Governance and population

Who governed a town?

Townspeople, called burghers, owed loyalty not to a lord, but to the town council and the mayor. The mayor and the councillors were usually chosen from the wealthier merchants and craftsmen.

In the Town Hall in Hereford there is a charter which was granted to the burghers of Hereford by Richard II in 1383 stating:

"Richard II grants to the citizens, at the request of John Burley, Knight, that the bailiff for the time being shall be styled mayor. He is to be elected annually, as in time past." (Jancey, 1973)

During the 12th and 13th centuries there was a rapid growth in both population and agricultural output. People were producing more food and having larger families. Fewer people died of malnutrition and those who were not needed to work the land migrated to the towns.

How many people lived in towns?

Poll Tax documentation is a good primary source when looking at population figures. Using the figures provided in the tax records of 1377, it has been estimated that there were around 540 towns in England. London, by far the largest town, had 45,000 - 50,000 inhabitants. There were a further four towns of between 8,000 and 15,000 people, eight towns of between 5,000 and 8,000, and 27 of between 2,000 and 5,000 people. However, most market towns had between 500 and 2000 inhabitants. (Kate Tiller, English Local History, an Introduction, Alan Sutton, 1992)

Poll tax returns for Herefordshire

Every person aged 14 years or over had to pay a flat rate of four pence. In theory, the only exemptions were for beggars and priests, monks and nuns. In reality, however, it is thought that many unwaged people such as single women living with their families managed to avoid paying this tax. We have to keep this in mind when looking at specific figures.

Not all towns in Herefordshire are listed here, but this list gives us a good idea about the relative sizes of places. For Ledbury we have two figures, one for the population taxed within the town boundaries and one for those in the immediate surrounding area.

[Original author: Toria Forsyth-Moser, 2002]