ABSTRACT
The distinction between town and country in late medieval Scotland was considerable, yet for all that, burghs remained partly rural with their gardens, pigs, poultry and surrounding arable land. Where planned villages were built, cottagers could become feuars and gain a modicum of security. Traditional burgh foundation was rejected in several ways: a chartered origin was no longer required, industry rather than trade was to be the main function, the aesthetics of planning were of great importance and, above all, the new villages were conceived as urban settlements within the reorganized landed estates. Thereafter the cotters gave the greatest boost to agricultural efficiency by leaving the countryside. Most market centres were concentrated in eastern and coastal sites around the estuaries of the Forth and Tay, extending northwards into Angus and the lowlands of the Moray Firth. A market hinterland of 10 km, it can be seen that around 1600 lowland Scotland was fairly well served with markets.
