Merchants of the Staple
Encyclopedia
The Merchants of the Staple, also known as the Merchant Staplers, was an English company which controlled the export of wool
to the continent during the late medieval period.
The company of the staple may perhaps trace its ancestry back as far as 1282 or even further, but probably the safest date to accept would be 1359.
From 1314, the Crown required all wool for export to be traded at a designated market, called 'the staple'. This allowed the Crown to monitor the trade and levy tax
on exports. After Calais was conquered in 1347 by the English, Calais
was the staple from 1363, after that right had been assigned in turns to Bruges
and Antwerp in the first half of the 14th century. A group of twenty-six traders was incorporated as the Company of the Staple at Calais. In exchange for its cooperation in the payment of taxes, the company was granted a total monopoly on wool exports from England. The company was important to the English crown, both as a source of revenue, and through its role in the defence of Calais against the French.
As domestic cloth production increased, raw wool exports were less important, diminishing the power of the Merchants. In 1558, with the loss of Calais to the French, the staple was transferred to Bruges
where the Merchant Staplers continued to enjoy their monopoly on exports. However, in 1614, export of raw wool was banned entirely during the Cockayne Project of William Cockayne
and wool was traded only in domestic staples. The project failed however, because the Estates-General of the Netherlands
banned the import of cloth from England. In 1617 the English lifted their ban, but the Dutch ban remained in place. The Merchant Staplers continued to exist, but only in local markets.
The Company still exists but now as a dining club, based in Yorkshire, but makes charitable contributions to charities involved in the wool business.
William Browne 1410-1489 was Mayor of the Calais Staple.
Thomas Davenport, Mayor of Leicester, was a Stapler.
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
to the continent during the late medieval period.
The company of the staple may perhaps trace its ancestry back as far as 1282 or even further, but probably the safest date to accept would be 1359.
From 1314, the Crown required all wool for export to be traded at a designated market, called 'the staple'. This allowed the Crown to monitor the trade and levy tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
on exports. After Calais was conquered in 1347 by the English, Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
was the staple from 1363, after that right had been assigned in turns to Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
and Antwerp in the first half of the 14th century. A group of twenty-six traders was incorporated as the Company of the Staple at Calais. In exchange for its cooperation in the payment of taxes, the company was granted a total monopoly on wool exports from England. The company was important to the English crown, both as a source of revenue, and through its role in the defence of Calais against the French.
As domestic cloth production increased, raw wool exports were less important, diminishing the power of the Merchants. In 1558, with the loss of Calais to the French, the staple was transferred to Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
where the Merchant Staplers continued to enjoy their monopoly on exports. However, in 1614, export of raw wool was banned entirely during the Cockayne Project of William Cockayne
William Cockayne
Sir William Cockayne , London, England, was a seventeenth-century London merchant, alderman, and, in 1619, Lord Mayor.-Life:...
and wool was traded only in domestic staples. The project failed however, because the Estates-General of the Netherlands
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
banned the import of cloth from England. In 1617 the English lifted their ban, but the Dutch ban remained in place. The Merchant Staplers continued to exist, but only in local markets.
The Company still exists but now as a dining club, based in Yorkshire, but makes charitable contributions to charities involved in the wool business.
William Browne 1410-1489 was Mayor of the Calais Staple.
Thomas Davenport, Mayor of Leicester, was a Stapler.