Mexborough Times 26 April, 1878
Good Friday.
Friday last was almost kept as a general holiday. The weather was cool, gloomy, and threatening particularly in the early part of the day.
Services were held at the various churches in the town and district, and in the afternoon, Conisboro´ Castle was visited by a large concourse of people, said to be larger in number than hasever attended before.
Pedestrians could be seen in High Street Mexborough (which is on the high road to Conisboro´), wending their way to this place of resort so eagerly sought on Good Friday, although we question the propriety of this great juggernaut, it being so fraught with drunkenness, debauchery, and suchlike.
The grounds at Conisboro´ Castle resembled some great fair, the various caterers appearing nevertheless to do a roaring trade.
Many cases resulting out of this event will be found in our Police courts.
Beside the last named which no doubt of the principal attraction in the neighbourhood, tea meeting, service of songs and other similar attractions were held in the various places of worship in the neighbourhood.
The Good Friday Gathering.
As beautiful a spring morning as could be desired ushered in this, the most popular excursion day of the season.
It was calculated that upwards of 15,000 visited the old Castle grounds during the day. The Primitive Methodist of the Mexborough circuit held services in the Castle yard and four sermons were preached but the small number gathered around the exponents of the gospel, showed that by far the greatest number of visitors were seeking present pleasures rather future ones. Every available part of the yard was taken with roundabouts, photographic booths, exhibitions of various kinds, vendors of provisions, sweet meats etc.
Gambling stands, and as motley a set of rogues and vagabonds could be found upon the lowest racecourse in England. A few detectives might have found sufficient cases of gambling to employ the magistrates to 3 sittings in investigating.