by Dom Spalding
âVox populiâ and the wisdom of crowds
Many of those reading this short note will have, at some time, travelled down to Devon for a lovely summer break amongst the rolling fields, moors and beautiful beaches of this somewhat remote county. Only a few will have ventured into Plymouth, the famous naval seaport and home to Sir Francis Drake (that famous Elizabethan pirate who so vexed our Spanish friends by stealing their gold) and the site of the departure of the Mayflower with the pilgrims on board heading to America 400 years ago this year. Even fewer will know that it was the place of an amazing insight into the powerful nature of crowds, which provides us with a wonderful word picture of how markets operate.
