The Value of Land

Harleston’s very existence as a town in its own right is deeply rooted in trade. At the time of the Doomsday Census, Harleston was a small hamlet. Although there may have previously been an unregulated market, it was when Harleston was granted a market charter almost eight centuries ago that the foundations were laid for the bustling commercial centre it later became. Stied as it is in rich agricultural lands only 20 miles or so from Norwich, Harleston’s development and character have been significantly shaped by its commercial history as an agricultural hub with more specialised trades developing around this as the population grew.

Harleston's wealth came from the land. In the early days, the marshy lands of the Waveney Valley, which were not ideal for arable crops, provided good forage for sheep and cattle. The higher areas north of the river with a mix of clay and sandy soils providing fertile land ideal for growing both roots and corn.

Sheep ate the crops and produced wool. The wool supported weaving and other trades such as spinning and fulling. As wool fell out of favour, the skills used in these trades were transferred to the processing of flax and hemp into cloth. These both grew well in the wet lowlands of the Waveney Valley.

As the medieval period receded into history, sheep and their by-products became less significant in the local economy, instead beef cattle started to fill the meadows with their diet supplemented by the turnips, another crop that grew well in the area. By the late eighteenth century, the trading of cattle coming down from Scotland for fattening before being sold on to London, supported much of the local economy.

But with the introduction of the railways, the Scotch Cattle trade dried up. At this point Harleston started malting barley for beer production. Then as coal arrived in large quantities by train, steam heavy processes such as mills and engineering works grew up.

And there we have a potted history of how Harleston has benefited from the fertile surrounding lands and reinvented herself many time over.