Medieval Towns and Trade

Medieval towns were centres of economic activity, social change, and growing political influence. During Edward I's reign, towns expanded, trade flourished, and the urban population grew. Understanding medieval towns and trade is important for grasping the economic and social context of the period.

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The Growth of Towns

In the 13th century, English towns were growing rapidly. Population increase, agricultural surpluses, and expanding trade all contributed to urbanisation.

Town	Approximate Population (c.1300)	Key Features
London	80,000–100,000	By far the largest city; major port; centre of government and trade
York	15,000–20,000	Second-largest city; important for wool trade and northern administration
Bristol	10,000–15,000	Major port for trade with Ireland, France, and the Mediterranean
Norwich	10,000–15,000	Centre of the East Anglian cloth and wool trade
Lincoln	8,000–10,000	Important wool market; cathedral city
Winchester	8,000–10,000	Former capital; declining in importance but still significant

Exam Tip: Although towns were growing, England was still overwhelmingly rural. Approximately 90% of the population lived in the countryside and worked in agriculture. Towns were important but represented only a fraction of the total population.

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Town Charters and Borough Status

Towns sought charters from the king or a local lord granting them special rights and privileges.

Key Privileges of Chartered Boroughs

Privilege	Description
Self-governance	The right to elect a mayor and town council (aldermen)
Market rights	The right to hold regular markets and annual fairs
Freedom from feudal obligations	Burgesses (town citizens) were free from the labour services owed by villeins
Own courts	The right to hold borough courts to settle disputes between townspeople
Tax collection	The town collected its own taxes and paid a fixed sum (the "fee farm") to the king, rather than having royal officials assess and collect taxes individually

Key Term: A burgess was a citizen of a borough who enjoyed the full privileges of the town charter. Burgesses typically had to own property, pay taxes, and participate in town government. Not all town residents were burgesses — servants, labourers, and the very poor were usually excluded.

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Guilds

Guilds were associations of craftsmen or merchants who regulated their trade, maintained quality standards, and protected their members.

Types of Guild

Guild Type	Purpose
Merchant guilds	Controlled trade in the town; negotiated trading privileges; only guild members could buy and sell goods in the town
Craft guilds	Regulated specific crafts (e.g., weavers, tanners, goldsmiths); set quality standards; controlled entry to the trade through apprenticeship

The Apprenticeship System

Stage	Duration	Description
Apprentice	7 years	A young person (usually a boy aged 12–14) was bound to a master craftsman. The master provided training, food, and lodging. The apprentice worked without pay.
Journeyman	Variable	After completing apprenticeship, the craftsman could work for wages but was not yet a full guild member.
Master	Lifetime	To become a master, a journeyman had to produce a "masterpiece" — a work of exceptional quality assessed by the guild. Masters could set up their own workshops and take on apprentices.

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Trade

England's trade expanded significantly during the 13th century.

Domestic Trade

Feature	Detail
Markets	Held weekly in most towns; sold local produce (grain, livestock, vegetables, dairy)
Fairs	Held annually; lasted several days; attracted merchants from across England and abroad. The most famous were the fairs at Stourbridge (near Cambridge), St Ives, and Winchester.
Roads	In poor condition by modern standards; travel was slow and often dangerous. The main routes followed Roman roads.
River transport	Many goods were transported by river, which was cheaper and safer than road transport

International Trade

Trade Route	Goods
Flanders (Belgium)	English wool exported; Flemish cloth imported
France (Gascony)	Wine imported from Bordeaux — England's most important drink import
Baltic (Hanseatic League)	Timber, furs, wax, and grain imported; wool and cloth exported
Italy	Luxury goods (spices, silk, alum) imported; English wool exported via Italian merchants
Ireland	Grain, hides, and livestock traded

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The Wool Trade

Wool was by far England's most important export. English wool was prized across Europe for its quality, and the wool trade was the backbone of the medieval economy.

Aspect	Detail
Production	Sheep farming was widespread, particularly in Yorkshire, the Cotswolds, and Lincolnshire. Monasteries (especially Cistercian houses) were major producers.
Export	Raw wool was exported to Flanders, where it was woven into cloth. By the late 13th century, some English towns were developing their own cloth industry.
Staple	Edward I established the wool staple — a designated port through which all wool exports had to pass. This made it easier to collect export duties.
Taxation	Edward imposed heavy duties on wool exports (the maltolt or "evil tax") to fund his wars. This caused friction with merchants and barons.

Exam Tip: Edward I's relationship with wool merchants was important. He relied on them for loans and customs revenue, but his heavy taxation sometimes alienated them. When discussing Edward's finances, always mention the wool trade.

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Life in a Medieval Town

Medieval towns were very different from modern cities.

Feature	Description
Size	Most towns were small by modern standards — a few thousand inhabitants
Streets	Narrow, unpaved, and often filled with mud and refuse
Buildings	Timber-framed houses, often with shops on the ground floor and living quarters above
Sanitation	Very poor; human and animal waste was dumped in streets and rivers; disease was common
Water supply	From wells, rivers, and springs — often contaminated
Fire risk	Timber buildings were highly vulnerable to fire; major fires could destroy entire towns
Crime	Theft, assault, and drunkenness were common; law enforcement was limited
Community	Towns had a strong sense of community identity; guilds, churches, and civic institutions bound people together

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Edward I and the Towns

Edward I had an important relationship with English towns.

Policy	Detail
Representation in Parliament	Edward summoned burgesses to Parliament, giving towns a voice in national politics
New towns	Edward founded "new towns" (bastides) in Wales, populated by English settlers to consolidate the conquest
Taxation	Edward taxed towns heavily through customs duties and direct taxation
Jewish expulsion	The expulsion of Jews in 1290 disrupted moneylending and finance in many towns

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Extended Worked Paragraph: "The wool trade was the most important factor in the economic development of England under Edward I. How far do you agree?" (Q8, 16 marks)