IN recent years, somt letters to the editor have associated the Tavistock market charter with the pannier market. The association is extremely nebulous. The charter granted by King Henry in 1105 was a simple document of only 69 words, including the names of fur witnesses. It granted Tavistock Abbey and its monks the right to hold a weekly market on Fridays. This provision was confirmed two years later by the king?s demand that the grant be respected.. The 12th century traders would have been local farmers, graziers and horticulturalists ? collectively the peasantry ? buying and selling between themselves and local merchants. The pannier market is a 19th century creation. Its construction was authorised by the Tavistock Markets Act 1859 which was passed for the purposes of ? . . . constructing market houses and other buildings, and making market places, and for the better regulating amd maintaining the markets and fairs in the town of Tavistock . . . ? Nowhere in the Act is the King Henry charter mentioned. The intention was, however, clear; to move the street markets (the shambles) to the new covered market ? soon to be called the pannier market ? and the sale of livestock from the area around Court Gate to a purpose-built market adjecent to the Great Western Railway Company station opened that year. In 1859 the market users traded the same range of goods and animals but, because of improved roads and the advent of the railway age, the came from a much wider area. However, local people were, and still are, the main beneficiaries of the pannier market. Only the markets on Fridays can be said to have any relevance to the charter and the benefits of the pannier market to local people are not prescribed in any way. Town organisations and individuals can use the building only by agreement with the present owner, the town council. As to the present controversy on its use on the fifth Saturday of any month, perhaps the parties will compromise on one charity day per year and make it the nearest fifth Saturday to Christmas. Graham Kirkpatrick Parkwood Road Tavistock