Markets and fairs
The city is plentifully supplied with all kind of provisions, for which there are two market days weekly,
on a Wednesday and Saturday, both days for poultry,
butter and garden stuff, much of which is brought from
Sandwich hither; and the latter for butcher's meat,
cheese, corn, hops and all sorts of cattle; besides which
there is a good fish market held daily throughout the
year. Besides the markets above-mentioned, there
were antiently others, set apart for other commodities,
in different parts of this city. Without Burgate, in St.
Paul's parish, was, of antient time, a wheat market, at
or about the corner on the left hand without the gate,
as appears by the old rentals of Christ-church, relating
to their tenements there; and in a deed or charter of
lands given to St. Augustine's by one Dunwaldus in
760, mention is made of a vill, then situated in the
market, at the Quenegate of this city; at the red wall,
by the palace back gate, where there was another
market, commonly called, and still remenbered by
the name of the rush market; in St. George;s street,
about the Augustine's Friars gate, there was a cloth
market kept; in the High-street, beside St. Mary
Bredman's church, was antiently kept a fish market;
this fish market seems to have been of long continuance at this place; in a deed of Christ-church, anno
1187, mention is made of the patish of St. Mary's
called the church of the fishmongers, in Canterbury, as
it is again by the same name in a lease before that time,
made by Odo, prior of Christ-church; and Mr. Somner conceived this to be the church intended by these
deeds, and so as it was in his time from the bread market by it, called St. Mary Bredman's church, tho' it was
more antiently called St. Mary Fishman's church.
At Oatenhill, eastward, beyond St. George's gate, till
of late the city's place of execution, (fn. 1) was formerly a
market for the sale of oats; as at the same place before salt was sold, whence it was called Salt-hill; it had
a market cross to it; for there is mention made of the
ctoss at Oat-hill. Not far from hence, that is, by the
nunnery, at the meeting of the four vents, or ways
there, was another the field over against the nunnery
southward, now almost all over digged for chalk, called
the lime kilns, was antiently called Market-field; and
lastly, not far from hence, without St. George's gate,
as formerly, so there are now, bought and sold all sorts
of cattle; whence, as is conjectured, the market took
its name of rether cheap, which is in English, the
drove market; and to shew the antiquity of it, the
reader will observe, that the rederchepe is mentioned as
a boundary in the second charter of king Ethelbert to
St. Augustine. (fn. 2)
There was a fair, granted by the charter of king
Henry VI. annually held in this city, on the 4th of
August and the two next following days; but it has
been long since discontinued and laid aside; but there
are several yearly fairs, for toys and pedlary, held in the
several parishes of this city and its suburbs, mostly on
the days of the saints, to which the respective churches
are dedicated.
Besides these, there is a principal fair, held yearly
on Oct. 10, in the precincts of the ville of Christchurch, which is usually called Jack and Joane fair,
from its being esteemed a statute fair, for the hiring
of servants of both sexes, for which purposes it continues till the second Saturday or market day of the
city has passed. (fn. 3)
Besides the intercourse with London and the several
towns adjacent to this city, daily by land carriage, there
are hoys, which sail from and return weekly to the
ports of Whitstaple and Herne, for the conveyance of
passengers and the heavier kinds of merchandize of all
sorts; and from both of them, as well as from that of
Fordwich, about two miles off, by the navigation of the
river Stour from Sandwich, this city is supplied with
plenty of sea coal for fuel.
This city and the adjacent country, as to the establishment of the customs, is within the port of Faversham; but there is an establishment of the excise
here, under the management of a collector, supervisor, and other inferior officers.