Were England's old shire towns marginalized from the process of economic change during the period of the classical Industrial Revolution? A number of contributors to The Cambridge Urban History of Britain, Vol. II make this claim, others emphasize the continued relevance of these towns in the emerging industrial age. With few investigations undertaken into the county towns of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, detailed case study analysis is needed. Using trade directories to profile Chelmsford's business community, this article presents evidence of a dynamic and prosperous urban economy.