INDUSTRY AND MEDIEVAL URBAN LANDSCAPES: ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL EVIDENCE FROM ENGLISH SMALL TOWNS c 1200–1550

A synthesis of archaeological evidence for the organisation of industrial production in later medieval English small towns is presented. We examine evidence for the undertaking of industry within domestic space, landscapes of industrial specialisation (particularly pertaining to iron production, salt extraction and pottery production), the impact of institutional demand and the relationship between industry and processes of urban growth and decline. The archaeological evidence is supplemented by historical evidence from Escheators’ inventories, presented here for the first time. The analysis demonstrates some broad trends between towns and relationships between industrial processes and urban topography. In particular, we highlight the importance of marginal areas, such as urban boundaries and flood-prone areas for the siting of industries, and the way that inter-dependencies between industries are articulated through spatial clustering.