This collection of twelve essays describes aspects of town life in medieval Wales, from the way people lived and worked to how they spent their leisure time. Drawing on evidence from historical records, archaeology and literature, twelve leading scholars outline the diversity of town life and urban identity in medieval Wales. While urban histories of Wales have charted the economic growth of towns in post-Norman Wales, much less has been written about the nature of urban culture in Wales. This book fills in some of the gaps about how people lived in towns and the kinds of cultural experience which helped to construct a Welsh urban identity.

"Urban Culture in Medieval Wales" is a collection of articles that examine towns and urban life as part of the cultural fabric of late-medieval Wales. Though medieval Welsh towns were small relative to those in England and Europe, they had a significant impact on a largely rural economy. As the sites of political and cultural tension between English and Welsh, the towns were also responsible for the growth of national identity and a distinctive urban culture in Wales. The chapters in the book draw on the evidence of local records and literature in order to bring to light a neglected aspect of medieval Welsh history.