Battle Abbey Green became a Meeting Place when it was given over to locals by the Webster family who owned the Abbey at the time. Fairs and markets have been held here for centuries, with traders coming from across England and even Europe sell their wares. So many people met on the Green - arriving on foot, horseback or cart or driving herds of animals - that the fair had to be temporarily cancelled in 1666 to prevent the spread of the plague. A farmers market is still held on the Green today.

During the 1960s the cattle market moved from Battle Abbey Green to its current site near the library. The library stands on the site of the old cattle ring, the focal point for market activities every Monday.