Its extraordinary to realise that Salisbury has had a twice weekly market since 1227!
I popped over yesterday to try find some avocado but unfortunately I didn’t find any nice ones. Instead I did find some local farmers free range eggs and promptly bought a half dozen. I avoid eggs as much as possible because I don’t know their provenance and I do know that the supermarkets ‘free range eggs’ are not truly ‘free range’. I had 2 for my supper and the first one I cracked had a double yolk 😄😄
The market was in full swing when I got there, but not nearly as busy as I would have thought, but with Covid…its to be expected.
The colours on a grey day were a welcome sight, and although my time was limited, I did manage to whizz around and look at all the stalls.
I saw these delicious olives, and was tempted…maybe Tuesday
Later during my break, I walked through enroute from here to nowhere in particular, and it looked bereft…hardly anyone about. I guess the weather doesn’t help.
Intrigued by the date, I did a bit of research, and this is what I found. The market has been held in Salisbury since 1219 with the founding of the city, and the cathedral. At the time Salisbury was the largest city in the region and offered an opportunity for farmers and traders to sell their produce and wares.
In 1361, market days were formalised and decreed to be held every Tuesday and Saturday, a tradition that continues until today. In medieval times, the market was much larger than it is today, and even spread down side streets. The streets in the area reflect the types of goods sold during medieval times; Fish Row, Silver Street, Butcher Row and the Poultry Cross.
I wonder, did they have the equivalent of today’s chippy…?
I’ve been fortunate enough to visit many a market in towns around the country over the years, but even so, the amazement of the history never wanes.
Salisbury was a settlement in Domesday Book, in the hundred of Alderbury, mentioned in the chapters for Wiltshire and Somerset.
It had a recorded population of 102 households in 1086, putting it in the largest 20% of settlements recorded in Domesday, and is listed under 2 owners in Domesday Book.
For more information about Salisbury and The Domesday Book, visit their site
And if that’s not enough history for you….Salisbury Cathedral is home to a copy of the Magna Carta too 😉
