Monument record 2416/2/6 - The Shambles, Oundle Market

The main grouping of shops and stalls were in two rows in the Shambles in the late medieval period. There were 32 stalls here in the 15th century, declining to 21 in the 16th century and to just 10 by the early 19th century.

{1}The main grouping of shops and stalls were in two rows in the Shambles in the late medieval period. These butchers stalls and shops were otherwise known as the ‘fflesshamblez’. There were 32 stalls here in 1471-2 although this number declined to 21 by 1565. In contrast the number of shops remained fairly stable at around 15. However by 1813 the number of shops had declined to 10, with a further nine tenements there, representing the conversion of shops to tenements. There were also an unspecified number of stalls in 1813.

By 1565 the South Row had been wholly converted to shops and one of these already had a chamber above. Those in the North Row were still largely stalls but there was one double shop and two other single shops, one with a chamber above. The stalls themselves in the North Row where single are specified as either north or south stalls. It seems likely that the two rows originally comprised purely stalls and that each row had two rows lying back to back, one facing north and the other south. In the 16th century various stall holders of the shambles were in trouble for waste left in the street and in 1535-6 it was specifically required that every man should clean the street before his door from St.Thomas Chapel to the north end of the town.

<1> Hall D.N., 1960-1999, Rockingham Forest Project: Archaeological Sites Recorded by David Hall, (unchecked) (Database). SNN102279.

<1> Foard G.; Ballinger J.;, 2002, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Oundle, Section 3.5.1.2 Shops and Stalls (Report). SNN102637.

Record last edited

Jul 13 2021 11:49AM