Dunster market

In the medieval and early modern period Dunster market was more accessible from many coastal and Exmoor communities than other markets. The large castle household encouraged traders to bring produce and fine cloth and supplied the market with by-products from its slaughterhouse and kitchen fat. Ports at Dunster and Watchet, and later Minehead encouraged a market in fish, cloth and products coming from or attractive to traders from Wales and Ireland. The fortunes of the extensive coastal fishing industry and of local cloth making were probably closely tied to those of the market and workers would have created a demand for food.