The Gazetteer aims to provide systematic information regarding the establishment and operation of markets and fairs in England and Wales from circa 900 onwards. Every reference to a market (mercatum, forum) or to a fair (feria, nundinae) in the source material has been recorded. This includes both prescriptive markets and fairs (generally the oldest, which were held by established custom) and granted markets and fairs, which were usually held by virtue of a royal charter.

The Gazetteer contains more information than the most comprehensive county studies for England; there is no comparable source for Wales. It is a major reference work which will become a primary research tool for historians, historical geographers, economists, archaeologists and those interested in local studies.

The online Gazetteer will be updated as further information comes to light. It will also be published as a book in 2001.

The Gazetteer was compiled by Dr. Samantha Letters as a 2 year project, based at the Centre for Metropolitan History and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.