CHAPTER III THE TOWNS, INDUSTRIAL VILLAGES, AND FAIRS

§ 1. The chief manufacturing towns

The following table gives the name of the town, and its manufacture or articles of sale.

TOWNPRODUCT
(1) Textile Manufactures

Lincoln

Scarlet cloth.

Bligh

Blanket.

Beverley

Burnet cloth.

Colchester

Russet cloth.

Shaftesbury

Linen fabrics.

Lewes

Linen fabrics.

Aylesbury

Linen fabrics.

Warwick

Cord.

Bridport

Cord and Hempen fabrics.

(2) Bakeries

Wycombe

Fine bread.

Hungerford

Fine bread.

St Albans

Fine bread.

(3) Cutlery

Maxtead

Knives.

Wilton

Needles.

Leicester

Razors.

(4) Breweries

Banbury

Brewing.

Hitchin

Brewing.

Ely

Brewing.

TOWNPRODUCT
(5) Markets

Ripon

Horses.

Nottingham

Oxen.

Gloucester

Iron.

Bristol

Leather and Hides.

Coventry

Soap.

Northampton

Saddlery.

Doncaster

Horse-girths.

Chester

Skins and Furs.

Shrewsbury

Skins and Furs.

Corfe

Marble.

Cornwall towns

Tin.

(6) Fishing Towns

Grimsby

Cod.

Rye

Whiting.

Yarmouth

Herrings.

Berwick

Salmon.

(7) Ports

Norwich

Southampton

——

Dunwich

Mills.

This list is obviously incomplete, for it omits towns like Sheffield and Winchester, both of which were important as manufacturing towns from very early times, though the woollen manufactures of the latter were soon outstripped by those of Hull, York, Beverley, Lincoln, and especially Norwich. But such as it is the list is curious, chiefly as showing how manufactures have long since deserted their original abodes, and have been transferred to towns of quite recent origin.

§ 2. Staple towns and the merchants

§ 3. Markets

§ 4. The great fairs

[20] See note 9, p. [245,] on Assize of Bread and Ale.