This Law, As Politic As It Was Humane And Just, Must Have
Encouraged Foreign Trade.
In this reign the chief exports seem to have been
lead, tin, and wool, and small quantities of honey, wax, cheese, and
salmon.
The chief imports were wine from the king's French dominions, woad
for dying, spiceries, jewels, silks, furs, &c.
The laws of Oleron, an island near the coast of France belonging to
England, are generally supposed to have been passed by Richard I.; both
these, however, and their exact date, are uncertain: they were copied from
the Rhodian law, or rather from the maritime laws of Barcelona.
Though it appears by official documents in the reign of king John, that the
south coast of England, and the east coast only, as far as Norfolk, were
esteemed the principal part of the country; yet, very shortly after the
date of these documents, Newcastle certainly had some foreign trade,
particularly with the northern nations of Europe for furs. In this reign
are the first records of English letters of credit.
Some idea may be formed of the importation of wine at the beginning of the
fourteenth century, by the following facts: in the year ending 20th Nov.
1299, the number of vessels that arrived in London and the other ports,
(with the exception of the Cinque ports,) bringing cargoes of wine
amounting to more than nineteen tuns, was seventy-three; and the number in
the next year was seventy-one. It is probable, however, that we may double
these numbers, since the Cinque ports, being exempted from the duty on
wine, would import much more than any other equal number of ports. From a
charter granted to foreign merchants in 1302, it appears that they came
from the following countries to trade in England: - Germany, France, Spain,
Portugal, Navarre, Lombardy, Tuscany, Provence, Catalonia, Aquitaine,
Thoulouse, Quercy, Flanders, and Brabant. The very important privileges and
immunities granted to them sufficiently proves, that at this period the
commerce of England was mainly dependent on them. That there were, however,
native merchants of considerable wealth and importance, cannot be doubted.
In the year 1318, the king called a council of English merchants on staple
business: they formed a board of themselves; and one was appointed to
preside, under the title of mayor of the merchants, or mayor of the staple.
About the middle of this century, Dover, London, Yarmouth, Boston, and
Hull, were appointed places for exchanging foreign money; and the entire
management was given to William de la Pole. His name deserves particular
notice, as one of the richest and most enlightened of the early merchants
of England. His son, Michael, was also a merchant, and was created earl of
Suffolk by Richard II. "His posterity flourished as earls, marquises, and
dukes of Suffolk, till a royal marriage, and a promise of the succession to
the crown, brought the family to ruin."
When Edward III. went to the siege of Calais, the different ports of
England furnished him with ships.
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