The amount of revenue obtained by the King from the City of London in the year 1268 is shown by the following return furnished by the Bailiffs Walter Hervey and William de Durham.
| £ | s. | d. | |
| By the amount of Tunnages (king’s weigh-house) and petty strandages | 97 | 13 | 11½ |
| By the amount of Customs of Foreign Merchandise together with the Issues of divers Passages | 75 | 6 | 10 |
| By the Metage of Corn and Customs at Billingsgate | 5 | 18 | 7 |
| By the Customs of Fish, etc., brought to London Bridge Street | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| By the Issue of the Field and Bars of Smithfield | 4 | 7 | 6 |
| By Tolls raised at the City Gates and Duties in the River Thames westward of the Bridge | 8 | 13 | 2 |
| By Stallages, Duties arising from the Markets of Westcheap, Grass Cheap, and Wool Church, Haw and Annual Socage of the Butchers of London | 42 | 0 | 5 |
| By the Produce of Queenshithe | 17 | 9 | 2 |
| By Chattels of Foreigners forfeited for trading in the City | 10 | 11 | 0 |
| By Places and Perquisites within the City | 86 | 5 | 9 |
| By the Produce of the Waidarii and Ambiani or Corbye and Neele French Merchants of these towns | 9 | 6 | 8 |
| Total | £364 | 13 | 2½ |
In the year 1267 there was a serious riot, showing that the craftsmen had not yet learned the lesson of fraternity towards each other. It rose from a quarrel between the goldsmiths and the tailors. Other trades joined in: for instance the tawyers who prepared fine leather: and the parmenters who dealt in broad-cloth. For several days the streets were thronged with companies of these conflicting trades, fighting and murdering. In the end the riot was suppressed and the ringleaders were executed.
[CHAPTER V]
EDWARD I
EDWARD I. (1239-1307)
The new reign began with the adjustment of an outstanding quarrel. Flanders was the principal cloth-making country, and, as such, she was always the chief customer of England for wool, in the trade of which so many of the London merchants were interested. In the year 1270, when the Countess of Flanders thought fit to lay hands upon the wool and other merchandise belonging to English merchants in her dominions, Henry issued a writ to the Mayor and Sheriffs forbidding the export of wool anywhere out of the kingdom. This measure failed to produce the desired effect. The King therefore, in 1270, seized all the goods of the Flemings, Hainaulters, and other subjects of the Countess; he ordered the London merchants to draw up an estimate of their wares, to be replaced out of the Flemings’ goods, and banished every Fleming out of the country. The property seized more than covered the amount of the loss. When the old King died during the absence of Edward in the Holy Land, the Chancellor, Walter de Merton, continued to banish the Flemings.
On his journey home, Edward received an embassy from the Countess, and sent for four discreet citizens to confer with him. The four chosen were Henry Waleys, afterwards Mayor of Bordeaux, as well as of London; Gregory de Rokesley, goldsmith and wool merchant; John Horn, evidently of Flemish descent; and Luke de Battencourt, Sheriff. Peace was concluded and signed in the same year—1274.