The Smugglers' City
Department
of History, University
of Bristol
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Updated: |
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Customs Account: The Matthew of Bristol, 1503/4
Source: Transcribed and translated by Evan
Jones with assistance from Wendy Childs and Duncan Kennedy.
Manuscript: PRO E122 199/1
The following accounts are translated from the Bristol Customs Accounts covering the year 29 September 1503 - 28 September 1504. It is highly probable that this Matthew of Bristol, is the same ship in which John Cabot sailed across the Atlantic in his 1497 voyage of discovery to North America. A glossary and notes are provided at the end.
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A small ship called the Mathewe of Bristol, in which Edmund Griffeth is master, exited towards Ireland the same day [20 December 1503] and the same [ship] has in her: [1] |
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Hugh Eliet den. |
6 tons corrupt wine, val. £9 |
sub. 9s. |
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Idem |
12 lb. worked silk, val. £8 |
sub. 8s. |
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Idem |
3 tons salt, val. 50s. |
sub. 2s. 6d. |
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Idem |
4 clb. aniseed, val. 40s. |
sub. 2s. |
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Idem |
12 stone orchil, val. 20s. |
sub. 12d. |
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Idem |
2 barrels honey, val. 23s. 4d. |
sub. 14d. |
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Idem |
11 woollen cloths [2] |
cust. 12s. 10d. |
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Edmund Griffeths den. |
2 woollen cloths |
cust. 2s. 4d. |
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Idem |
20 lbs. dyed cloth [3], val. 6s. 8d. |
sub. 4d. |
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A small ship called the Mathewe of Bristol, in which Edmund
Griffeth is master, |
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The same master den. |
4.5 dicker salted hides, val. 60s. |
sub. 3s. |
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Idem |
11 burden salt fish, val. 36s. 8d. |
sub. 22d. |
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Jonyco, alien [4] |
60 lbs. wax, val. 20s. |
sub. 12d. cust. 3d. |
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Idem |
120 lamb skins, val. 5s. |
sub. 3d. cust. 3f. |
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Idem |
26 otter skins, val. 10s. 10d. |
sub. 5d 2f. cust. 1d. 3f. |
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Edmund Griffeth den. |
2.5 burden salt fish, val. 8s. 4d. |
sub. 5d. |
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A small ship called the Mathewe of Bristol, in which William Claron is master, exited towards Bordeaux the same day [13 June 1504] and the same [ship] has in her: |
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Richard Hobie den. |
8 woollen cloths |
cust. 9s. 4d. |
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Robert Barrero den.
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16 woollen cloths |
cust. 18s. 8d. |
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A small ship called the Mathewe of Bristol, in which William Claron is master, came from Bordeaux the same day [12 August 1504] and the same [ship] has in her: |
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John Shipman den. |
8 pipes, 3 measure woad, |
sub. 40s. 11d. 1f. |
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Idem |
1 tun vinegar, val. 40s. |
sub. 2s. |
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Idem |
10 tons salt, val. £4 3s. 4d. |
sub. 4s. 2d. |
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William Jeffereis den. |
22 pipes woad, val. £110 |
sub. 110s. |
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Richard Hobie den. |
3 pipes, 10 measures woad, |
sub. 18s. 1d. 2f. |
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Humphrey Brown den. |
1.5 pipes woad, val. £7 10s. |
sub. 7s. 6d. |
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Robert Barrero den. |
10 pipe, 12 measures woad, |
sub. 53s. 9d. |
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A small ship called the Mathewe of Bristol, in which William Claron is master, exited towards northern Spain [5] the same day [28 August 1504] and the same [ship] has in her: |
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Roger Dawes den. |
1 woollen cloth |
cust. 14d. |
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Idem |
14 'Dozen' [6] woollen cloths |
cust. 8s. 2d. |
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William Hurste den. |
13.5 woollen cloths |
cust. 15s. 9d. |
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John Grene den. |
1.5 woollen cloths |
cust. 21d. |
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Idem |
2 dozen tanned calf skins, val. 5s. |
sub. 3d. |
| John Shipman & |
36 woollen cloths |
cust. 42s. |
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John Shipman den. |
8 cwt. worked tin, val. £12 |
sub. 12s. |
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Richard Hobie den. |
43 cwt. worked lead, val. £10 15s. |
sub. 10s. 9d. |
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Idem |
9 woollen cloths |
cust. 10s. 6d. |
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John Meysam den. |
8 woollen cloths |
cust. 9s. 4d. |
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Thomas Hawkens den. |
8 woollen cloths |
cust. 9s. 4d. |
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Robert Barrero den. |
10 woollen cloths |
cust. 11s. 8d. |
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William Thorne den. |
5 woollen cloths |
cust. 5s. 10d. |
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John Edee den. |
20 woollen cloths |
cust. 23s. 4d. |
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William Aphowell den. |
7 woollen cloths |
cust. 8s. 2d. |
| John Ware & |
6 woollen cloths |
cust. 7s. |
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John Jansie den. |
8 woollen cloths |
cust. 9s. 4d. |
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Richard Hobie den. |
7 woollen cloths |
cust. 8s. 8d. |
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Robert Rowlowe den. |
8 woollen cloths |
cust. 9s. 4d. |
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John Qwirke den. |
1 woollen cloth |
cust. 14d. |
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John Rowland den. |
17 doz strait welsh cloths, val. 70s. 10d. |
sub. 3s. 6d. 2f. |
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Thomas Badcok den. |
8 woollen cloths |
cust. 9s. 4d. |
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Robert Rowlowe den. |
2 woollen cloths |
cust. 2s. 4d. |
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Thomas Aphowell den. |
2 woollen cloths |
cust. 2s. 4d. |
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William Estbie den. |
5 woollen cloths |
cust. 5s. 10d. |
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Robert Rowlowe den. |
7 woollen cloths |
cust. 8s. 2d. |
Glossary:
burden: A unit of measure often used for salt fish. Perhaps around
30 cod, weighing c. 60lbs.
clb.: A 'hundred' pounds, which could mean 100, 112, 120 or even
124.
cust.: Custom. Two main taxes were described as custom in the 'customs'
accounts. All woollen cloths of assize, dyed without grain, paid custom
of 1s. 2d. per cloth. The term custom was also applied to a tax paid by
alien (foreign) merchants in addition to the standard tax of 'Subsidy'
paid by all merchants. Custom for alien merchants amounted to 3d. in the
£ -i.e. 1.25% of the nominal value of the goods.
d.: Pence.
den.: denizen (i.e. a resident of England, Wales or Ireland)
f.: Farthing.
measure: 32 measures of woad = 1 ton.
pipe: 2 pipes woad = 1 ton.
s.: Shilling.
sub.: Subsidy. A tax of one shilling in the £ on the value
of all goods that paid the subsidy - i.e. 5% of the nominal value of the
goods. This tax is also known as 'poundage'.
val.: Value. Note, this represents the nominal value of the goods
according to the customs rates book. The real value might be somewhat
different to the listed value.
Notes:
[1] Translated from the Latin (italics indicate suspensions): 'Navicula
vocata le Mathewe de Bristol unde Edmundus Griffeth
est magister exivit versus hibernia eodem
die et habet intus eadem'.
[2] 'pann sine grano' = a woollen cloth of assize, 24 yards long x 2 yards
wide, dyed without grain. The fact that the cloth was dyed without 'grain'
(an expensive red dye) meant that it paid a lower rate of tax than cloth
dyed with grain. By the sixteenth century almost all the cloth shipped
from England was dyed without grain, so in this translation such cloth
is simply listed as 'woollen cloth'.
[3] 'pilior tinct' = According to Longfield, Anglo-Irish Trade
(1929), pp. 151-3, this is 'pilus tinctus', i.e. dyed cloth. On
the other hand, Carus-Wilson, Overseas Trade of Bristol (1937)
p. 269, suggests it may stand for 'pilorum tinct' (dyed hair).
[4] 'alien' merchants paid an additional duty 'custom' equivalent to one
quarter of the 'subsidy'.
[5] 'Hispan' = Spain. In this context almost always northern Spain, esp.
the Basque provinces, from where Bristol ships brought back iron.
[6] A 'Dozen' is a short cloth (12 yards long) which paid half the custom
of a standard cloth of assize.