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9 - Hinterland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2013

Mavis E. Mate
Affiliation:
University of Oregon
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Summary

TOWN and country lived in a symbiotic relationship, with the country supplying needed raw materials and the town in its turn providing necessary manufactured goods. If the inhabitants of the rural hinterland increased their wealth, then they might spend more on urban products and expect a greater variety of goods. By the mid sixteenth century, grocers and drapers, not just in major urban centers but in small towns like Appledore and Small Hythe, stocked wares such as white pepper, saffron, prunes, sugar, silk, and Holland cloth. Conversely, if a town grew in size, then its increased demand for foodstuffs and fuel could stimulate production in the countryside and encourage the use of more intensive methods. The expansion in ale consumption and the manufacture of beer encouraged the planting of barley. New tastes led to greater diversification in agriculture. Animals — cattle, sheep, rabbits — were being raised for their meat. In parts of the region, hemp and saffron were grown alongside the more traditional grain crops, and fruit trees were valued for their crops as well as the beauty of their flowers. Bruce Campbell, following on from the ideas of J. H. von Thunen, stressed that it was the market that determined the ‘character and intensity’ of production.

With the disappearance of demesne accounts, as lords increasingly leased their estates, it is very difficult to find out what was happening on the ground. Legal sources, such as wills and indictments before the law courts, can, however, sometimes provide clues. By looking at all available information, it is possible to come up with a partial picture of agricultural and industrial developments in the hinterlands of a few towns and in a few areas that supplied goods and services to more than one town.

Type
Chapter
Information
Trade and Economic Developments, 1450–1550
The Experience of Kent, Surrey and Sussex
, pp. 169 - 192
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Print publication year: 2006

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  • Hinterland
  • Mavis E. Mate, University of Oregon
  • Book: Trade and Economic Developments, 1450–1550
  • Online publication: 05 February 2013
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  • Hinterland
  • Mavis E. Mate, University of Oregon
  • Book: Trade and Economic Developments, 1450–1550
  • Online publication: 05 February 2013
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Hinterland
  • Mavis E. Mate, University of Oregon
  • Book: Trade and Economic Developments, 1450–1550
  • Online publication: 05 February 2013
Available formats
×