Town and Country in England

Frameworks for archaeological research

by Dominic Perring

This research report describes how archaeology can contribute to the study of the relationship between town and country, as well as setting out a series of recommendations for future research.

The study focuses on how urban needs impacted on rural systems, and how settlement hierarchies were developed. Theoretical models are reviewed, and the history of the English town traced from its late Iron Age origins down to the late medieval period.

Emphasis is given to the contribution that archaeological finds, such as animal bone and pottery, can make to the study of the networks of economic and social dependencies that characterise urban society. Different ways of using these archaeological sources are described. A series of case studies illustrate how the ideas presented in this report can be explored through further applied research.

This broad-ranging study will be invaluable reading for scholars and students interested in the archaeology and history of towns, as well as general economic and social change in medieval England.

Info: 156pp, 10 figures
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