From 1066 to 1500 towns and cities in England transformed beyond recognition. The Norman conquest brought stability, trade and resources and the construction of large castles and cathedrals. Towns became the economic focus of their rural hinterlands. Meanwhile, a generation of hundreds of planned towns emerged with involvement from King Edward I himself.

Medieval towns had to survive the Black Death, Fires and dramatic changes in economic fortunes.

We will discover the largest settlements in the medieval period and see how their fortunes changed.

Whilst cathedrals, castles, guildhalls and town walls would dominate architecturally, ordinary citizens lived in filth and squalor with limited sanitation and constant risk to health. This was however a period in which early governance emerged and towns developed limited autonomy.

Join us on our exploration of the origins and development of English cities. If you haven’t listened already, the episode Settling in Stone: Tracing the First Steps of British Towns traces the very beginning of settlement in Great Britain.

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