Wateringbury market (1311)

Post date: Dec 21, 2012 8:37:25 PM

Population pressure, the growth of towns, the increased specialisation of labour and increased monetisation all contributed to the need for more people to buy more food¹. However, by end of thirteenth century there was a noticeable economic decline and the markets being established could not be economically justified; political patronage was the driving factor. Presumably the crown got paid for granting a charter which was potentially economically valuable for the sponsor.

Malling market: the charter rolls of 1347 record that King Edward confirmed a charter of 1105 to Abbess of Malling which granted the abbey and convent a market on Saturday. In 1290 abbess claimed right to hold markets on Tuesdays as well.

Kent between 1200 and 1350 received 73 market charters, more than Essex, Surrey and Sussex.

In the mid thirteenth century Henry Bracton proposed following guidelines: no market should be closer than 6.66 miles from next; and neighbouring markets should not be scheduled for same or next day.

The majority of markets set up in Kent in the thirteenth century never resulted in a market surviving into sixteenth century and possibly never functioned at all. The older markets had a much better chance of survival. Of pre-1200 total of 15 markets, 10 survived into sixteenth century. Of the post-1200 total of 73, only 14 survived.

Markets near Wateringbury

Italicised location names indicate survival into sixteenth century.

A transcription of the charter granting the market is included (page 160) in the Calendarof the Charter Rolls Vol III published in 1908. It reads: 1311 January 9, Grant to Henry de Leyborn, and his heirs, of a weekly market on Tuesday at his manor of Wateringbury, co. Kent, and of a yearly fair there on the vigil, the feast and the morrow of St. John the Baptist; grant also of free warren in all the demesne lands of the said manor and in those of Sharstede, Waderslade, Lydesinge, Chert and Pekham, co. Kent, and of Cherleton, co. Sussex.

Edward Greensted, writing of Wateringbury market in 1781, recounts the ‘tradition’ that it was held near Pizien Well and concluded that ‘probably this market ne’er was of any great account’. However, near the bridge (or ford) would have been a more logical location than Pizien Well, which was probably part of the manor of Chart or Westbury rather than the manor of Watereingbury. It is possible that Bow Bridge was a stone bridge at this time although nearby Twyford certainly was mentioned in 1325 for the first time but as this was in the context of an inquisition to discover who was responsible for repairs it had been built earlier; Teston’s bridge is probably fifteenth century. The first record I have seen for Bow Bridge was from 1702 when it is described as 'pons lapidea' (i.e. a stone bridge) which was of an unknown age (since time immemorial).

[1] ‘Factors in Market establishment in medieval England: the evidence from Kent, 1086-1350’ by B.A. McLain in Archaelogia Cantiana Vol 117 (1997) pp 83 -104