) The
mayor and constables of the staple were elected annually by the
native and foreign merchants of the place. The mayor gave validity
to contracts for a set fee, by seal of his office. He and the
constables had jurisdiction over all persons and things touching
the staple, which was regulated by the Law Merchant in all matters
of contract, covenant, debt, and felonies against foreign
merchants. A hue and cry was required to be raised and followed
for anyone taking a cart of merchandise or slaying a merchant,
denizen [resident alien] or alien, or the town would answer for
the robbery and damage done. In 1363, Calais, a continental town
held by the English, became the staple town for lead, tin, cloth,
and wool and was placed under a group of London capitalists: the
Merchants of the Staple. All exports of these had to pass through
Calais, where customs tax was collected.
Guns and cannon were common by 1372. In the 1300s and 1400s, the
king relied on mercenaries hired directly or by contract with his
great nobles for foreign wars. The King reimbursed the contractors
with the profits of war, such as the ransoms paid by the families
of rich prisoners. The fighting men supplemented their pay by
plunder. Featherbeds and blooded horses were favorite spoils of
war brought back to England from the continent. As new techniques
with footmen came into being, the footmen became the core of the
army and the knightly abilities of the feudal tenants-in-chief
became less valuable.
Pages:
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447