In the year 1700, the city of Norwich, the first provincial town to have its own newspaper, was the largest town in England after London. It was the centre of the wool trade, England's greatest industry, when that trade was reaching the peak of the development shortly to be hymned by Daniel Defoe. It was not only in economic terms that Norwich dominated its hinterland. It was also the social focus of Norfolk for the gentry and the prosperous farmers; there was a social season with balls, concerts, and plays. Within the city there was a growing number and proportion of professional men and of traders who, like Francis Burges, were providing services. Norwich was both the prototype and the archetype of the pre-industrial city which was to reach its fullest point of development in the next fifty years.

During the first half of the eighteenth century, we can distinguish between the regional capitals, like Norwich, and the lesser market towns. The first group were of social and political, as well as economic, significance. They were, for the most part, county towns, and hence the seat of the Assizes and the site of elections. Elections and Assizes, and associated social events such as race meetings and assemblies, brought the gentry to town. At the same time, the increased demand for services made the regional capitals into service centres, providing the means to meet the financial, legal, and medical needs of the surrounding rural communities. In the rich farmlands of the south and east, cities like Winchester, Leicester, and Canterbury followed the pattern established by Norwich.