‘Proud’ Thame market to welcome royal guest

THAME’S Tuesday street market, which has been established as market day in Thame since 1183, will be welcoming a very special royal guest in February, when it will be celebrating 800 years since receiving its Royal Charter way back in 1215.

HRH The Princess Royal – Image courtesy of Offshore Europe

The Princess Royal, HRH Princess Ann, has accepted an invitation from the market stallholders to visit Thame on February 17, 2015. Chris Hurdman, the market traders’ representative, received an unexpected early present when he learned just before Christmas that his application for the royal visit had been successful. He told Thame.Net: “The stallholders of Thame Market are delighted and very proud that the Princess Royal will be visiting Thame Market to help us celebrate 800 years since Thame first got its Royal Charter in 1215.”

HISTORY

The earliest record of the Tuesday market dates from the time of Bishop Walter de Coutances (1183–4). The market was then well established and was held ‘by prescriptive right’ (rights established by longterm usage). A royal charter granting a market at Thame was not obtained until 1215, the year of the Magna Carter, from King John. This was a general grant permitting the Bishop of Lincoln to hold markets and fairs in all his manors. Thame is specifically mentioned in a confirmation of the charter in 1227, and was confirmed again in 1229.

In 1219 a licence was obtained by Bishop Hugh de Welles from King Henry III, to divert the Oxford-Aylesbury road so as to make it pass through ‘his town of Thame’. The object of the diversion was to oblige travellers to pass through to the market-place and so increase and facilitate the collection of tolls. The old route was by Lashlake and Priestend, following the course of the river. The new route was the present one—along Friday Street (now North Street) and into the High Street.

More details of the plans for the royal visit will be published soon.