by the … with just sort of paint.

They used to paint the whole horns when the beasts had horns but these days they just put a splash of gold paint on the forehead of the winning beast and the Market still continues.

After Newport, it went to Brickfields in Binstead and now it takes place at Lake Farm in the indoor school there in Rookley.