£27.00
English Inland Trade
Overview
The Southampton brokerage books are the best source for English inland trade before modern times. Internal trade always matched overseas trade. Between 1430 and 1540, the brokerage series records all departures through Southampton’s Bargate, including the owner, carter, commodity, quantity, destination, and date, as well as many deliveries.
Historical Significance
Twelve such years make up the database that illuminates Southampton’s trade with its extensive region at a time when the city was at its most important as the principal point of access to England for exotic spices and dyestuffs imported by the Genoese. If Southampton’s international traffic was particularly important, the town’s commerce was also representative of the commonplace trade occurring throughout England.
Research and Analysis
Seventeen papers investigate Southampton’s interaction with Salisbury, London, Winchester, and many other places, exploring long-term trends and short-term fluctuations. The rise and decline of the Italian trade, the dominance of Salisbury, the emergence of Jack of Newbury, and the recycling of wealth and metals from dissolved monasteries are all featured here.
Maps and Data
Underpinning the book are 32 computer-generated maps and numerous tables, charts, and graphs, with guidance provided on how to best exploit and extend this remarkable resource.
Web Database
An accompanying web-mounted database (http://www.overlandtrade.org) enables the changing commerce to be mapped and visualized through maps, with trade tracked week by week and over a century. Together, the book and database provide a unique resource for Southampton, its trading partners, traders and carters, freight traffic, and the genealogies of the middling sort.
