The importance of the wool industry to England during the Middle Ages cannot be over-emphasised. At this time England had a strong reputation for fine wool, something which attracted the attention of foreign traders and the government who saw the wool industry as a great source of revenue through taxation.

What appears at first glance to be a book purely about local social history in sheep farming and wool production, actually goes much further as Derek Hurst explores the implications of this `local’ industry on a national and international scale.

The book begins by looking at the rather ambiguous origins of the Cotswold sheep, not acurately defined in the sources until the 16th century when it is described as having the whitest wool, a long neck, square body and a thick, heavy fleece. Hurst goes on to examine evidence from the prehistoric and Roman periods for sheep farming in the Cotswolds before settling on more substantial data, in the form of documentary sources, from the early 12th century onwards.

The main section of the book comprises a chronological account of sheep farming, wool production, textile production, trade and export, government intervention and taxation, from the 11th century to post-18th century. This includes discussion of the people involved, centres of farming and wool production, merchants, trade partners, particularly links with Italy, competition, and the industry’s eventual decline. An excellent and interesting study.