ABSTRACT
Markets in the thirteenth century did not embrace all local trade, since many transactions by-passed markets altogether. Markets with the degree of restriction and control were feasible only where there were inhabitants dependent on trade week by week. The role of trade over long distances in stimulating the multiplication of rural markets is suggested by the location of many prominent new foundations. The main roads, the rivers, and the sea coasts of England became colonized as never before with markets, and these in turn helped to protect the security of travellers, and to add to the amenities they could expect. Meanwhile, the relationship between new rural markets and patterns of urban supply was too weak to have caused the proliferation of markets in the countryside. During the thirteenth century unpretentious new markets requiring little capital outlay became increasingly the dominant type. Landlords’ interest in small markets was encouraged by changes in rural society resulting from growth of population.
