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A market town is a
settlement Settlement may refer to: * Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building *Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...
most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a
village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
or
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
. In Britain, small rural towns with a hinterland of villages are still commonly called market towns, as sometimes reflected in their names (e.g. Downham Market, Market Rasen, or
Market Drayton Market Drayton is a market town and electoral ward in the north of Shropshire, England, close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is on the River Tern, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" (c. 1868) and earlier simply as " ...
). Modern markets are often in special halls, but this is a recent development, and the rise of permanent retail establishments has reduced the need for periodic markets. Historically the markets were open-air, held in what is usually called (regardless of its actual shape) the market square (or "Market Place" etc), and centred on a market cross ( mercat cross in Scotland). They were and are typically open one or two days a week.


History

The primary purpose of a market town is the provision of goods and services to the surrounding locality. Although market towns were known in antiquity, their number increased rapidly from the 12th century. Market towns across Europe flourished with an improved economy, a more urbanised society and the widespread introduction of a cash-based economy.
Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
of 1086 lists 50 markets in England. Some 2,000 new markets were established between 1200 and 1349. The burgeoning of market towns occurred across Europe around the same time. Initially, market towns most often grew up close to fortified places, such as castles or monasteries, not only to enjoy their protection, but also because large manorial households and monasteries generated demand for goods and services. Historians term these early market towns "prescriptive market towns" in that they may not have enjoyed any official sanction such as a charter, but were accorded market town status through custom and practice if they had been in existence prior to 1199. From an early stage, kings and administrators understood that a successful market town attracted people, generated revenue and would pay for the town's defences. In around the 12th century, European kings began granting charters to villages allowing them to hold markets on specific days.
Framlingham Framlingham is a market town and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Of Anglo-Saxon origin, it appears in the 1086 Domesday Book. The parish had a population of 3,342 at the 2011 Census and an estimated 4,016 in 2019. Nearby villages include ...
in
Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include ...
is a notable example of a market situated near a fortified building. Additionally, markets were located where transport was easiest, such as at a crossroads or close to a river ford, for example,
Cowbridge Cowbridge ( cy, Y Bont-faen) is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately west of the centre of Cardiff. The Cowbridge with Llanblethian community and civil parish elect a town council. A Cowbridge electoral ward exist ...
in the Vale of Glamorgan. When local
railway lines A railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as permanent way or simply track, is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers ...
were first built, market towns were given priority to ease the transport of goods. For instance, in
Calderdale Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, whose population in 2020 was 211,439. It takes its name from the River Calder, and dale, a word for valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the borough through which the u ...
,
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, several market towns close together were designated to take advantage of the new trains. The designation of Halifax, Sowerby Bridge, Hebden Bridge, and Todmorden is an example of this. A number of studies have pointed to the prevalence of the periodic market in medieval towns and rural areas due to the localised nature of the economy. The marketplace was the commonly accepted location for trade, social interaction, transfer of information and gossip. A broad range of retailers congregated in market towns – peddlers, retailers, hucksters, stallholders, merchants and other types of trader. Some were professional traders who occupied a local shopfront such as a bakery or alehouse, while others were casual traders who set up a stall or carried their wares around in baskets on market days. Market trade supplied for the needs of local consumers whether they were visitors or local residents. Braudel and Reynold have made a systematic study of European market towns between the 13th and 15th century. Their investigation shows that in regional districts markets were held once or twice a week while daily markets were common in larger cities. Over time, permanent shops began opening daily and gradually supplanted the periodic markets, while peddlers or itinerant sellers continued to fill in any gaps in distribution. The physical market was characterised by transactional exchange and bartering systems were commonplace. Shops had higher overhead costs, but were able to offer regular trading hours and a relationship with customers and may have offered added value services, such as credit terms to reliable customers. The economy was characterised by local trading in which goods were traded across relatively short distances. Braudel reports that, in 1600, grain moved just ; cattle ; wool and woollen cloth . However, following the European age of discovery, goods were imported from afar – calico cloth from India, porcelain, silk and tea from China, spices from India and South-East Asia and tobacco, sugar, rum and coffee from the New World. The importance of local markets began to decline in the mid-16th century. Permanent shops which provided more stable trading hours began to supplant the periodic market. In addition, the rise of a merchant class led to the import and exports of a broad range of goods, contributing to a reduced reliance on local produce. At the centre of this new global mercantile trade was Antwerp, which by the mid-16th century, was the largest market town in Europe. A good number of local histories of individual market towns can be found. However, more general histories of the rise of market-towns across Europe are much more difficult to locate. Clark points out that while a good deal is known about the economic value of markets in local economies, the cultural role of market-towns has received scant scholarly attention.


By country


Czech Republic


Denmark

In Denmark, the concept of the market town ( da, købstad) has existed since the Iron Age. It is not known which was the first Danish market town, but
Hedeby Hedeby (, Old Norse ''Heiðabýr'', German ''Haithabu'') was an important Danish Viking Age (8th to the 11th centuries) trading settlement near the southern end of the Jutland Peninsula, now in the Schleswig-Flensburg district of Schleswig-Holst ...
(part of modern-day Schleswig-Holstein) and Ribe were among the first. Per 1801, there were 74 market towns in Denmark ( see the full list here). The last town to gain market rights ( da, købstadsprivilegier) was Skjern in 1958. At the municipal reform of 1970, market towns were merged with neighboring parishes, and the market towns lost their special status and privileges, though many still advertise themselves using the moniker of ''købstad''.


German-language area

The medieval right to hold markets (german: Marktrecht) is reflected in the prefix ''Markt'' of the names of many towns in
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
, for example, Markt Berolzheim or Marktbergel. Other terms used for market towns were ''Flecken'' in northern Germany, or ''Freiheit'' and ''Wigbold'' in Westphalia. Market rights were designated as long ago as during the
Carolingian Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–888) was a large Frankish-dominated empire in western and central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the L ...
. Around 800,
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...
granted the title of a market town to '' Esslingen am Neckar''. Conrad created a number of market towns in Saxony throughout the 11th century and did much to develop peaceful markets by granting a special 'peace' to merchants and a special and permanent 'peace' to market-places. With the rise of the territories, the ability to designate market towns was passed to the princes and dukes, as the basis of German town law. The local ordinance status of a market town (''Marktgemeinde'' or ''Markt'') is perpetuated through the law of
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
state of
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
, and the Italian province of
South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...
. Nevertheless, the title has no further legal significance, as it does not grant any privileges. File:Berlin Markthalle VI Seitenfassade.jpg, Market hall, Invalidenstraße,
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
, Germany File:Weeze Marktplatz.jpg, Market place, Weeze, Germany File:Markt Schmölln.JPG, Market place, with fountain, Schmölln, Germany File:Floridsdorf about 1895.jpg, Market place, Floridsdorf, Austria, c. 1895


Hungary

In Hungarian, the word for market town "mezőváros" means literally "pasture town" and implies that it was unfortified town: they were architecturally distinguishable from other towns by the lack of town walls. Most market towns were chartered in the 14th and 15th centuries and typically developed around 13th-century villages that had preceded them. A boom in the raising of livestock may have been a trigger for the upsurge in the number of market towns during that period. Archaeological studies suggest that the ground plans of such market towns had multiple streets and could also emerge from a group of villages or an earlier urban settlement in decline, or be created as a new urban centre. File:Auf einem ungarischen Fruchtmarkt. Originalzeichnung von Wilhelm Hahn.png, Hungarian fruit market, original drawing by Wilhelm Hahn, 1868 File:MarketMiskolc1884.jpg, Main market street in Miskolc, 1884 File:Heti vásár 1901.jpg, Heti vásár (weekly market) at
Nagykanizsa Nagykanizsa (; hr, Velika Kaniža/Velika Kanjiža, or just ''Kaniža/Kanjiža''; german: Großkirchen, Groß-Kanizsa; it, Canissa; sl, Velika Kaniža; tr, Kanije), known colloquially as Kanizsa, is a medium-sized city in Zala County in south ...
, 1901


Iceland

While
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...
was under Danish rule, Danish merchants held a monopoly on trade with Iceland until 1786. With the abolishment of the trading monopoly, six market town ( Icelandic ''kaupstaður'') were founded around the country. All of them, except for Reykjavík, would lose their market rights in 1836. New market towns would be designated by acts from
Alþingi The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ("thing fields" or "assembly ...
in the 19th and 20th century. In the latter half of the 20th century, the special rights granted to market towns mostly involved a greater autonomy in fiscal matters and control over town planning, schooling and social care. Unlike rural municipalities, the market towns were not considered part of the counties. The last town to be granted market rights was Ólafsvík in 1983 and from that point there were 24 market towns until a municipal reform in 1986 essentially abolished the concept. Many of the existing market towns would continue to be named ''kaupstaður'' even after the term lost any administrative meaning.


Norway

In
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...
, the medieval market town ( Norwegian ''kjøpstad'' and ''kaupstad'' from the
Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...
''kaupstaðr'') was a town which had been granted commerce privileges by the king or other authorities. The citizens in the town had a
monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...
over the purchase and sale of wares, and operation of other businesses, both in the town and in the surrounding district. Norway developed market towns at a much later period than other parts of Europe. The reasons for this late development are complex but include the sparse population, lack of urbanisation, no real manufacturing industries and no cash economy. The first market town was created in 11th century Norway, to encourage businesses to concentrate around specific towns. King Olaf established a market town at Bergen in the 11th century, and it soon became the residence of many wealthy families. Import and
export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is a ...
was to be conducted only through market towns, to allow oversight of commerce and to simplify the imposition of excise taxes and customs duties. This practice served to encourage growth in areas which had strategic significance, providing a local economic base for the construction of
fortifications A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''face ...
and sufficient population to defend the area. It also served to restrict Hanseatic League merchants from trading in areas other than those designated. Norway included a subordinate category to the market town, the "small seaport" ( Norwegian ''lossested'' or ''ladested''), which was a port or harbor with a monopoly to import and export goods and materials in both the port and a surrounding outlying district. Typically, these were locations for exporting timber, and importing grain and goods. Local farm goods and timber sales were all required to pass through merchants at either a small seaport or a market town prior to export. This encouraged local merchants to ensure trading went through them, which was so effective in limiting unsupervised sales ( smuggling) that customs revenues increased from less than 30% of the total tax revenues in 1600 to more than 50% of the total taxes by 1700. Norwegian "market towns" died out and were replaced by free markets during the 19th century. After 1952, both the "small seaport" and the "market town" were relegated to simple town status. File:Fish market, Bergen, Norway (LOC).jpg, Fish market,
Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, secon ...
, Norway, c. 1890 File:Tollboden i Porsgrunn.jpeg, Market and customs house,
Porsgrunn is a city and municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Porsgrunn. The municipality of Porsgrun ...
, c. 1891-1910 File:Youngstorget Nytorvet med Møllergata 19 OB.F11527a.jpg, Market square, Youngstorget Nytorvet, c. 1915-20 File:Storfjord, Skibotn, Troms - Riksantikvaren-T441 01 0152.jpg, Norwegian market,
Storfjord Storfjord ( se, Omasvuotna ; fkv, Omasvuono) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hatteng. Other villages in Storfjord include Elvevoll, Oteren, and Skibotn. ...
, Skibotn, Troms, 1917 File:91 Trondheim, Torvet - no-nb digifoto 20150623 00200 bldsa PK16954.jpg, Norwegian Market, c. 1921-35 File:No-nb digibok 2012101006012 0047 1.jpg, Market (illustration), c. 1927 File:Roeros market.jpeg, Traditional Winter market at Røros, 2001 File:Tønsberg, Norway (5251993355).jpg, Market, Tønsberg, Norway, 2010


Poland

Miasteczko () was a historical type of urban settlement similar to a market town in the former
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
. After the
partitions of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for ...
at the end of the 18th-century, these settlements became widespread in the
Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
,
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
and Russian Empires. The vast majority of ''miasteczkos'' had significant or even predominant Jewish populations; these are known in English under the Yiddish term '' shtetl''. ''Miasteczkos'' had a special administrative status other than that of town or city.


United Kingdom and Ireland


England and Wales

From the time of the Norman conquest, the right to award a charter was generally seen to be a royal prerogative. However, the granting of charters was not systematically recorded until 1199. Once a ''charter'' was granted, it gave local lords the right to take tolls and also afforded the town some protection from rival markets. When a chartered market was granted for specific market days, a nearby rival market could not open on the same days. Across the boroughs of England, a network of chartered markets sprang up between the 12th and 16th centuries, giving consumers reasonable choice in the markets they preferred to patronise. Until about 1200, markets were often held on Sundays, the day when the community congregated in town to attend church. Some of the more ancient markets appear to have been held in churchyards. At the time of the Norman conquest, the majority of the population made their living through agriculture and livestock farming. Most lived on their farms, situated outside towns, and the town itself supported a relatively small population of permanent residents. Farmers and their families brought their surplus produce to informal markets held on the grounds of their church after worship. By the 13th century, however, a movement against Sunday markets gathered momentum, and the market gradually moved to a site in town's centre and was held on a weekday. By the 15th century, towns were legally prohibited from holding markets in church-yards. Archaeological evidence suggests that
Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...
is England's oldest recorded market town, dating to at least the time of the
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
occupation of Britain's southern regions. Another ancient market town is Cirencester, which held a market in late Roman Britain. The term derived from markets and fairs first established in 13th century after the passage of Magna Carta, and the first laws towards a ''parlement''. The Provisions of Oxford of 1258 were only possible because of the foundation of a town and university at a crossing-place on the
River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
up-river from
Runnymede Runnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Surrey, and just over west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is, with its adjoining ...
, where it formed an oxbow lake in the stream. Early patronage included Thomas Furnyvale, lord of Hallamshire, who established a Fair and Market in 1232. Travelers were able to meet and trade wares in relative safety for a week of "fayres" at a location inside the town walls. The reign of Henry III witnessed a spike in established market fairs. The defeat of de Montfort increased the sample testing of markets by Edward I the "lawgiver", who summoned the Model Parliament in 1295 to perambulate the boundaries of forest and town. Market towns grew up at centres of local activity and were an important feature of rural life and also became important centres of social life, as some place names suggest:
Market Drayton Market Drayton is a market town and electoral ward in the north of Shropshire, England, close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is on the River Tern, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" (c. 1868) and earlier simply as " ...
, Market Harborough, Market Rasen, Market Deeping, Market Weighton,
Chipping Norton Chipping Norton is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold Hills in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about south-west of Banbury and north-west of Oxford. The 2011 Census recorded the civil parish population ...
, Chipping Ongar, and
Chipping Sodbury Chipping Sodbury is a market town and former civil parish, now in the parish of Sodbury, in the unitary authority area of South Gloucestershire, in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England. It was founded in the 12th century by William ...
''chipping'' was derived from a Saxon verb meaning "to buy". A major study carried out by the University of London found evidence for least 2,400 markets in English towns by 1516. The English system of charters established that a new market town could not be created within a certain travelling distance of an existing one. This limit was usually a day's worth of travelling (approximately ) to and from the market. If the travel time exceeded this standard, a new market town could be established in that locale. As a result of the limit, official market towns often petitioned the monarch to close down illegal markets in other towns. These distances are still law in England today. Other markets can be held, provided they are licensed by the holder of the Royal Charter, which tends currently to be the local
town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...
. Failing that, the Crown can grant a licence. As the number of charters granted increased, competition between market towns also increased. In response to competitive pressures, towns invested in a reputation for quality produce, efficient market regulation and good amenities for visitors such as covered accommodation. By the thirteenth century, counties with important textile industries were investing in purpose built market halls for the sale of cloth. Specific market towns cultivated a reputation for high quality local goods. For example, London's
Blackwell Hall Blackwell Hall in the City of London (also known as Bakewell Hall) was the centre for the wool and cloth trade in England from mediaeval times until the 19th century. Cloth manufacturers and clothiers from provincial England brought their materia ...
became a centre for cloth,
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...
became associated with a particular type of cloth known as ''Bristol red'',
Stroud Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021. Below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the Five Va ...
was known for producing fine woollen cloth, the town of Worsted became synonymous with a type of yarn; Banbury and
Essex Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...
were strongly associated with cheeses. A study on the purchasing habits of the monks and other individuals in medieval England, suggests that consumers of the period were relatively discerning. Purchase decisions were based on purchase criteria such as consumers' perceptions of the range, quality, and price of goods. This informed decisions about where to make their purchases. As traditional market towns developed, they featured a wide main street or central market square. These provided room for people to set up stalls and booths on market days. Often the town erected a market cross in the centre of the town, to obtain God's blessing on the trade. Notable examples of market crosses in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
are the Chichester Cross, Malmesbury Market Cross and Devizes, Wiltshire. Market towns often featured a market hall, as well, with administrative or civic quarters on the upper floor, above a covered trading area. Market towns with smaller status include Minchinhampton, Nailsworth, and Painswick near Stroud, Gloucestershire. A "market town" may or may not have rights concerning self-government that are usually the legal basis for defining a "town". For instance, Newport, Shropshire, is in the borough of Telford and Wrekin but is separate from Telford. In England, towns with such rights are usually distinguished with the additional status of
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...
. It is generally accepted that, in these cases, when a town was granted a market, it gained the additional autonomy conferred to separate towns. Many of the early market towns have continued operations into recent times. For instance, Northampton market received its first charter in 1189 and markets are still held in the square to this day. The
National Market Traders Federation The National Market Traders' Federation is an organisation based in the borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four counc ...
, situated in Barnsley,
South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. ...
, has around 32,000 members and close links with market traders' federations throughout Europe. According to the UK National Archives, there is no single register of modern entitlements to hold markets and fairs, although historical charters up to 1516 are listed in the ''Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs in England and Wales''. File:Sketches in Wales - Holyhead market.jpeg, Holyhead market In Wales, woodcut, 1840 File:Birmingham Market Charters 1166 and 1189.jpg,
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
Market Charters 1166 and 1189 File:Market cross, Lambourn - geograph.org.uk - 1652182.jpg, Market cross, Lambourn erected in 1446 File:Salisbury Market 20040724.jpg,
Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...
chartered market File:Sedbergh charter market.jpg, Sedbergh chartered market File:Market Square, Huntingdon - geograph.org.uk - 1429707.jpg, Market Square,
Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cr ...
. File:Northampton Market Square Lights 9.jpg, Northampton Market, established in around 1255 File:Altrincham, Charter Market - geograph.org.uk - 1313227.jpg,
Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...
, Chartered Market File:Corner of the market square in Horncastle - geograph.org.uk - 1526435.jpg, Corner of the market square in Horncastle, given its charter in the 13th century File:Farmers' market on Monnow Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 670778.jpg, Farmers' market on Monnow Bridge, Wales, 2008


Ireland

Market houses were a common feature across the
island of Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
. These often arcaded buildings performed marketplace functions, frequently with a community space on the upper floor. The oldest surviving structures date from the mid-17th century.


Scotland

In Scotland, borough markets were held weekly from an early stage. A King's market was held at Roxburgh on a specific day from about the year 1171; a Thursday market was held at
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...
, a Saturday market at Arbroath, and a Sunday market at Brechin. In Scotland, market towns were often distinguished by their mercat cross: a place where the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by a ruling authority (either royal, noble, or ecclesiastical). As in the rest of the UK, the area in which the cross was situated was almost always central: either in a square; or in a broad, main street. Towns which still have regular markets include: Inverurie, St Andrews, Selkirk, Wigtown, Kelso, and Cupar. Not all still possess their mercat cross (market cross). File:Kelso Farmers Market - geograph.org.uk - 1465782.jpg, Kelso Farmers Market, Scotland with cobbled square in the foreground File:Plainstones - geograph.org.uk - 366901.jpg, Square in front of St Giles' Church, Elgin, is the site of a medieval market File:Orkney Auction Mart, Hatston Industrial Estate - geograph.org.uk - 235355.jpg, Orkney Auction Mart, Hatston Industrial Estate File:Weekly Farmers' Market at Castle Terrace - geograph.org.uk - 959626.jpg, Weekly Farmers' Market at Castle Terrace, Edinburgh


In art and literature

Dutch painters of Antwerp took great interest in market places and market towns as subject matter from the 16th century. Pieter Aertsen was known as the "great painter of the market" Painters' interest in markets was due, at least in part, to the changing nature of the market system at that time. With the rise of the merchant guilds, the public began to distinguish between two types of merchant, the ''meerseniers'' which referred to local merchants including bakers, grocers, sellers of dairy products and stall-holders, and the ''koopman,'' which described a new, emergent class of trader who dealt in goods or credit on a large scale. Paintings of every day market scenes may have been an affectionate attempt to record familiar scenes and document a world that was in danger of being lost.Honig, E.A., ''Painting & the Market in Early Modern Antwerp,'' Yale University Press, 1998, pp 6-10 Paintings and drawings of market towns and market scenes File:Aertsen, Pieter - Market Scene.jpg, Market Scene by Pieter Aertsen, 1550 File:Rustic Market (Nundinae Rusticorum) from The Large Landscapes MET DP818331.jpg, Rustic Market (Nundinae Rusticorum) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1555–56 File:Joachim Beuckelaer-Marché aux poissons.jpg, Fish Market by Joachim Beuckelaer, 1568 File:Jonge Lange At the Market.JPG, At the Market by Jonge Lange, 1584 File:Peter Paul Rubens - Summer - WGA20398.jpg, Peasants going to the market,
Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradit ...
, c. 1602 File:Groentemarkt Rijksmuseum SK-A-1732.jpeg, Vegetable market in Holland, by Sybrand van Beest, 1648 File:Sybrand van Beest 001.jpg, Fruit and vegetable market, Holland by Sybrand van Beest 1652 File:Cornelis Pietersz. Bega - Village Market with the Quack - WGA01578.jpg, Village Market with the Quack by Cornelis Pietersz Bega, 1654 File:Jan van Horst - Market Scene.jpg, Market Scene by Jan van Horst, 1569 File:Joos de Momper (II) - Flemish Market and Washing Place - WGA16128.jpg, Flemish Market and Washing Place by Joos de Momper, first half 17th century File:Jan Baptist van Meunincxhove - The Square in Bruges.jpg, Market Square in Bruges by Jan Baptist van Meunincxhove, 1696 File:A Fish Market in a Village Square by Barent Gael.jpg, A Fish Market in a Village Square by
Barent Gael Barent Gael ( – 1698) was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter. Biography Gael was born in Haarlem. According to Houbraken, he was a pupil of Philips Wouwerman, who painted many battle pieces and ''staging areas'' (Dutch: ''pleisterplaatsen''). ...
, n.d. (late 17th century) File:A Poultry Market Before a Village Inn by Barent Gael.jpg, A Poultry Market Before a Village Inn by Barent Gael, n.d. (late 17th century) File:Alessandro Magnasco - Market - WGA13859.jpg, Market by
Alessandro Magnasco Alessandro Magnasco (February 4, 1667 – March 12, 1749), also known as il Lissandrino, was an Italian late-Baroque painter active mostly in Milan and Genoa. He is best known for stylized, fantastic, often phantasmagoric genre or landscape sce ...
, first half 18th century File:Market at Aberystwith.jpeg, Market at Aberystwith, sepia print by
Samuel Ireland Samuel Ireland (21 May 1744 – July 1800), English author and engraver, is best remembered today as the chief victim of the Ireland Shakespeare forgeries created by his son, William Henry Ireland. Early life He began life as a weaver in Spita ...
, 1797 File:'Returning from Market', oil painting by Augustus Wall Callcott, c. 1834, Tate.jpg, 'Returning from Market', oil painting by Augustus Wall Callcott, c. 1834 File:WLANL - 23dingenvoormusea - Woudrichem.jpg, The Fish market in
Woudrichem Woudrichem (; Brabantian: ''Woerkum'') is a city and former municipality in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands. History The city of Woudrichem was granted city rights in 1356. Geography The municipality is located at in t ...
by
Jan Weissenbruch Jan Weissenbruch (1822, The Hague – 1880, The Hague) was a 19th-century Dutch painter. Biography According to the RKD he was the cousin of Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch and the older brother of the painters Isaac and Frederik Hendrik and like ...
, 1850 File:Van Bommel, Zaltbommel.jpg, Market Day at Zaltbommel by Elias Pieter Van Bommel, 1852 File:A market day in Bangor.jpeg, A market day in Bangor by John J Walker, 1856 File:Иван Константинович Айвазовский - Рынок сцену в Константинополь, Софийский собор в фоновом режиме.jpg, A market scene in Constantinople by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1860 File:Zwolle sint michaelskerk cornelis springer.jpg, Grote Markt, Antwerp by
Cornelis Springer Cornelis Springer (1817–1891) was a Dutch 19th-century cityscape painter. Biography Born in Amsterdam, he was a pupil of his father, the carpenter Willem Springer (1778–1857). He was a pupil of the painters Hendrik Gerrit ten Cate, Kaspar ...
, 1862 File:Cornelis Springer 001 detail 01.jpg, Town hall and market by Cornelis Springer, 1864 (detail) File:DV307 no.145 Pwllheli Market Aug 8 1866.png, Pwllheli Market in Wales, watercolour by Frances Elizabeth Wynne, c. 1866 File:Petrus van Schendel Market.jpg, A Moonlit Vegetable Market by
Petrus van Schendel Petrus van Schendel (1806-1870) was a Dutch-Belgian genre painter in the Romantic style who specialized in nighttime scenes, lit by lamps or candles. This led to him being known as "Monsieur Chandelle". Biography On the advice of a family frie ...
, 19th century File:Pasini Alberto A Market Scene.jpg, A Market Scene by Alberto Pasini, late 19th century File:Bridgman north-african-encampment.jpg, North African market by Frederick Arthur Bridgman, 1923 File:MakovskiyVE YarmVPoltaveDP.jpg, Market in Poltava by Vladimir Egorovich Makovsky, n.d. File:Vladimir Egorovich Makovsky - 'Fair (Little Russia)', 1885.jpg, Fair in Ukraine by Vladimir Makovsky, 1882


See also


References

Bibliography * ''A Revolution from Above; The Power State of 16th and 17th Century Scandinavia''; Editor: Leon Jesperson; Odense University Press; Denmark; 2000 * ''The Making of the Common Law'', Paul Brand, (Hambledon Press 1992) * ''The Oxford History of Medieval England'', (ed.) Nigel Saul, (OUP 1997)


Further reading

*Hogg, Garry, ''Market Towns of England,'' Newton Abbot, Devon, David & Charles, 1974. *Dyer, Christopher, "The Consumer and the Market," Chapter 13 in ''Everyday Life in Medieval England,'' London, Hambledon & London, 2000


External links


Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs in England and Wales to 1516

Pictures of England, Historic Market Towns

Cheshire Market Towns – council maintained guide to Cheshire's Market Towns
{{Authority control Government of South Tyrol Local government in England Local government in Germany Local government in Norway Local government in Wales Retail markets Types of towns