Account Rolls of the Mercers and Merchant Adventurers

Dr Maud Sellers long ago called attention to the magnificent series of account rolls and printed a few extracts from them in her Surtees Society volume. From relatively simple arrangements of the accounts in the 1430s and early 1440s with sections for receipts and arrears, fees, foreign expenses, and repairs, when appropriate (recepcio cum arreragia, feoda, expense forinsece and reparaciones), the rolls undergo a series of modifications in lay-out as time progresses. By the middle of the 15th century receipts are divided into payments of arrears, the entry fees of new members, the subsidies of existing members; and the debts into pensions and fees, minor expenses, outstanding debts and arrears, and items of irregular expenditure (such as repair of the pageant house 1451-3; hall repairs 1465; the chapel roof 1475). The shipping payments are first found as a separate section in 1472 and a typical account roll at the end of the century is arranged as follows: receipts of money, arrears of payments from members, entry fees for new members, subsidies of members, shipping payments (naves, fraghtages in diversis navibus, viagia in navibus), pageant house payments, with allowances and expenses (allocaciones). A change occurs in account-keeping in 1500. From that year onwards the rental of property is included in the roll, and the expenditure section is further subdivided into: accustomed allowances and fees, rent payments, the cost of lights, the salaries of the chaplains, and repair expenditure on tenements. Decays of tenements and property (subsequently decrements and decays) is a section introduced in 1501, and amercements (later forfeit money) is found from 1518, occasionally linked with testamentary legacies and from 1536 with gauging money. The latter becomes a separate section in the middle of the century and a section for the venison feast occurs from 1570. After 1592 the shipping section is omitted. By 1582 the format of the account has many more subdivisions: money in store; new brethren; arrerages; shipping; subsidies; gauging money; advantages found by the auditors; old debts, venison feast and pageant masters; the rental; for cloth lying in the Hall; casual receipts and fines; money received of those who are admitted as occupiers; impositions on those who do not venture; allowances; foreign payments; rents resolute; annuity; gauging money (farm); reparations; venison feast charges; auditors' expenses; certain rents allowed.
Until 1581 the accounts are recorded collectively in the name of the Master (or Governor) and the two Constables or Wardens. From 1582 onwards the heading is altered to specify that these are accounts of the two Wardens, in the time of such-and-such a Governor. The headings of these account rolls provide a useful sidelight on the development and history of the craft and guild. From 1432 to 1460 the usual title given is 'master of the fellowship of the mistery of mercers of the City of York' (magister communitatis mistere mercerorum civitatis Ebor', with mistere occasionally omitted). A paper account of 1465 in English renders it as 'master of the fellischipe of the crafte of mercers of the city of York'. In 1472 a change occurs to magister gilde sive fraternitatis sancte Trinitatis in Fossgate in civitate Ebor', but this quickly gives way to the combined title of magister mistere mercerorum ac gilde et fraternitatis sancte Trinitatis in Fossgate in civitate Ebor', or slight variants on that theme, for the remainder of the century and the early years of the next. Another significant stage is reached in 1517 when the title 'Governor' is found for the first time in these rolls:....magistri sive gubernatoris societatis mercatorum et mercerorum eiusdem civitatis ac fraternitatis sive gilde sancte Trinitatis in Fossgate in eadem civitate fundate, although the title is found occasionally in earlier documents of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, and indeed is found in Henry VI's charter of 1430. From 1524 custos or 'keeper' is used to describe the head of the confraternity. In 1529 when the rolls go into English the full title given is a straight translation of the preceding: Governor of the Feliship and mistere of the merchauntes and mercers of the city of York and keeper of the confraternity and gilde of the Blissed Trinite founden in Fossgate. Within two years a minor amendment is made in the form of 'the Fellowship of the mystery'. From 1547, following the dissolution of the Guild, the title Governor of the Felyshipe of the Mystery of Marchauntes and Mercers of the Citye of Yorke is employed until 1591, with a minor variation between 1569 and 1579 when Master and Governor is found. In 1592 the Fellowship of Merchant Adventurers within the City of York is adopted and continues in use in the account rolls until 1618. Rather surprisingly, the stray roll for the three years 1679-81 reverts to the Fellowship and Guild of Merchants and Mercers of the City of York.
All the rolls are of parchment, with the exception of those for 1460-1 and 1465-6, and are generally from one to three membranes in length. The first roll combines several individual accounts sewn together, comprising in total eight membranes and there are two early-16th century rolls of four membranes (1516,1518) and another two of five (1505,1507). There is no roll for 1532-33.