What were English markets like in the middle ages?

Answer 1

Villages in general did not have their own market, but most villages were located within a day round trip of a town that did. These towns could vary in size greatly. The smallest were no larger than a village, the largest were large cities like London and Paris. Smaller towns were far more common, however, and the only settlement in medieval England that exceeded 10,000 people was London.

Towns and cities focused their economy on crafting and trade. They had market places, sometimes more than one, and regular days when markets met. These markets were essentially an open area or town square, where peasants from the surrounding villages would bring their surplus goods, and tradesmen would offer their products for sale. The tradesmen might set up a booth or have a semi-permanent structure. The peasants would simply find an open space and offer their goods from a basket or box until they ran out. Tradesmen might also employ hawkers to walk about and cry or sell their goods.

Larger cities had specialized markets as well, which were closer to commodity exchanges. A baker or a merchant might go to a wheat market to buy supplies for craft or for trade.

Some larger settlements had indoor markets. Paris in the later middle ages had two large markets that were held in covered buildings (Medieval Shopping Mall!) to allow trade to take place in foul weather.

A great deal of trade also took place at the shops of the individual craftsmen. The middle ages did not have an exact analogy for a general store. One generally purchased an item from the person who made it. There were second hand dealers who might have carried a variety of goods, but new goods generally game from maker.