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The wool trade was especially importnt to the English and developing European economy. The ancient Britons kept sheep and wove wool before the Roman invaded. The establishment of Roman rule (1st century AD) led to important improvements in methods. The Romans built a factory at Winchester. William the Conqueror introduced skilled Flemish weavers (11th century). Henry II (1154-89) promoted wool industries through laws, cloth fairs, and guilds of weavers. King Richard the Lion Hearted (r1189-99) was captured (1192). The Holy Roman Emperor demanded a huge ransom. The necessary payment was collected all over England. At the time monastaries were an important oart of the English economy. Cistercian monks provided 50,000 sacks of wool.
Edward III (1327-77) brought more weavers, dyers, and fullers from Flanders. England developed, however, as primarily a wool producing country, not a wool weaving country. England was the great wool-producing country of Europe. Wool was medieval England's main export trade. Every European country relying on England as a source for wool. Foreign traders dominated the English wool exports. Enhgish merchants began exporting wool themselves in the (14th century). As the century progress the trade in raw wool began to give way to the trade in processed wool. Inflation affected wool prices (16th century). Inflation was in part a result of all the American gold and silver flowing into Europe from the Spanish conquests in the New World, some of which reached England durectly through privetering and reached the west of Europe indicrectly. The expansion of the wool trade meant more land was coverted to sheep reaing or inclosed -- the inclosures. This displaced large numbers of tennant farmers was forced off the land, producing class of wandering, beggars. The Elizabethan poor laws were specifically created to address this situation. The seemingly economic shift had significant political consequences. Inflation reduced the real income of the monarchy because much of its income was fixed sums. The country gentry, however, greatly benefited from the inclosures as well as from the purchase of the lands obtained by closing the monasteries, much o which was also coverted to sheep rearing. The gentry began to use Parliament to asertively protect its wealth from royal taxation.
The wool trade was especially important to the English and developing European economy. The ancient Britons kept sheep and wove wool before the Roman invaded. The establishment of Roman rule (1st century AD) led to important improvements in methods. The Romans built a factory at Winchester.
England and Wales were ideal areas for grasing sheep. International trade was limited after the departure of the Romans. Ebglish ariculture was mostly subsistence. Only gradually did trade develop. Wool was one of the pricuts producuded ooin England. It was particylary valuable because unlike most agricultural products, it could be shipped long distances without deteteriorating.
Flanders had a long history of textile manufcture. When Ceasar invaded Gaul, the Romans noted the high-quality of cloth woven by the Belgica. Textiles from Flanders entered Roman markets. Flemish cloth in the early middle ages turned thriughour Europe, even the Novgorod in the developing Tsaris state. As the European economies quicked after the Dark Ages, there was more and more demnd for cloth. Flanders developed as one if the ctwo textile manufacturing center of Europe. The other was northern Italy. And as a result, Flanders becanme the richest provinces (11th century). There were several reasons for that. First, Flemish cloth already had a strong reputation. The population of Flanders included many skilled ctradtsmen. Here the monasteries and abbeys were a factor, Second, the populatioin density forced people supplement agriculture with trades. Third, Flanders was ideal for sheep grazing and wool production. Fourth, urban centers grew, faster than in the rest of Europe. Rural peasants migrated to the new towns, becomeing weavers, spinners and fullers. The booming towns (Bruges, Ghent and Ypres) became rich cities. The problem for Flanders was that demand for cloth increased, they could not produce enough wool to supply the weavers. There was just not enough land. This led to another Flemish advntafe--threy were close to England. Land transport was very difficult. Roads hardly existed and even where they did, moving producrs any distance over land was very expensive. Fortuantely for Flanders, they were licated close to ERngkand whicg akso offered ideal conditions for grazing sheep. And the wool could be cheaply delkivered by sea transport. The English has been producing wool fir thaeir own dimestic use, very little was sold abroad. As demand for wool grew in Flanders, the weavers were able to find the wool they needed in England and willing to pay attractive prices.
William the Conqueror after invading and conquering England (1066) pledged to hoinor tradional English rights such as the common lands. He also introduced skilled Flemish weavers to improve the value of his new kingdom (11th century). Henry II (1154-89) promoted wool industries through laws, cloth fairs, and guilds of weavers. King Richard the Lion Hearted (r1189-99) was captured after returning from the Crusades by Duke Leopld of Austria who had a range of personal issues with him (1192). The Duke/Holy Roman Emperor demanded a huge ransom. The necessary payment was collected all over England. At the time monastaries were an important part of the English economy. Cistercian monks provided 50,000 sacks of wool. This was quite acceiptable to the Duke because of the value of wool and the high quality of English wool.
Wool became the heart of medieval English economy between (late-13th - late 15th century. The great landowners (lords, abbots and bishops) negan to cobert their land to raising sheep and producing wool. The monasteries, in particular the Cistercian houses were very active in wool production. Most of Enland and Wales was suitable for sheeo grazing from the Lake District and Pennines in the north south to the Channel. And from Wales east to East Anglia. The number of sheep raised for wool expanded. The largest oroducers were the land owning aristocrats and the Church. The Bishop of Winchester reportedly owned 29.000 sheep (1259). But peasant also owned sheep as well as villages which owned sheep in common. Foreign merchants were familiar figures in English wool markets. The Flemish merchnts were the most active, but Italian merchants also participated. Bales of wool were loaded onto pack-animals which made the trip to English ports, including Boston, London, Sandwich and Southampton. Grom there the wool was shipped to Antwerp which became one of the most importabt ports of Europe. Genoa was also important. The wool trade was described at the time 'the jewel in the realm'. An arufact if this era is a seat of the Lord High Chancellor in the House of Lords. There is a square bag of wool. This was a '‘woolsack', the principal source of English wealth in the Medieval era. Edward III (r1327-77) brought more weavers, dyers, and fullers from Flanders. England developed, however, as primarily a wool producing country, not a wool weaving country. England became the great wool-producing center of Europe. Wool was medieval England's main export trade. Every European country relying on England as a source for wool. Foreign traders dominated the English wool exports. Enhgish merchants began exporting wool themselves in the (14th century). As the century progress the trade in raw wool began to give way to the trade in processed wool.
The Staplers were a medieval merchant guild that controlled the English wool trade. The formal name was the Company of the Merchants of the Staple. The were granted the eight by the monrch to export of English wool (late-13th - 16th centuries). Wool was vital to the Engklish economy export shipments were concentrated in one town wehich was clled the staple. This made it easier fir the Criwn to collect export duties, a njor part of the riyal revenues. The location of the staple changed over time, but was Calais, an English controlled French oort at the narrowest point of the Engkish Channel (14th century). The crown granted the Merchants of the Staple a monopoly over the export of wool. And forf this grant, the Staplers collected the duties or the Crown. The Staplers importance was at ijts peak (15th centur). The duties collected and their wealyh made them the most important financiers for the monarchy. The Staplers not only engged in financial activities, but they issued trade regulations at Calais, administered merchant law in the city, and carried our political and diplomatic assigments for the Crown. The importnce of tge Stsaplers declined (16th centurt=ry). By thuis timne, Wland had vegin to secvelop its own extikle industrty and was exporting less wool. .
The Plague or Black Death reached England (1348). It di not laubch the wooltrade, it was already well established by the time the Plague advnced into Engkandm but it did oroimote the conversion of land into shee pastures. Something like a third of the pioulation perished. This mean that mant lansowners did not have the the numbers of peeasants need to work the land. So faced with the need to make money from their labd holdings thaey turned yo raising sheep and producing wool which required a smaller workfoce. Plowing, tending crops, and harvesying required a far greater workforce than tending a flock.
The wool trade was an important factor in the development of the English middle class. A middle class was closely tied into the growth of urban settlemnents. The export of wool required urban settlements and it is in these settlements that the middle-class began to grow. Merchant were the key to that growth and with mercbants all kinds of goods and services foillowed. And these were not just any mercahants that were merchants handling ther one commodity vital to the English economy and royal finances. The larger landowners meaning the nobility with the largest quantities of wool to sell developed personal trading links with cloth manufacturers in Flanders. The smaller producers such as the landed peasatry and gentry the travelling wool merchants in the developing towns and cities. We see what became known as wool towns. Lavenham in Suffolk is seen by many as the best example of a medieval wool town. Many wool towns had impressive 'wool churches' built with profits from the wool trade. This was common in the Cottwalls and East Anglia. Sucessful wool merchants domated money to secure their place in heaven. The larger landowners got the bsst deals from the Flemish manufcturers, but the middle-class began to develop in the cities. And when England expanded actual production of textiles imstead just exporting it, the cities and middle class grew even more. Merchants in city began loaning money to the nobility, im part to guarantee delivery. They even began charging interest, frounded on by the church. Over time some these merchants living in toens cross England became as wealthy as the nobility. These merchants organized into a guild -- the woolmen. This gave them more infkuence and privileges in English society.
The wool trade became an important part pf royal finances. The monarchy levied a tax on every sack of wool that was exported. Successive monarchs focused on taxing the wool trade because it was valuable and easy to tax. All you need due it to set up a customs agebt at the main ports. The monarchy also designayted certain places where wool could bed trades--taples. This is on reason Calais became so important. Other taxes involved a greater effort and a lower return. Abd thier were political coinsequnces to taxing the nobility. Wool taxes became the greatest source of revenue for the monarchy. King Edward I (r1272-1307) was the first. He needed revenue to fund his military expenses. Edward III (r1327-77) went to war with France, in poart to help protect the wool trade with Flanders. The Flemish burghers appealed to him for help against their French overlord. This was the beginning of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453)
The taxes levied on wool export damaged the wool trade. There was only so much that the Flemish textile producers could pay. Producing wool for export became unprofitable if the King was going to take most of the profits. This eventually led to the increased poroduction of textiles in England. A factor here was the skills and technology needed. French kings wanted Flanders becaise of its wealth. Flemish weavers began fleeing the violence and horrors of war as well as French rule. English kings encouraged them to set up their homes and enterprises in England. Soon we see productive weaving enterprises in Norfolk and Suffolk. Others set up in the West Country, the Cotswolds, the Yorkshire Dales, and Cumberland. We see both the growth of weaving and of villages and towns. Thuis was especially prominant during the Tudor era.
Inflation affected wool prices (16th century). Inflation was in part a result of all the American gold and silver flowing into Europe from the Spanish conquests in the New World, some of which reached England directly through privetering and reached the west of Europe indicrectly. The inflation affected the Royal Trasury becauuse the taxes oin wool were set in ansolure terms anbd not as a percentage of the value.
Wool was big business. There was enormous demand for it during the medieval period. It was the primary fabric used to produce textiles. Cotton at the time was a luxury fabric and not used in Europe to any extent. A the European ecinomy quickened so did demand for wool. And as demand increased more and more land was converted to pasture and inclosed.
William I after conquered England (1066) he distributed the land amonng his 180 barons. He promised the English people that he would honor the laws of Edward the Confessor. [Monbiot] The commons was under the control control of anorial lords, but commoners were still able to exercise their ancient customary access rights, such as grazing sheep. Powerful aristocratic land owners began claiming this land as their own and enclosing it, primarily to expand sheeo grazing kland. The Inclodsures would become a major factor in English history. Landowners needed fewer peasants to ework their land. Peasanbt tenant farmers meant that a considerable area of their land had to be used to feed the peantry, raising food croups insetead of rasiing heep and wool. The expansion of the wool trade meant more land was coverted to sheep reaing or inclosed -- the inclosures. The karge landowners began inclosing the common lands. This displaced large numbers of tennant farmers. Families were forced off the land, creating a class of wandering poor--, beggars. The Elizabethan Poor Laws were specifically created to address this situation. The seemingly economic shift had significant political consequences.
Inflation reduced the real income of the monarchy because much of its income was fixed sums. The country gentry, however, greatly benefited from the inclosures as well as from the purchase of the lands obtained by closing the monasteries, much of which was also coverted to sheep rearing. The gentry began to use Parliament to asertively protect its wealth from royal taxation. This would be a factor in the English Civil War (1640s) abd the failure of dDivine Riughts Monarchy in Europe.
Monbiot, George . "A Land Reform Manifesto". The Guardian (February 22, 1995).
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