The Cities And Exchange Of Pre-Industrial England, C.1650-1800

The roles played by urban settlements in a pre-industrial economy has always been a tempting yet complex issue. Fist of all, historians, economists and sociologists may have different opinions on the very definition of’urban settlements’. Different definitions end up with various understandings of scholars in the research of the characteristics and functions of cities and towns. Secondly, due to the differences in methodology and historiography, researchers may tend to have very different conclusions even when they share the same or similar definitions. In order to research the functions of English urban settlements in the economy on the eve of industrial revolution, i.e.1650-1800, this article will first try to define’urban settlements’in a relatively clear way. Next, I will investigate the problem from demographic change, domestic and foreign trade, manufacture especially the woollen industry and agriculture production with methodology of both history and economics. I will use urban system as a macro research unit while individual city as a micro research unit. The investigation will lead to the following conclusion:the economy of England at this time had been shocked and influenced by an economic contraction which England overcame relatively successfully when compared with the continent and transformed from local economy to a national economy. In the transformation which involved the expansion of the economic scale and increase in economic efficiency, as coordinator and organizer English urban system dominated by London had played a central role in the economy with the help of a series of organizations and institutions. There is necessary to point out that given the complexity of the definition of city which may involve economic, political, social and cultural characteristics, this article will try to have an ad hoc definition and research on urban settlements from economic perspective only with the help of economics theory.