Charmain, the PROPER song is not "Howfen Fair" but "Turton Fair" Turton is to the north-east of Bolton and had a substantial cattle fair in its day. It was also reknowned for clog fighting, and is were most of Bolton Wanders footballers came from when The Wanderers won trophies in the early days of the football league, I think the two facts are related.My late father remembers going as a lad,a certain group,I believe altered the song to fit their locality.
Since I was born at Affetside were the boundary between Bolton and Bury ran down the middle of the road, and now live in Bolton, and everything I have written has been written in Bolton,the "When All Men Sing" should qualify.