Merchants
Hanseatic Merchants
In the early 14th century, lead was exported by Hanseatic Merchants. Walter of Revel and Ludebright of Revel, operated in company with others within a commercial system, exporting from Hull. Source: Mining, Metallurgy and Minting in the Middle Ages, p.1461.
Wool Mercers
Wool, was for a long time, the great staple of the kingdom. In 1279, in a petition to Edward I, the nobles asserted that the wool produced in England, and mostly exported to Flanders, was nearly equal to half the land in value. English wool appears also to have been in great request in France, in which country, as well as in Flanders, the manufacture of woollen cloth was early established. Little cloth, was made in England, until the policy of Edward III, by a grant dated in 1331, invited weavers, dyers, and fullers, from Flanders, to come over and settle in the country, promising them his protection and favour on condition that they should carry on their trades here, and communicate the knowledge of them to his subjects.
In 1303 a general charter was granted by Edward I permitting the merchants of Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Navarre, Lombardy, Tuscany, Provence, Catalonia, Aquitaine, Toulouse, Quercy, Flanders, Brabant, and all other foreign countries, to come safely to any of the dominions of the English crown with all kinds of merchandize, to sell their goods, and to reside under the protection of the laws. But this general toleration had many restrictions. The goods imported, with the exception of spices and mercery, were only to be sold wholesale. No wine was to be carried out of the country without special license. Above all, no relaxation was granted of the ancient grievous liability under which every resident stranger was placed of being answerable for the debts and crimes of every other foreign resident. In 1306, a number of foreign merchants were committed to the Tower, and detained until they consented to give security that none of their number should leave the kingdom, or export anything from it, without the king's special license. Each of them was made to give an account of the whole amount of his property, in money and goods. Security against being subjected to this kind of treatment had been accorded in a few particular instances but it was not till the year 1353 that the law was formally altered by the Statute of the Staple , and the ancient practice was not wholly discontinued till long afterwards.
The general charter of 1303 was followed in 1307, Edward issued an order prohibiting either coined money or bullion to be carried out of the kingdom on any account. The merchants who came from other countries, were now reduced to the necessity of either directly bartering their commodities for the produce of the kingdom, or, if they sold them for money in the first instance, of investing the proceeds in other goods before they could be permitted to return home. This restriction was difficult to maintain. Edward II. in 1308 relaxed these rules slightly.
At all times, while the exportation of money was forbidden, the remittance of bills was allowed. But a bill of exchange remitted abroad is merely an order that a certain party in the foreign country shall receive a sum of money which is due to the drawer of the bill, and which would otherwise have to be sent to the country where he resides; if no such money were due, the bill would not be negotiable ; every such bill, therefore, if it did not carry money out of the country, produced precisely the same effect by preventing money from coming in.
A term which makes a great figure in the commercial regulations of this period is that of the Staple. The word, in its primary acceptation, appears to mean a particular port or other place to which certain commodities were obliged to be brought to be weighed or measured for the payment of the customs, before they could be sold, or in some cases exported or imported. Here the king's staple was said to be established. The articles of English produce upon which customs were anciently paid, were wool, sheep-skins, or woolfels, and leather; and these were accordingly denominated the staples or staple goods of the kingdom. The persons who exported these goods were called the merchants of the staple: they were incorporated, or at least recognized as forming a society with certain privileges, in the reign of Edward II., if not earlier. Hakluyt has printed a charter granted by Edward II., the 20th of May, 1313, to the mayor and council of the merchants of the staple, in which he ordains that all merchants, whether natives or foreigners, buying wool and woolfels in his dominions for exportation, should, instead of carrying them for sale, as they had been wont to do, to several places in Brabant, Flanders, and Artois, carry them in future only to one certain staple in one of those countries, to be appointed by the said mayor and council. It appears that, upon this, Antwerp was made the staple. But although the power of naming the place, and also of changing it, was thus conferred upon the society, this part of the charter seems to have been very soon disregarded. In subsequent times the interferences of the king and the legislature with regard to the staple, were incessant. In 1326 it was, by the royal order, removed altogether from the continent, and fixed at certain places within the kingdom.
Revel
Godekin de Revele the younger and Roger de Glapwell of Chesterfield, merchants, obtained letters patent in June, 1333, to convey to the staples and thence export at will, notwithstanding the ordinance of the staple, wools purchased by them from the abbot of Beauchief before the making of such ordinance. In the same year, it is recorded part of the income of the Priory of Shelford, was derived from the sale of wool from sheep feeding on the demesne lands. In 1333 Crown licence was obtained for Godeking deRevele and Robert Stuffyn of Newark, merchants, to convey to the staples and export at will.
In the same year King Edward also gave a letter of protection and safe conduct to the Esterling Godekin von Reval . ...
In Oct 1328, an order was made to allow to Godkin de Revle, merchant of Almain, out of the next customs on his wool, hides and wool-fells sent out of the realm by him from Almain. £172 11s, 4d. was due to him from the king for a loan. Source: Close rolls
1328: Godkin de Revle, merchant of Almaine, states that the king owes him, by his letters of obligation sealed with the cocket, £172 11s. 4d., which he lent him to be paid last Easter, and requests that he send writs to the collectors of the customs in his port of Boston, Lincolnshire, to allow him that sum in the next customs on wools and other merchandise to be sent by him out of the same port, notwithstanding any ordinance or command to the contrary. A writ of Chancery is to be sent, according to the form of the petition, to the collectors of the custom in the same place, that, when they have seen the letters patent, if they find that such a sum of money is owed to him for such a reason, they are to allow it to him in the custom on wools, hides and woolfells to be embarked by him in the same port to be carried overseas, receiving from him the said letters patent and his letters of acquittance etc. Source: Calendar of Close Rolls,SC 8/16/799, pp.343-4
Godfrid de Revel states that Edward II owed him 73s 10d farthing, which he lent him at Hull in the twelfth year of his reign, and for which he has letters patent of obligation sealed under the cocket. He requests that this sum be allowed to him in the next customs on wools, hides, woolfells and other merchandise to be sent by him out of the said port. The Treasurer, Barons and Chamberlains of the Exchequer are to be ordered that, when they have examined the letters, if they find that the debt is still due, they are to let him have payment, assignment or allowance as he requests. Source:Calendar of Close Rolls, Edw III, vol. II, 1330-1333
21 Oct 1331: Godkin de Revel, merchant of Almaine, states that King Edward, father of the present king, owed him £123 11s. 9d., from a loan made to him at Boston in the eleventh year of his reign, for which he has letters patent of obligation sealed with the cocket; he requests that this sum be allowed to him in the next customs on wools, hides, woolfells and other merchandise to be sent by him out of the said port. The Treasurer, Barons and Chamberlains of the Exchequer are to be ordered that, when they have seen the letters, if they find that the debt is still due, then they are to let him have payment, assignment or allowance as he demands, as soon as they reasonably can, receiving etc., and charging etc.
1330-1333: Ludebritte de Revel states that Edward II owed him £14 14s 3d, which he lent him at Boston in the eleventh year of his reign, and for which he has letters patent of obligation sealed under the cocket. He requests that this sum be allowed to him in the next customs on wools, hides, woolfells and other merchandise to be sent by him out of the said port. Endorsement: The Treasurer, Barons and Chamberlains of the Exchequer are to be ordered that, when they have examined the letters, if they find that the debt is still due, they are to let him have payment, assignment or allowance as he requests, as soon as they reasonably can; receiving etc. and charging etc. Source:Calendar of Close Rolls, Edw III, vol. II,
1338: Godkin de Revele (Revel), shows that he had bought wool in Nottinghamshire, and left it at the house of Ralph Sansemer. Following this Stephen le Heyr came and seized the wool into the king's hand, being assigned out of the Exchequer to take the goods and chattels of those in the allegiance of the king of France, and he put them into the keeping of Robert Stuffin who is charged to save them for the king's use. Godkin requests that as he is not of the allegiance of the king of France that he may have delivery of the wool, and Stuffin be discharged. Endorsement: Let it be ordered to the treasurer and barons of the Exchequer by a writ of the great seal that it was not the intention of the king and council that the goods and chattels of merchants of Germany who are in the friendship of the king should be taken into his hand by reason of the commission, and that they should discharge Stuffin of the wool if it is demanded of him by this cause, and deliver the wool to Godkin.
1331:Petitioners: Aluin de Revel, merchant of Almaine.
Aluin de Revel, merchant of Germany, states that the father of the present king, owed him £12 4s. 3d., from a loan made to him at Boston, Lincolnshire in the twelfth year of his reign, for which he has letters patent of obligation sealed with the cocket; he requests that this sum be allowed to him in the next customs on wools, hides, woolfells and other merchandise to be sent by him out of the said port.
Endorsement: The Treasurer, Barons and Chamberlains of the Exchequer are to be ordered that, when they have seen the letters, if they find that the debt is still due, then they are to let him have payment, assignment or allowance as he demands, as soon as they reasonably can, receiving etc., and charging etc. Calendar of Close Rolls, SC 8/16/798. p365
21 Oct 1331: Petitioners: Aluin de Revel, merchant of Almaine.
Aluin de Revel, merchant of Germany, states that the father of the present king, owed him £12 4s. 3d., from a loan made to him at Boston in the twelfth year of his reign, for which he has letters patent of obligation sealed with the cocket; he requests that this sum be allowed to him in the next customs on wools, hides, woolfells and other merchandise to be sent by him out of the said port.
Endorsement: The Treasurer, Barons and Chamberlains of the Exchequer are to be ordered that, when they have seen the letters, if they find that the debt is still due, then they are to let him have payment, assignment or allowance as he demands, as soon as they reasonably can, receiving etc., and charging etc.
1341 - March 15th at Langley: Protection and safe conduct, during pleasure, for the king's merchants, Aluin de Revele and his fellows, merchants of Almain, who in return for certain sums of monev lent to the king have licence to ship in the ports of Kyngeston-upon-Hull and Boston 300 sacks of wool for Flanders under a form agreed upon between the king and them, in taking 55 sacks of the said wool bought by them in the county of Nottingham, to the port of Boston and thence to Flanders.
1341 March 10 at Westminster: Exemplification of letters patent made in parts beyond the seas, dated Westminster. 6 September, 14 Edward III, granting to Godekin de Revele the elder life 100 marks yearly out of the customs in the port of Boston lately granted to Robin de Foresta for life by the king and transferred to Godekin by the said Robin.
was a Parisian merchant who established an office in Marseilles in the 1550s and agencies in Dieppe and Rouen.
References
National Archives, Documents Online