Editing Grantham (section)

===Economy and government===
[[File:Joseph Mallord William Turner - North East View of Grantham Church, Lincolnshire - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|right|Watercolour and graphite painting of Grantham Church by [[J. M. W. Turner]] (1797)]]
Its lords encouraged Grantham to expand as a commercial centre.<ref name=":7">{{Harvnb |Manterfield |2011 |pp=40–41}}</ref> By the late 11th century it was an "important market town".<ref>{{Harvnb |Honeybone |1988 |p=16}}</ref> The [[Medieval English wool trade|wool trade]] prospered, benefiting from its proximity to [[grazing]] lands on the Lincoln Heath. This wealth contributed towards the building of [[St Wulfram's Church, Grantham|St Wulfram's Church]].<ref name=":8">{{Harvnb |Honeybone |1988 |pp=25–26}}</ref> Wool shops were in Grantham in 1218<ref name=":8" /> and Walkergate (now Watergate) was recorded in 1257, indicating the presence of [[Fulling|fullers]] (walkers), who played a role in processing wool. Cloth manufacture declined around this time, but wool continued to be produced for trading, primarily for export from [[Boston, Lincolnshire|Boston]]. Wool merchants are recorded from the town in the late 13th century (foremost being was Roger de Belvoir, who contributed over £296 to the [[Wool Prize]] of 1297). By this time merchants from [[Italy]],<ref>{{Harvnb |Manterfield |2011 |pp=41–42}}</ref> [[Saint-Omer]] and [[Amiens]] were active in the town.<ref>{{Harvnb |Honeybone |1988 |p=26}}.</ref>

In 1269, the earl granted the town free [[tronage]] – the right to weigh wool without paying a [[Toll (fee)|toll]]. Less than 30 years later, its merchants were asked to send a representative to counsel the king.<ref name=":7"/> The wool trade boomed in the early 14th century; the town's merchants traded at least 980 sacks of wool at Boston during [[Edward II of England|Edward II]]'s reign, half from the de Chesterton family.<ref>{{Harvnb |Manterfield |2011 |pp=42–43}}.</ref> In 1312, the earl granted the burgesses various freedoms and the right to elect a leader (the [[Alderman]]), codifying a longstanding informal arrangement.<ref>{{Harvnb |Manterfield |2011 |p=41}}.</ref> Later in the century the king sought to raise revenues by [[tax]]ing the wool trade; some Grantham merchants, including the wealthy Roger de Wollesthorpe, acted as [[creditor]]s to the king.<ref name=":9">{{Harvnb |Manterfield |2011 |p=43}}</ref>

England's falling population, continued taxation of wool exports and the growth of cloth exports and monopolisation led to the wool trade declining by the mid-15th century.<ref>{{Harvnb |Haigh |1990 |p=127}}</ref> Cloth exports became more important nationally. Grantham had a small cloth industry, but it could not compete with new [[Fulling|fulling mills]], which required fast-flowing water.<ref name=":10">{{Harvnb |Honeybone |1988 |pp=26–27}}</ref> Its merchants continued to trade in wool and it remained a dominant aspect of the town's economy.<ref name=":9"/> Other industries also existed during the Middle Ages; there is evidence of [[wine]] trading, [[brewing]], [[parchment]] making, [[weaving]] and other trades and crafts.<ref name=":10"/>

The bridging of the [[River Trent]] at [[Newark-on-Trent|Newark]] by the late 12th century realigned the [[Great North Road (Great Britain)|Great North Road]] so that it passed through Grantham,<ref>{{Harvnb |Honeybone |1988 |p=29}}</ref> bringing traffic to the town as an important stopping place and leading to the development of [[inn]]s such as [[The George Inn, Grantham|''The George'']] and [[Angel and Royal|''The Angel'']].<ref>{{Harvnb |Dixon |Taylor |2011 |pp=237–238}}.</ref> By the 16th century, the economy was diverse. The largest sector was the [[leather]] trade, employing a quarter of the known workforce; distribution, food, drink and agricultural trades were also important. By that time, clothing and textiles each accounted for less than 10 per cent of the town's workers.<ref>{{Harvnb|Manterfield|2011|p=44}}.</ref>