"Jack of Norfolk, be not too bold,
For *Dickon, thy master, is bought and sold."
*King Richard III may have been known as "Dickon",
according to a sixteenth-century legend of a note, warning of treachery, that
was sent to the Duke of Norfolk on the eve of the battle of Bosworth Field
The bones of King Richard III (2 October 1452
– 22 August 1485) are to be interred in Leicester Cathedral
Thursday 26th March.
The people of Leicester have taken this son of York to their hearts. King
Richard III reigned for only 26 months.
The villain that Shakespeare
presents us with is much tainted by Tudor propaganda. We are learning to review
Richard’s life – and maybe re-interpret history.
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You are not permitted to photograph in
the Tudor section of the National Portrait Gallery
so I went to the computer lounge at NPG to take this photo |
What was selling like in 15th
Century England?
Selling and Buying
continues during War. It was so in the
War of the Roses.
Some historians argue that the War of the Roses between the
Houses of York ( White Rose) and Lancaster (Red Rose) had little impact on much of England. For example it barely
affected East Anglia.
Richard’s title was
Dei Gratia Rex Angliae et
Franciae et Dominus Hiberniae tr. “by the Grace
of God, King of England and France
and Lord of Ireland.
Sales exporting during the 15th century .
The
ancient and most active trade route was to the Low Countries , our nearest
neighbours and commercial hub of Europe. Less active but with considerable
potential led by English merchants were Brittany and Normandy. Despite times of
war and piracy trade never completely ceased.
The ports of Chichester, Plymouth and Fowey were busy.
Beyond Brittany lay the vineyards of Poitou, Aquitaine and
Gascony . The exclusive specialisation
of wine production led to a dependence for the area of foreign supplies of
grain . In business Gascony was second only to the trade with Flanders.
Beyond Bordeaux and Bayonne there were the sweet wines ,
exotic fruits and other oriental luxuries. Merchants developed their business
with the western Iberian coast especially Portugal.
Trade with the Mediterranean was mainly transacted through
Italy.
Expansion of trade with Scandinavia and later with Iceland
grew through the century.
However during the 14th and 15th
centuries this market penetration through the Baltics met with resistance both
political and economic of the Hanseatic
league.
Trade embargoes by the Hanseatic League 1469 to 1474 led by
Danzig and Lubeck supported by Bremen and Hamburg was not uniform . Cologne still traded with
England even during the six year war with the league . (Richard would have been
22 years old at the time.) The later part
of the 15th century ,trade with the Hansaetic league represented 40%
of all trade mostly conducted through London and Southampton.
The war concluded with the Treaty of Utrecht in 1474 which
confirmed the Hansa privileges and granted the League ownership of the London
Steelyard, as well as the trading bases in Boston and Lynn.
The Customs records reveal much of information about
business at the time that historians can use.
By volume wool was the key export through much of the 15th
century.
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Photo of computer screen at the
National Portrait Gallery, London |
Business
friendly King
Our political
leaders in their current electioneering are trying to persuade us that their
parties are "business friendly." Of course promises are one thing action quite
another.
On 23 January, 1484, Richard's Parliament assembled. It passed
18 private statutes and 15 public ones.
Some of these statutes give us a picture of what selling was
like back then. Early versions of law are
evidenced on Quality of Goods, Standardisation, duties to protect national
business etc.
The 8th statute:
"The length and
breadth of cloths, and the order of dyeing them and wools" sought to
prevent commercial dishonesty in the cloth trade. Included in the technical
details are 9 safeguards. For example “Broadcloth must be fully watered before
being put up for sale and must be 24 yards long, 2 yards broad. No
"deceitful thing" is to be cast on cloth, and no chalk is to be used
on white cloths.”
This statute indicates the powerful
measure of Richard III's thoroughness, his insight into technical processes,
and, above all, his appreciation of the necessity to keep in close touch and
consultation with technical and commercial experts.
By the following October 25, King Richard, at the request of
merchants, the cancellation of this statute was announced because "...it hurt more than it helped." Unintended consequences brought about
pragmatic revision of the statute it appears.
Statutes 9-13 of the 1284
law sought to protect the
English merchant against unfair foreign competition
The 9th statute: "In.. what sort Italian merchants may sell merchandises; several
restraints of aliens."
This regulated the conditions under which these merchants
could import and export goods. Books and the printing of them were exempted
from these restrictions.
"To Richard and
his councillors belongs the honour of having devised the first piece of
legislation for the protection and fostering of the art of printing and the
dissemination of learning by books."
I wonder whether those at the London Book Fair might
acknowledge Richard’s part in their trade during-16 April 2015 at Olympia.
The 10th statute prohibited the importation of
silk, lace and ribbons, scissors, bells, nails, etc.
The 11th statute required Italian merchants to
import with each butt of malmsey ten good bowstaves.
The 12th statute:
"Certain marchandizes prohibited to be
brought into this realm ready wrought." This was designed to protect native
craftsmen.
The 13th statute: "the
contents of vessels of wine and oil, which may not be sold till gauged" This was designed to prevent the sale of wine and
oil in short measure and for excessive price.
Early formalising
of Branding
Forerunner to corporate logos and banners flags – Heraldic Coats of
Arms
College of Arms in 1484 they were granted a charter of
incorporation by Richard III, and given a house in Coldharbour in Upper Thames
Street, London to keep their records in.
When Henry VII defeated Richard and took the crown in 1485
he wrested Coldharbour from the heralds and gave it to his mother!
The College of Arms received the charter under which they
now operate from Queen Mary and her husband Philip of Spain in 1555, together
with the site of the present College of Arms on which then stood Derby Place.
This building was the College of Arms until it burnt down in the Great Fire of
London in 1666. The present College building dates from the 1670s.
Wool was a key trade. The Speaker of the House of Lords to
this day still sits on the Wool sack a reminder of Wool’s important past in the
English economy.
.
Still the largest
commodity by volume by 1446 was a declining
export due to the rise of our own manufacturing base. Wool reduced by a third
yet export of our broadcloth increased ninefold.
15th
Century Advertising and PR
Advertising in was in its infancy with the copy writers
being poets of the time. (This particular verse sent the red lining spelling
correction on Word 8 into a ‘tizzy’ !)
Off Brutish Albion his
wolle is cheeff richesse
In prys summounting
avery other thing
Sauff greyn and corn :
merchantis al expresse
Woolle is chief
tresoure in this land growying
To Riche and poore
this beeste fyrt clothying
All Naciouns afferme
up to the fulle
In all the world there
is no better wolle
In the window of the
house of one John Barton of Holme, Newark is the following ‘jingle’
I thank God and ever
shall
It is the sheep hath
payed for all
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Talking of windows , I love the creative opportunism
of this shop window of a store in Leicester this week |
