The Market Yard is set in front of St Mary's Church on the south side of the River Ouse. Bedford's Tuesday Pig Market was held on this site from the 1500s until 1813. The commercial and domestic  importance of pigs is reflected in the longevity of the market, which sold many different breeds to both farmers and householders, who would keep a pig in their garden. The land today has been built on and St Mary's can no longer be seen from where Pyne stood to paint this picture.