The Shambles (/ʃˈæmbəlz/ ⓘ) is a Grade II listed monument located in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England.

Despite later substantial reconstruction and replacement, the monument is believed to be the last example of a shambles that remains in England from the Middle Ages.

[3] The voiced bilabial plosive stop, bʷ, the ⟨b⟩ after the labial nasal ⟨m⟩ in shambles, was added by epenthesis.

[5]: 852  The first occurrence in print of the epenthetic ⟨b⟩ in shambles was in 1477,[5]: 853  in a roll that sets out a statute for Waterford, Ireland, where "... it was ordained and enacted if only man or woman sell flesh within the city or suburbs till it come to the King's sheambles [sic].

[2]: 14  By Domesday, there was a mill, a sheep farm, and possibly a village, which was held by Roger de Courcelle, feudal baron of Curry Mallet.

[8]: 14 On 6 July 1219, Shepton Mallet was granted a market charter by Henry III of England to Hugh de Vivonne, then High Sheriff of Somerset.

[11]: 101–102 A charter was granted on 18 February 1318, by Edward II of England to Cecilia de Bello Campo ("Cecily Beauchamp") and her heirs.

[11]: 101  From 7 October 1357, Reginald Fitz Herbert (or "Herberd") was holding a Friday market,[9] and it is still held on this day.

[19]: 8  These wooden shambles could be permanent or temporary structures, but it was easier for the trader to leave it set up, rather than dismantle it at the end of the market day.

[14]: 25  To keep the market clean and tidy, two wardens of the shambles were appointed each year, along with bread and ale tasters.

[25] However, Stallard was made bankrupt in 1827,[26] and subsequently, his share of the moiety of market, shambles, and tolls, was auctioned on 18 October 1827, and held on the manor of Shepton Mallet for three lives.

[30] The 23 July 1858 leader column for the Shepton Mallet Journal, gave the opinion that the shambles "are a standing disgrace to us; dirty, dilapidated, and disgusting; needless, fatal disfigurements of what might be a handsome market place.

[33][c] By the 1890s, Francis Porch Parker, and his son, Frederick James, were the lease holders, and later, the owners of the market place, shambles, and tolls.

[35] Around this time, members of the local natural history society expressed regret that the remaining shambles were so decayed that they could not be expected to last.

[37] Bligh Bond responded with detailed plans and estimates to incorporate the shambles in a war memorial.

[38] Their recommendation was to construct three sections of shambles, about 5 metres (18 feet) in length, in front of the Black Swan Inn at the market place.

[39] James Archibald Garton, a member of the council, offered to source the oak timbers, pantiles, and pitching‑bricks for the floor.

Private donations funded the estimated £50 (equivalent to £2,900 in 2023) cost of reconstruction, with the remainder placed in trust for the upkeep of the shambles.

[50] However, English Heritage objected to the planned changes, as they were concerned that the existing posts were constructed of original wood.

[1] In July 2007, the council decided that the Shambles required cleaning, wood preservation, and where possible, the removal of graffiti.

Shepton Mallet's medieval shambles once stood in rows on the north and south sides of the Market Place, separated from the adjacent houses by a gangway ten to fifteen feet wide.

[61] Courtney Milan's 2011 book, Unclaimed, employs the original shambles as a plot device to introduce the two main characters to each other.