Monument record 805/3/1 - Fotheringhay Market

A market was granted in 1308. It had gone out of use by the early 18th century.

{1} Market: Section 7 in main report. See also section 10 'Historical Topography'.
The market appears to have been a very late foundation and to have decayed in the mid to late 14th century. An attempt at revival in the mid 15th century seems to have failed though perhaps it was revived again. There are no later rentals to assess the functioning of the market at a later date, but the 1548 rental makes no reference to shops. Leland makes no reference to the existence of a market in the village but this is not a certain indicator of the market's demise. Indeed the market place was still an open area in 1548. In 1604-5 the manor was granted out with the right to hold a market and fair. Then again in 1663-4 Lord Mountjoy claimed the right to hold a Wednesday market in the village, with rights of tolls, stallage, picage, pontage, office of the clerk of the market. The market had however certainly gone out of use by c.1720.
Bridges records in c.1720 that 'In the middle of the street is a place called the market-stead, where the market on Wednesday was formerly held.' The remnant of the market place can be identified on the map of 1716, though by then largely built over, and indeed as late as 1821 there was still an open space near the centre of the village called the 'Market-stead', though it had gone by the 1880s. In 1548 there were 5 properties fronting onto the 'market stede'. Of the three on the west side two are described as 'stables' held for 2/- each, this may be a transcription error, the other was a cottage. On the east side of the market place there were two cottages, both formerly held by the College. There are no other properties recorded around or in the market place in 1548. This is probably because all the other tenements on the south side were owned by the college, as indicated in 1716, and hence would not have shown on the rental.The exact extent of the market place may be defined by the narrow lane seen in 1716 running west from the surviving market place. The 1548 rental has been reconstructed on this basis, for there is no mention of such a land in the rental even though all other lanes are identified. It is therefore unlikely that some of the tenements recorded in 1548 on the south side of the street actually lay to the east of the lane where tenements existed in 1716. Moreover almost all the properties within the area defined by the lane, with one exception, were held in 1716 by the Overseers of the Poor, providing further possible support for an origin as encroachment following the demise of the market.

There was a maypole described as being on the market place in the 16th century. In 1580 there was a cross in the village from which stone was removed and sold.

{5} Documentary evidence indicates a medieval market cross. The market place was north west of the church and its market cross was destroyed in the late C16th.

{6} The market appears to have been founded as a grant to the Earl of Richmond in 1308-9 when he acquired the manor, its success is doubtful and after various refoundings it had gone out of use by 1720. There was a market cross, presumably erected when a market was granted in 1308. Bonney states that it was destroyed and sold in 1580.

{7} Brief synopsis of market history. 1308 market grant Wednesday. Market was renewed 1457 but possibly expired by 1460. No references to the market in Leland. Had certainly gone by 1720, though the fair was still operational in 1865.

<1> FOARD G., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Fotheringhay (Medieval and Post Medieval), (checked) (Digital archive). SNN100481.

<1> Taylor J.; Foard G.; Ballinger J., 2002, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Overview, Appendix 2 (checked) (Report). SNN103118.

<2> 1696, Fotheringhay 1696, (unchecked) (Map). SNN100483.

<3> 1793, Fotheringhay Inclosure Map 1793, (unchecked) (Map). SNN100484.

<4> 1806, 1806 Schedule to 1716 map, (unchecked) (Map). SNN100482.

<5> Lightfoot, 1933, The Chronicles of Fotheringhay, p.20 (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN47504.

<6> Johnston G., 2000-01, Excavation of an Ossuary at Fotheringhay Church, Northamptonshire, p.161 (checked) (Article). SNN103949.

<7> Foard, G. and Britnell, T., 2003, Fotheringhay: A New Perspective from the 1640's, pp.140-3 (checked) (Article). SNN103924.

Record last edited

Nov 22 2021 1:19PM