Market town

[6] In around the 12th century, European kings began granting charters to villages allowing them to hold markets on specific days.

Additionally, markets were located where transport was easiest, such as at a crossroads or close to a river ford, for example, Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan.

When local railway lines were first built, market towns were given priority to ease the transport of goods.

For instance, in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, several market towns close together were designated to take advantage of the new trains.

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.

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.

[10] 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.

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.

The local ordinance status of a market town (Marktgemeinde or Markt) is perpetuated through the law of Austria, the German state of Bavaria, and the Italian province of South Tyrol.

The absence of fortification walls, sparsely populated agglomerations, and their tight bonds with agricultural life allowed these towns to remain more vertical compared to civitates.

The reasons for this late development are complex but include the sparse population, lack of urbanisation, no real manufacturing industries and no cash economy.

King Olaf established a market town at Bergen in the 11th century, and it soon became the residence of many wealthy families.

[20] Import and export was to be conducted only through market towns, to allow oversight of commerce and to simplify the imposition of excise taxes and customs duties.

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.

The vast majority of miasteczkos had significant or even predominant Jewish populations; these are known in English under the Yiddish term shtetl.

[23] Once a charter was granted, it gave local lords the right to take tolls and also afforded the town some protection from rival markets.

Farmers and their families brought their surplus produce to informal markets held on the grounds of their church after worship.

[27] Archaeological evidence suggests that Colchester is England's oldest recorded market town, dating to at least the time of the Roman occupation of Britain's southern regions.

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 up-river from Runnymede, where it formed an oxbow lake in the stream.

Travelers were able to meet and trade wares in relative safety for a week of "fayres" at a location inside the town walls.

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.

[29] A major study carried out by the University of London found evidence for least 2,400 markets in English towns by 1516.

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.

[33] A study on the purchasing habits of the monks and other individuals in medieval England, suggests that consumers of the period were relatively discerning.

[40] William Stow's 1722 Remarks on London includes "A List of all the Market Towns in England and Wales; with the Days of the Week whereon kept".

Towns which still have regular markets include: Inverurie, St Andrews, Selkirk, Wigtown, Kelso, and Cupar.