English Industries of the Middle Ages / Being an Introduction to the Industrial History of Medieval England

This work provides an introduction to industrial life in medieval England, treating principal trades and extractive industries one by one—mining (coal, iron, lead, tin), quarrying, metal-working, pottery and brickmaking, clothmaking, leatherworking, and brewing—describing their regional centers, technical methods, chronological development, and working conditions. It concentrates on production rather than distribution, omitting agriculture, most building work, and the wool trade, and concludes with a survey of the means of industrial control, such as local regulations, craft customs, and apprenticeship. Material is drawn from municipal records and archival sources and presented as a readable guide for general readers and students.