Fareham Granted a Market Charter

1228

In 1228, Henry III granted Fareham the right to hold a weekly market. This charter formalised what may already have been a customary trading arrangement, giving the settlement legal standing as a market town. The market right was granted to the Bishop of Winchester, who held the manor, and it established Fareham's commercial function within the surrounding area. A market town served a wider hinterland, drawing in farmers and traders from the surrounding villages to buy and sell goods on the appointed day. The charter placed Fareham in the network of Hampshire market towns that included Winchester, Southampton, Fareham, and smaller settlements. The market was held on the High Street, which became the principal commercial thoroughfare of the town. The market charter is one of the defining events in Fareham's history, establishing it as a centre of local trade rather than simply a farming village. The weekly market continued in various forms through the medieval and early modern periods, and a Monday market still operates on the High Street today, making it one of the longest-running markets in Hampshire. The charter also established the pattern of the town centre, with the High Street as the commercial spine and the surrounding streets developing as residential and service areas.