By Tim Lambert
Life in Tudor Towns
The first thing that would surprise us about Tudor towns is their small size. The only large town in England, with a population of over 100,000, was London. The next biggest towns were Bristol, Norwich, and York. All three had populations of less than 20,000.
In Tudor England, a large town might have a population of about 4,000. But some were smaller, with a population of 1,000. However, the whole population of England was only about 3 million when Henry VIII became king in 1509. It might have risen to about 4 million by 1600, representing only a tiny fraction of its current size.
Remember, though, that Tudor villages were usually tiny hamlets with a population of about 120 or 150. They might have 25 or 30 houses. To people who lived in such small communities, a town of 4,000 would have seemed large. It would probably have been quite exciting to visit the town on market days when it was busy with traders.
The other thing that might surprise us would be the change in the relative size of towns. Some quite large towns today were tiny places 500 years ago, even by the standards of the time, and vice versa. As I mentioned before, Norwich and York were among England’s largest towns in the 16th century, but neither is particularly large or important today. In the local area, both Fareham, Gosport, and Havant were tiny towns in the 16th century, far less important than they are today. On the other hand, some quite small towns today were large in the 16th century; Winchester is a case in point.
In Tudor towns, most houses were made of wood with thatched roofs. Only the richer citizens could afford houses of stone. It must have been difficult to keep the streets clean, but people could be fined for leaving ‘nuisances’ such as rubbish in the streets. In London, men called rakers were employed to clean the streets. Given the unsanitary conditions it’s not surprising that all towns suffered from outbreaks of plague.
Whenever it struck, the plague killed a significant part of the town’s population, but there were always people from the countryside looking for work who would replace them.
People usually obtained their water from wells or from water carriers who carried water in containers on their shoulders. Some towns had conduits that brought in water from the countryside and which the public could use.
In Tudor towns, streets were also narrow. Upper stories of buildings jutted out over lower stories. These were called jetties. At night, the streets were dark and dangerous. Quite apart from the danger of being robbed, it was easy ot have an accident on dark, unpaved streets. In London, you could hire a link boy with a lamp to light your way.
Local Towns in the 16th Century
Chichester
In the 16th century, Chichester was a medium-sized town with a population of about 2,500. It did not grow significantly during the century and by 1600, it had declined in importance compared to the Middle Ages.
In 1501 Bishop Storey erected the Chichester market cross. If you wanted to sell goods at the market, you had to pay a toll. Some poor peasants only had a few eggs or a few vegetables to sell. The bishop said anyone could sell things at the market and not pay a toll provided they could stand under the cross.
In the Middle Ages, there were black friars and grey friars in Chichester (named after the colour of their robes). In 1538, Henry VIII closed the friaries in Chichester and sold their property. A mansion was built on the site of the Black Friary in East Street and the surrounding land became its gardens. The Grey Friary was demolished, but its church survived, and in 1541 it was sold to the corporation and became the Guildhall.
During the 16th century, Chichester declined in importance. The wool trade declined. The main exports became wheat and malt. Malt is used in brewing. Other industries in Chichester were brewing and tanning.
There is a story that when Queen Elizabeth visited Chichester, she said: ‘it is a little London’ and one of the streets in the town has been called that ever since. It isn’t true as Little London is shown on 15th-century maps. It may have got its name because merchants from London lived and worked there.
In 1578 the streets of Chichester were paved for the first time by an Act of Parliament.
Fareham
In the 16th century, Fareham was a tiny port and market town with a population of only several hundred. However, it was a small port, and wood was exported from the town. There was also a boat-building industry in Fareham.
Near Fareham was the settlement of Wickham. It only had a few hundred inhabitants, but it had weekly markets and annual fairs. In the mid-16th century, the writer John Leland described Wickham as a ‘pretty townlet’.
Godalming
Godalming was a busy little town, although it would seem tiny to us. It may have had a population of about 1,000 at the time of Henry VIII. The main industry in Godalming was making wool. There was also a leather industry in Godalming. In 1575 Queen Elizabeth I made Godalming a borough.
Gosport
Gosport was only a small market town and port. It only had a few hundred inhabitants. A tower called the blockhouse on the site of Fort Blockhouse defended the entrance of Portsmouth harbour.
In the 16th century, a writer described Gosport as a fishermen’s village, although shipbuilding and sailmaking were other industries in Gosport.
Guildford
Guildford was a small town at the time of Henry VIII, with a population of maybe 1,500. Guildford declined in importance in the 16th century. In 1611, a writer said, ‘It had been far greater than now it is’. The wool industry was important in Guildford in the Middle Ages. However, it declined during the 16th century. By the end of the century, Guildford was a quiet market town.
Havant
In Tudor Times, Havant was a tiny market town. In the Middle Ages, it had a population of only several hundred. In 1600, the population was probably no more than 600 or 700. There was a leather-making industry in the town; otherwise, it was a small and unimportant settlement.
Petersfield
In 1500, the market town of Petersfield probably had a population of about 700. Like all towns at that time, Petersfield suffered outbreaks of the plague. One outbreak occurred in 1568. Nevertheless, the population of Petersfield continued to rise and by 1600 may have reached 1,000. The prosperity of Petersfield was based on manufacturing wool. Sheep were raised in the surrounding countryside.
Portchester
Portchester was really a large village rather than a town. It probably only had a population of a few hundred. Portchester did have weekly markets and an annual fair. However, it declined in importance during the 16th century as Portsmouth Harbour silted up. The invention of gunpowder and cannons made Portchester Castle obsolete, although Henry VIII used the castle as an armory
Portsmouth
Portsmouth was quite a small town in the 16th century. It may have had a population of about 1,500 in 1500.
In 1495, Henry VII founded the Portsmouth dockyard, which brought prosperity to the town. In 1527, Henry VIII enlarged the dockyard. In 1540, Henry closed the Domus Dei (what is now the Garrison Church). In the Middle Ages, it was a hostel for pilgrims, but it was turned into an armory. Later, it became part of the military governor’s residence.
Henry also built a castle, east of Portsmouth, overlooking the sea. Southsea Castle, as it is called, was built in 1544. Then in 1545, Henry VIII watched as his warship Mary Rose, sank in the Solent.
Portsmouth suffered an outbreak of plague in 1563. About 300 people died, which was a significant number in a town of perhaps 2,000 people.
Nevertheless, the population of Tudor Portsmouth continued to grow, and it might have reached about 2,500 by 1600. In the Elizabethan period, people began to build houses on the little peninsula called Point.
Romsey
Romsey was a small but prosperous town. In Tudor Romsey, the main industry was making wool. Another industry in Romsey was leather tanning. The leather was sent to Southampton to be made into artefacts such as shoes and bottles.
Like all towns in those days, Romsey suffered from outbreaks of plague. It struck in 1526, but Romsey soon recovered. Romsey may have had a population of 1,500 by the mid-16th century.
In 1539, Henry VIII closed Romsey Abbey. However, in 1544, the townspeople purchased the Abbey Church for 100 pounds.
Southampton
In the Middle Ages, Southampton was an important port but it declined during the 16th century. By 1600, it was described as a ‘decayed’ port.
In 1541, a visitor said Southampton had ‘many fair merchants houses’ and the High Street was ‘one of the fairest in all England for timber buildings’. In 1552, another person wrote, ‘The town is handsome and for its size has houses as fair as those in London’.
But by the end of the century, it was a different picture. The walls were said to be overgrown with ‘elders, yew and such other weeds’. Poor people used towers around the walls as dwellings, and local butchers grazed their animals on the hill under the castle keep. Some houses, it was said, were ‘greatly decayed and likely to fall down’.
However, Tudor Southampton was not entirely impoverished. It became a manufacturing center. In 1567, craftsmen fleeing religious persecution in Belgium settled in the town. Furthermore, craftsmen from other English towns such as Salisbury, came to work in Southampton.
Despite its decline as a port, Southampton was still a large town. A survey in 1596 showed Southampton had a population of 4,200.
Titchfield
Titchfield was a large village with a population of a few hundred. Although it was really only a village, Titchfield did have weekly markets. Titchfield also had an annual fair.
Furthermore, Titchfield was a busy little port as the river was navigable in those days. Meanwhile, Titchfield Abbey was founded in 1232.
Titchfield Abbey was dissolved in 1537. It was given to Thomas Wriothesley, who converted it into a mansion. Then in 1552, King Edward VI stayed in Titchfield. He described it as ‘a handsome town’.
Queen Elizabeth stayed in Titchfield in 1569, and William Shakespeare may have stayed there.
Winchester
In the year 1300, Winchester may have had a population of 11,000. It was one of the largest and most important towns in England. However, it was devastated by the Black Death in 1348-49, and it never really recovered. By the 16th century, Winchester had dwindled to a town of no more than about 4,000. By Tudor standards was still quite a large town but it didn’t grow during the 16th century. It had lost its former importance. In 1518, the number of annual fairs was increased to 3 to try and stimulate trade, but with little success.
In 1538, Henry VIII closed two abbeys and a priory in Winchester. He also closed the friaries. All the land owned by these establishments was sold, and their buildings were ‘cannibalised’ to provide materials for new ones.
In 1554, Queen Mary married King Philip of Spain in Winchester.
