The Merchant Adventurers of the Middle Ages

England’s Guilds of Overseas Traders in Medieval Times

Nov 30, 2009 Rachel Bellerby

England's Merchant Adventurers were groups of men who benefited from long-distance trade and travel in an age when overseas trips were difficult and dangerous.

In England in the High Middle Ages, from the eleventh century onwards, town guilds were prominent. These were groups of merchants and tradesmen who were bound together in a guild, for mutual regulation, benefits and protection from outside trade. The Merchant Adventurers were a new kind of guild – groups of men who wished to trade with other countries, importing and exporting goods, for profits, which could often be substantial.

The Company of Merchant Adventurers of London

The Company of Merchant Adventurers of London were the foremost group of English overseas trade guilds. Trade in and out of England’s capital was obviously well established in medieval times, and the city’s position as a port was also well founded by the Middle Ages. The wide, tidal River Thames enabled goods to be brought in and out of the capital quickly and easily.

The supply chains which the Merchant Adventurers worked with ran as far as Asia, and goods such as spices, textiles, pepper and dyes were imported into England, for the use of wealthy households. And tin, cloth and wool were exported to European buyers, with these English products having a reputation of high quality.

The Origins of the Medieval Merchant Adventurers

The Company of Merchant Adventurers of London claimed to have privileges dating back to the early thirteenth-century, before any other English societies had been established. King Henry IV granted the Company a Royal Charter in 1407, which enabled them to profitably import and export a wide range of goods.

Although London was the foremost Company, there were also members in other towns including York, Hull, Exeter and Ipswich.

Privileges of Being a Member of the Merchant Adventurers

The main benefit of membership of the Merchant Adventurers was undoubtedly financial. Members were the only tradespeople entitled to export cloth from England, giving them an unchallenged monopoly. Until a rise in customs duty in the mid sixteenth-century, the Adventurers used the port of Antwerp for the majority of their overseas trade. This wealthy trading post opened up trade avenues to the Low Countries, France and further afield to Asia, via the Mediterranean.

Members were also able to enjoy socialising with each other, often within their own premises. The Merchant Adventurers Hall at York, in the North of England, which is still in existence and open to visitors, had a Great Hall for feasting, and a chapel for worship. It was typical of the premises of a typical guild in medieval times, and was built through the subscriptions of members, after the group was formed in 1357. As well as feasting, the hall was also used for socialising, business transactions and charity work. Caring for the poor was an important part of being in a position of responsibility in medieval society, and was, believed many people, rewarded in heaven.

Sources

Whittock, Martyn A Brief History of Life in the Middle Ages [Robinson, 2009]

Website of the Merchant Adventurers, York

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Overseas Trade Could Be Very Profitable