Piece
c 246-255
Catalogue reference: C 65/6064
Date: 62 & 63 Vict
c 246-255
Sub-series
MERCHANTS
Catalogue reference: Sub-series within C 255
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Sub-series within C 255
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Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
- Sub-series within C 255
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Title (The name of the record)
- MERCHANTS
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Note (Additional information about the record)
- These files show the pattern and hazards of English and foreign trade during two centuries of mistrust, attacks and reprisals between English and alien merchants. Most commonly, requests for redress of grievance came from the merchants themselves but, from time to time, foreign heads of state, the count of Flanders among them, (C255/4/3 no. 9.) the English king, council and parliament were all involved to obtain a mutual settlement of disputes. (e.g. with Prussia, see C255/4/14 nos. 17-19, 22 and C256/7 nos. 17 et seq.) The grievances advanced ranged from commercial rivalry and malpractice, which no legislation could completely control, to acts of open war. Occasionally smaller foreign communities, like St Omer (C255/4/2 nos. 18-20.) or the abbey of Fécamp (C255/4/10 no. 8.) were subject to reprisals but more often all the merchants of the country of the offender trading in England were involved and, as these files contain material relating to France, Germany, Flanders, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Norway and Italy, they illustrate the extent of international trade in the period they cover. The documents are broadly of two kinds: the first, warrants sued out by English merchants for reprisals against aliens trading in England for alleged wrongs committed at home or abroad; secondly, writs certiorari super causa arestacionis etc on behalf of aliens attempting to regain possessions of their goods and, occasionally, of their liberty. The majority of such aliens were suffering the penalties of commercial disputes but politics sometimes intruded. (C255/4/5 no. 11, a ship arrested carrying letters of Robert Bruce; C255/4/11 no. 11, a Fleming arrested for wishing the king ill luck in his wars.) The documents in this class must be used with others in the present Chancery rearrangement; for example, summonses to the council and elsewhere to discuss mercantile business are included in Various Summonses (C256) and Warrants for Proclamations (C255/3), and some material relating to alien merchants is to be found on the Corpus cum Causa files (C244). Some customs material concerned with the arrest and release of cargoes has been included here, (e.g. C255/4/10 no. 30; C255/3/12 nos. 4, 28.) but the bulk is arranged elsewhere. A small amount of miscellaneous material concerning merchants has also been included, dealing with such matters as the customs rights of Berwick-upon-Tweed, (C255/4/12 no. 24.) the monopoly claimed by the fishmongers of Winchester, (C255/4/11 no. 12.) trading hours (C255/4/8 no. 22.) and the enforcement of just weights. (C255/4/2 no. 24.) The documents in this class were formerly included in Chancery Miscellanea (C47) Bundles 89-146, Chancery Files (C202) Series C and unsorted miscellanea from the Tower.
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C64821/
Series information
C 255
Chancery Files, Tower and Rolls Chapel Series, Miscellaneous Files and Writs
See the series level description for more information about this record.
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1,513,583 records
Within the department: C
Records created, acquired, and inherited by Chancery, and also of the Wardrobe, Royal...
134 records
Within the series: C 255
Chancery Files, Tower and Rolls Chapel Series, Miscellaneous Files and Writs
You are currently looking at the sub-series: Sub-series within C 255
MERCHANTS
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