ignifies a public place or market, whither merchants, &c., are obliged to bring their goods to be bought by the people. The merchants of England were formerly obliged to carry their wool, cloth, lead, and other like staple commodities of this realm, in order to expose them by wholesale; and these staples were appointed to be constantly kept at York, Lincoln, Newcastle upon-Tyne, Norwich, Westminster, Canterbury, Chichester, Winchester, Exeter, and Bristol; in each of which a public mart was appointed to be kept, and each of them had a court of the mayor of the staple, for deciding differences, held according to the law-merchant, in a summary way.