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English Wool Trade Regulation (1275)

Type Event Region England Time 1275

During the 1275 Parliament of Edward I, England enacted a series of trade and fiscal regulations targeting wool, the kingdom's most important export.

Timeline

  1. 1275English ports · EnglandThe 1275 legislation imposed a heavy export duty on each sack of wool and strengthened customs inspections, requiring merchants to pay duties and register at designated ports, providing the crown with steady revenue.
  2. 1275Markets across English counties · EnglandContemporaneous regulations standardized weights and measures for wool and cloth, severely punishing short-weighting and adulteration, ensuring the quality of exported wool and accuracy of tax assessment, and safeguarding the reputation of English wool in international markets.
  3. 1275London · EnglandLegislation gradually restricted foreign (especially Italian) merchants from traveling into the countryside to buy raw wool directly, pushing trade toward designated towns and domestic merchants, laying the foundation for the later staple system.

Sources