From 1807 until 1930 Romaldkirk held its Fair twice each year. Horse-drawn caravans arrived from afar, cattle, sheep and horses were brought for trading, and stallholders sold all manner of goods. But by 1930 these occasions had become too rowdy for comfort, and Romaldkirk withdrew its hospitality from these travelling traders. Now once again we have an annual fair, but it is rather different. The aim is to give visitors a good time, and to raise money for the church, but horses and caravans are not welcomed, and the villagers themselves now tend the stalls and provide the goods for sale.
Tea is provided, with cakes baked by all the ladies of the village.
And if we need the services of a doctor, a builder or a shoemaker, one of the two parties can travel to meet the other. So there is little work for people to do in villages such as ours, and today most residents of Romaldkirk are retired, enjoying the fruits of their life's work in a quiet and pleasing environment, while almost all the others work elsewhere, often commuting long distances to do so. The last shop closed a few years ago. We still have a post office for a few hours each week, and those families without their own transport enjoy a subsidised bus service. Although Romaldkirk has seen fewer changes during the twentieth century than many other places, these changes have nevertheless been more extensive than in any previous century.