Decline or Transformation? Archaeology and the Late Medieval ‘Urban Decline’ in Southern England

Abstract

Archaeological evidence is used to examine how urban life changed in the later medieval towns of Sussex, Surrey, and Hampshire in southern England, in light of ongoing debates about the existence of a fifteenth-century urban 'decline'. The article proposes that rather than seeking evidence of decline, we should consider how and why experiences of urban life vary. The role of towns in commercial and political networks is highlighted as a key cause of variability in late medieval urban experience.

Assemblage urbanism. Becoming urban in late medieval Southampton

“…Lewis 2016) or urban (e.g. Astill 2000; Jervis 2016b) communities in this period. It has, however, been a period of intense debate by historians, particularly within the field of economic history.…”

“…It has, however, been a period of intense debate by historians, particularly within the field of economic history. Our focus here is the towns and, for brevity, it is only necessary to provide a brief summary of the key points of contention (for a more detailed review see Dyer 1991; Jervis 2016b).…”

“…Scholars such as Bridbury (1981; 1984) and Tittler (1984) cite evidence for urban building projects and a growth in the proportion of taxation received from towns between the 14th and 16th centuries as a sign of urban buoyancy. Comparative analyses of historical records (Saul 1982; Bailey 1993; Dyer 1991; 2000) and archaeological evidence (Jervis 2016b; 2017) suggest that fortunes were mixed, with some towns prospering and others suffering for a variety of reasons, but particularly in relation to regional economies. The concept of decline itself can be questioned; we would expect urban populations to fall, but this need not be indicative of decline (Reynolds 1980; Palliser 1988, 2).…”

“…Both Monica Smith (2008) and Christopherson (2015, 129) highlight the importance of open spaces as potentially productive spaces in the urban landscape, where social interaction might occur and which offer a medium for consensus building. Studying small towns in southern England, I suggested (Jervis 2016b) that the opening up of the urban landscape allowed for the increased spatial distinction between economic and domestic activities. There is clearly more to these spaces than being reflective of decline or effectively redundant areas.…”

“…This deterritorialization also caused the town itself to generate agency, impacting upon both its internal components and its wider hinterland (Brantz 2017). For example, the flow of cloth and dyestuffs through Southampton had implications for the development of other settlements in the region, as they became cloth production centres and agriculture shifted towards sheep husbandry (Hicks 2015; Jervis 2016b). By identifying towns as assemblages, therefore, it becomes impossible to see them in isolation, and we must understand how localized performances might have far-reaching, unintended and unforeseen consequences.…”