22 



History,' in a passage preceding that above quoted, that " a 

 large portion of the trade of the country was transacted at fairs 

 and markets. The tradesmen of London had shops in the Cheap, 

 which resembled sheds, and many of them had simply stalls, and 

 travelling occasionally from place to place they may be consi- 

 dered as having been pedlers as well as tradesmen."' Dr. 

 Whitaker in his * History of Craven,' represents that " in those 

 times" (alluding to the commencement of the 14th century), 

 " there were few or no shops, and that the necessaries of life were 

 purchased at the great annual fairs." '^ The correctness of Dr. 

 Whitaker's statement is questioned by Mr. Frost, who observes 

 that the rents of shops at Hull were mentioned in an account 

 rendered to the Archbishopric of York in 1294; and two shops 

 in the Market-place are the subject of a grant dated in 1303 ; 

 and in 1317 six shops are described as situate in the High-street ; 

 but he suggests a doubt whether the shops were allowed to be 

 used at any other time than during the holding of the fairs, 

 because a statute, passed in 1332, commanded that the merchants 

 attending fairs should shut up their shops and stalls at the close 

 of the fair. ^ Possibly Dr. Whitaker's opinion was correct as to 

 the scarcity of shops in small towns during the reign of Edward 

 I., but it is obvious that a very diifeient state of things prevailed 

 in York not more than half a century later. A compotus of the 

 date of 1376 enumerates more than sixty shops within the city 

 then let to different tradesmen at rents varying from 10s. to 30s. 

 per annum each ; and the rent of one of larger dimensions than 

 the rest was 36s. * Many of these shops were situate upon Ouse- 

 bridge, and several in Nessgate and other adjacent streets. 

 Fifteen of them were in ' Hosier's Rawe,' a place near the 

 Pavement. Several shops near Foss-bridge are also mentioned 

 in the same document ; and it is reasonable to suppose that other 

 parts of the city were equally well supplied, as the shops would 

 necessarily bear a due proportion to the number of tradesmen, 



» Pict. Hist. I. 840. 



2 Whitaker's History of Craven, p. 326. 



3 Hist. Not. of Hull, p. 19. 



* " De Boberto Wrenche pro magna shoppa juxta le Maysendieu, xzxvi s." 



