Building the market: John Shaw of Wolverhampton and commercial travelling in early nineteenth-century England

Presenting a detailed reconstruction of the commercial travels undertaken by English hardware factor John Shaw in the period 1810-1815, this article reappraises the somewhat neglected role of the commercial traveller in British business history. In particular, it will be shown how, by the early nineteenth century, commercial travelling was well established and displayed elements of 'modernity'. The case allows insights into the part played by factors and their commercial travellers in facilitating integration and specialization across the economy.