Stokesley Friday Market – Fresh, Local & Trading Since the Norman Conquest
One of North Yorkshire’s longest-running traditional markets
Visit the Market
Stokesley’s traditional Friday Market runs every week from 8:30am through to mid-afternoon, right in the heart of the town. It’s a much-loved fixture in the local calendar, attracting visitors from across the Stokesley and North Yorkshire area.
What’s on offer:
- Fresh food & produce: Fruit & vegetables, fish, cheese, sausages, eggs, pies, bread, cakes and jams
- Fashion & accessories: Clothing, jewellery, gold, bags, shoes and leather goods
- Home & garden: Household goods, plants, flowers and bric-a-brac
- Gifts & haberdashery: Cards and fabric/material
- Plus a snack bar for when you need a break from browsing!
Trade at Stokesley Market
Interested in having a stall at Stokesley Friday Market? We’d love to hear from you.
The Town Clerk acts as Market Superintendent and is your first point of contact for all trading enquiries.
Email: contact@stokesleytowncouncil.gov.uk
A Market with a history – Over 750 Years of History
Stokesley’s Friday Market is one of the oldest markets in North Yorkshire, with origins that may stretch all the way back to the Norman Conquest.
The earliest recorded evidence comes from 1278–1281, noted in the Online Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs in England and Wales to 1516. Around this time, Hugh de Eure — then Lord of the Manor — asserted that a market had been held by his ancestors since the time of the Norman Conquest. Although he was fined for being unable to produce a royal charter authorising it, the market was permitted to continue.
Further records from Kirby’s Inquest in Yorkshire in the 1280s suggest Hugh de Eure also claimed the market was authorised under a charter granted by Henry III. The Victoria County History (A History of the County of York, North Riding: Volume II) lends further weight to these historical claims.
While recent searches have not uncovered documentary proof of a formal royal grant, it is widely believed that such records no longer exist. What is certain is that Stokesley’s Friday Market has been a cornerstone of local trade and community life for well over seven centuries — and long may it continue.