Middlemen in English Business 335 



at Halifax, Norwich and Exeter; the great broadcloth market was 

 Blackwell Hall, London; Shrewsbury was the greatest provision 

 market in the West of England;^ Cirencester the greatest wool market, 

 outside Stourbridge;- Farnham the greatest corn market, after 

 Bearkey and Marklane; Smithfield the greatest cattle and sheep 

 market, etc. In London^ the largest markets for corn were Bearkey, 

 Marklane and Queenhite; for fish and coal, Billingsgate; for cloth, 

 Blackwell Hall; for meats Leaden Hall, Newgate, Honey Lane, and 

 Fleet Market; for cattle and sheep and horses, Smithfield; for hay 

 Hay Market and Bishop's Gate. Other markets were devoted to 

 more general business and on certain days or in certain sections of 

 the market certain goods were handled. Leaden Hall was a composite 

 market of this sort. It contained three large squares opening into 

 each other and into divers streets. In one square were handled 

 meats, hides, leather, and shoemaker's tools, and Colchester bayes 

 were sold upstairs. In a second square were the fish and pro\asion 

 markets, and the mutton and veal markets. And the third supported 

 four markets, viz. for butter, poultry, bacon and herbs.'* In all the 

 considerable towns the markets tended toward specialization of ware. 

 In Worcester in 1781 there were a "Corn Market" and "Grass-cross" 

 market for butter, cheese and fruit, and "Beast-market" for cattle.^ 

 The rural town markets were more likely for general merchandise, 

 especially food. The tolls register, for instance, of Winchcombe in 

 Gloucester in 1327 — about the time when markets and fairs were at 

 their best — reports the following in the list of wares coming into 

 town: herrings, sea fish, salmon, cattle, skins, hides, corn, salt, butter, 

 tallow, wax, cheese, pepper, onions, almonds, figs, raisins, cinnamon, 

 wire, coal, lead, pitch, oil, and tar.^ The list indicates an exchange of 

 local extractive products for exotic goods. 



"In certain of the (London in 1419) Markets, such as those of 



iDefoe, Tour, II, 314. 



^ Ibid.. 36; Com. Eng. Tr., II, 192. 



' "Shall the large mutton smoke upon your boards? 



Such, Newgate's copious market best affords. 



Wouldst thou with mighty beef augment thy meal? 



Seek Leadenhall; St. Jame's sends thee veal; 



Thames Street gives cheeses; Covent Garden fruits; 



Moorfield old books; and Monmouth Street old suits." 



Gay's Trivia, 1716. 

 •■ For fuller description see Defoe, Tour, II, 173-4. 

 =" Nash, Worces., II, App. XCVL 

 « V. C. H., Glouces., II, 154 n; Landboc, Introd. XXXI. 



