Crises, Conflicts and Mercantile Credit, 1311–1329

Abstract

This chapter covers the years 1311–1322 when only merchants were allowed to use the registries. The period was dominated by the conflicts between the king and the baronial party of the Ordainers, while Scottish forces devastated the north of England. The Ordainers reduced the number of registries to twelve, which means that, since only merchants could record their credit, the totals are not comparable with those of other decades which included major contributions of credit given by gentry and clergy. Consequently, they do not fully reflect the famine of 1315–1318. However, they do reveal the outstanding numbers of men in Norfolk who claimed to be professional merchants, and, also, the effect on London’s trade of the first overseas wool staple established at St Omer in 1316.