Editing Aylsham (section)

==History==
[[File:Aylsham Town Sign.jpg|thumb|left|Aylsham town sign, typical of many Norfolk [[village sign]]s, stands at the entrance to the town. It depicts [[John of Gaunt]], Lord of the manor from 1372.]]
Archaeological evidence shows that the site of the town has been occupied since [[prehistoric]] times. Aylsham is just over two miles (3&nbsp;km) from a substantial [[Roman Empire|Roman]] settlement at [[Brampton, Norfolk|Brampton]], linked to [[Venta Icenorum]] at [[Caistor St Edmund]], south of Norwich, by a [[Roman road]] which can still be traced in places – that site was a bustling industrial centre with maritime links to the rest of the empire. Excavations in the 1970s provided evidence of several [[kiln]]s, showing that this was an industrial centre, pottery and metal items being the main items manufactured.

Aylsham is thought to have been founded around 500 AD by an [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo Saxon]] [[thegn]] called Aegel, ''Aegel's Ham'', meaning "Aegel's settlement". The town is mentioned in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as ''Elesham'' and ''Ailesham'', with a population of about 1,000. Until the 15th century, the [[linen]] and [[worsted]] industry was important here, as well as in [[North Walsham]] and [[Worstead]] and ''Aylsham webb'' or 'cloth of Aylsham' was supplied to the [[royal palace]]s of [[Edward II of England|Edward II]] and [[Edward III of England|III]].

[[John of Gaunt]] was [[lord of the manor]] from 1372 and Aylsham became the principal town of the [[Duchy of Lancaster]]. Although John of Gaunt probably never came to Aylsham, the townspeople enjoyed many privileges, including exemption from jury service outside the manor and from payment of certain taxes. The [[village sign]] depicts John of Gaunt.

In 1519 [[Henry VIII]] granted a market on Saturdays and an annual fair to be held on 12 March, which was the eve of the feast of [[St Gregory]] the pope. Aylsham markets have always been an important feature of the town, and businesses developed to meet the needs of the town and the farming lands around it. Besides weekly markets there were cattle fairs twice a year and, in October, a [[hiring fair]].

The historic Black Boys Inn in the Market Place is one of Aylsham's oldest surviving buildings, and has been on the site since the 1650s, although the present frontage dates to between 1710 and 1720. There is a [[frieze]] of small black boys on the [[cornice]] and a good staircase and assembly room. The Black Boys was a stop for the [[post coach]] from Norwich to [[Cromer]], had stabling for 40 horses, and employed three [[Hostler|ostlers]] and four [[Postilion|postboys]].

A [[thatched]] waterpump was built in 1911 at Carr's Corner in memory of John Soame by his uncle, a wealthy financier. An [[artesian well]] 170 feet (52 m) deep, its canopy is thatched in [[Norfolk reed]].

As with many of the other [[market town]]s in the county, the weaving of local cloth brought prosperity to the town in [[medieval]] times. Until the 15th century it was the manufacture of [[linen]] which was the more important, and Aylsham linens and Aylsham canvases were nationally known. From the 16th century linen manufacture declined and wool became more important, a situation that continued until the coming of the [[Industrial Revolution]]. Thereafter the principal trade of the town for the 19th century was grain and [[timber]], together with the range of trades to be found in a town which supported local agriculture. Records show that Aylsham had markets and fairs, certainly from the 13th century. Such weekly and annual events were important for the trade that they brought. Annual [[horse fair]]s would bring many other traders to the town, and the weekly market would be the occasion for more local trade. The rights of the stallholders in the market place today date back to the rights established in medieval times.

Aylsham was once noted for its [[spa]], situated about half a mile south of the town; it comprised a [[chalybeate]] spring, formerly used by those suffering from [[asthma]] and other [[chronic diseases|chronic conditions]].