The markets and fairs of medieval England served as one of the densest and most highly-developed systems for the regulation and promotion of trade in Europe. By 1100 the outline of this network was already established; later records enable many more markets and fairs to be identified. Their development casts light on population trends, settlement and commercialisation, also revealing aspects of local specialisation and the exercise of political and military power. This project has produced a catalogue of markets and fairs in England and Wales up to 1516. Using a geographical information system, the study has also undertaken spatial analyses of the markets and fairs and the dates at which they were founded. It thus makes a major contribution towards understanding the regional and national history of Britain. In addition, this well-recorded set of markets and fairs provides an ideal test-bed for exploring more general issues concerning the interaction between public authority, law, and the growth (or otherwise) of trade. Such issues are currently of central importance for the study of society and economy in both the medieval and the modern world. See also the 'Markets and fairs in thirteenth-century England' project.

Publications

Samantha Letters, Gazetteer of markets and fairs in England and Wales to 1516 (Website, Centre for Metropolitan History, 2000); Samantha Letters with Mario Fernandes, Derek Keene and Olwen Myhill, Gazetteer of markets and fairs in England and Wales to 1516 (List and Index Society Publications Special Series, Vols. 32 and 33, 2003); Samantha Letters, 'Markets and fairs in Medieval England : a new resource', in Thirteenth-century England IX, eds. M Prestwich, R. Britnell (Boydell Press: Woddbridge, 2003), pp. 209-223. The dataset is available from the UK Data Service, study number 4171.

Reports

CMH Annual Reports 1997-8, 1998-9, 1999-2000, 2000-2

Project details

Researcher: Samantha Letters, B.A., Ph.D.
Research Assistant: Mario Fernandes, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
Funded by: ESRC (Ref: R000237395) (1 March 1998-6 May 2000)
Amount Awarded: £81,420