The Merchant Adventurers of England

Chartered by the crown in 1474, the Merchant Adventurers was England's preeminent regulated international trading company until the early nineteenth century. It functioned as a guild, with members who were the only merchants entitled to export finished cloth from the growing English woolen industry, which gave them an unchallenged monopoly. It was the only company entitled to export cloth from England to other countries. The organization served as a social channel for its members, who built The Merchant Adventurers Hall at York in the North of England after the group was formed in 1357. This source book collects eighteen substantial documents written between 1407 and 1805, the most important years of the society's history. This group includes the Charter of 1407, extracts from the Charter of Edward IV (1462) and the Laws and Ordinances of 1608. Taken together, these records form one of the most detailed pictures of business organizations and methods during the later Tudor, the Stuart, and the early Hanoverian eras. With detailed notes and an extensive introduction. CONTENTS The Merchant Adventurers, A Brief History The Laws and Ordinances The Rise and State of the Fellowship The Statute of 1497 Extracts from Wheeler, A Treatise of Commerce Residence towns of the Adventurers The number of freemen Extract from "the Debate betweene the Heraides" The Charter of 1407 Extracts from the Charter of Edward IV, 1462 Extracts from the Charter of Elizabeth of 1464 List of...