English Wool Export Trade

Timeline

1. c. 1275–1363England · EnglandThe kingdom levied export tariffs on wool and progressively required inspection, packing, and payment at designated staple ports to secure fiscal and trade order. Staple locations changed several times early on, until a 1363 decree of Edward III designated Calais as the main staple for exports to the continent.
2. 1363–1381Calais and eastern England · CalaisThe Calais Staple was administered by the English garrison city, where foreign merchants had to purchase packed wool. The 1381 peasants' revolt led by Wat Tyler struck at the poll tax and manor order, briefly disrupting transport in some producing areas, but the kingdom quickly restored staple operations to maintain fiscal revenue needed for the war against France and lowland trade.
3. 1382–1390Calais Staple · Flanders frontierIn the 1380s raw wool still passed through Calais to Bruges, Ghent, and Florence, with Hanseatic ships transshipping in the North Sea. Meanwhile, England's share of broadcloth exports rose, competing with Flemish guilds; Richard II's government fine-tuned tariffs and export licenses to balance fiscal, domestic workshop, and continental processing interests, maintaining England's position as upstream supplier in Europe's textile chain.