Ditchburn - Trade with N Europe 1297-1540 Flashcards
1297
William Wallace and Andrew Moray write letter to Lubeck & Hamburg
Letter thanked towns for past help & said Scottish ports open again for business.
Limitations of letter:
» Doesn’t say which ports/burghs traded
» Did other towns receive similar letters?
» What goods were being traded?
» Who was trading and how?
» Was it usual for national Gov’t to concern itself with trade
p162
By end C13, Dundee and Berwick - at least - were trading with northern Europe
3 Lubeck merchants failed to pay £80 in customs duties at Dundee in 1297.
At Berwick, evidence suggests German base & possibly resident German community. James of Cologne owned property as did others before 1297
Letter to James the Steward concerns Norwegian ship at Berwick
Early C14, Dundee & Berwick still active in north European trade & other burghs joined them
But 2nd War of Indy laid waste to several towns & affected their trade.
1312 - St Andrews merchants had goods seized in Norway.
Aberdeen considered friendly base for Germans selling pirated English goods after Germans helped oust English garrison from Aberdeen in 1308.
Berwick badly affected in 1333. German community may have disappeared at this point. By 1334, James of Cologne had lost his property & Christopher of Cologne was imprisoned in Newcastle 1333-1335 for Scottish sympathies
More stable conditions in mid-C14 but no evidence of German or Scandinavian traders visiting Scottish ports.
> > May reflect lack of sources
May reflect increase in Scottish share of foreign trade.
1331-1333, foreign merchants paid twice usual customs duties (except in Berwick) and Scottish share foreign trade was 5/6ths. Even higher in following few years (what was higher, dues or trade share?).
Most Scot-German contact probably in Low Countries at this time with smaller burghs eg Cupar, Inverness & St Andrews involved
p163
By 1380s, Germans coming to Scotland again & Scots visiting Baltic
By end C14, all impt east coast burghs had trading links with German merchants
1385 - earl of March writes to Danzig asking for trade to resume with his burgh of Dunbar.
1388 - Prussians at Edinburgh
1393 - Prussians at Linlithgow
1382 - John Dugude of Perth travels to Prussia (in servicio regis)
Relative importance of different burghs
No reason to suppose any one burgh specialised in German trade.
Customs accounts prob reflect relative importance, at least for staple goods
By 1390s - Edinburgh’s ports were largest, approx double nearest rival, Linlithgow trading through Blackness
In C15, east coast burghs had virtual monopoly. Smaller burghs became more active; Cupar, Dunfermline, Dysart, Haddingron, Inverkeithing, Lanark, Peebles, Selkirk all trading with Danzig in 1444 probably through Edinburgh
Danish merchants at Stirling in 1488
Later C15 - Orkney & Shetland attracted German merchants
Except Haddington, links of smaller burghs probably small
Only firm evidence of extent of trade for each burgh is from 1497 Sound Toll Registers
Other source of info is customs accounts
21 Scots ships recorded passing through Sound: 7 - Dundee, 5- Leith, 4 - Aberdeen, 4 - St Andrews, 1 - unknown
Total trade diminished during C15 but Edinburgh’s share grew. By reign James IV = 2/3rd total
Aberdeen share = c. 1/6th
Dundee, Berwick, Haddington & Perth next
Linlithgow share fell substantially after late C14
p164
Similar picture for eary C16
Before 1540, >40% ships through Sound came from Edinburgh or Leith
Dundee - >30%
St Andrews - c. 9%
Dysart - <4%
Aberdeen - 2.6%
Perth, Linlithgow & Haddington - no ships recorded
All smaller burghs recorded were in Fife or Forth Estuary
1st trips between Baltic & burghs of east neuk of Fife or west coast recorded in later C16
Sound Toll Registers don’t record trade with Norway or north-western Germany
Northern burghs might have had stronger links with Norway
Orkney & Shetland most frequented by merchants from Bremen & Hamburg rather than Baltic
By C16 Edinburgh, its port of Leith & Dundee dominated Scotland’s trade with northern Europe.
Trade destinations 1
Earliest German contacts probably with Rhineland & Westphalia. Several merchants ‘of Cologne’ already recorded at Berwick. Topographicalo evidence from C13 Cologne suggests strong ties with Scotland.
Also other cities.
Schotte family (name from Scottish trade contacts?) prominent in Soest from late C13. Also links with Dortmund, Osnabruck & Munster.
But from 1340s, Rhenish & Westphalian merchants no longer importand in Scottish trade.
Cologne’s British trade increasingly focused on southern England
Scotland’s direct (western Hansa) trade switched to Dutch towns; Kampen, Nijmegen, Stavoren & maybe Deventer
p165
Trade destinations 2
NW German towns had more sustained links with Scotland. When began uncertain but Lubeck letter suggests revial existing trade, not start new trade.
During Wars of Independence, merchants from Lubeck, Hamburg, Greifswald, Stralsund & limited extent Bremen all traded - but maybe not from home ports.
Probably supplied Scotland from England and Low Countries
Trade destinations 3
Little trace of NW German traders in Scotland in mid C14 but trade probably not entirely absent.
Enough Scots visited (NE German ports) Anklam in 1330 & 1335 and Stralsund in 1370 for activity to be regulated
Mid-C15 - considerble contact with Bremen so that James II grated special privilages to Bremen merchants in 1454. But trade declined, except for Shetland fisheries
Closest ties with Stralsund. Scots also settled there in later C15. Closure of the Sound in 1428 through Danish-Hanseatic dispute caused complaints from Stralsund brewers coz it prevented their access to one of most important markets (Scotland)
Trade destinations 4
Links with NW Germany became less impt than eastern Baltic.
After opening of the Sound route in 1380s, Prussians fron Danzig & Konigsberg became interested in Scots trade. By early C15, more impt than western towns.
1412 - embargo on Scots trade by Hansa after Scots pirates attacked Hanseatic ships. Danzig, Stralsund & Hamburg objected to embargo.
Embargo in force till 1436 but Prussian merchants visited Scotland anyway.
p166
Trade destinations 5
C15 - Links with Danzig & Konigsberg grew & Scots settled there. Trade greatest with Danzig.
Smaller Baltic towns had minor links; eg Stettin by C15 and Colberg by early C16.
From 1470s, Scots trading in Danzig hinterland & even at Cracow.
Scandinavian trade
Traditional link was Norway but in C14 & C15 Hansa increasing dominated Norwegian trade. In early C16, Norwegian trade opened again to non-Germans.
German domination of commercial trade in Denmark less marked than in Norway but still later C15 before Scots trade with Denmark developed with Copenhagen as main centre. By 1539 there were enough Scots there to need own altar. Contacts also with Aalborg, Elsinore & Roskilde
Swedish trade only impot in later C16. Except Skania (southern tip adjacent Denmark). Scots at herring fairs here from C14
Prussia = region with strongest links to Scotland
Trading patterns shifted from north sea in earlier part period to eastern Baltic
Why shift?
» Part political - Hanseatic dominance of Norway reduced Scots contacts from mid C14
» Opening of the Sound to shipping in 1380s meant direct contact with eastern Europe was possible
» main reason was changing commodities being traded
p 167
Exports
Middle ages - main export = wool, fells (wool-bearing skins) and hides. Also some cloth, fish, skins & salt.
Germans trading with Low Countries dealt with all.
Not same demand in Scandinavia or Baltic for these esp wool as no cloth manufacturing to speak of.
Data survive for Baltic for Danzig only for late C15 and early C16. > half was ‘small packs’ ie mixed staple goods. Cloth c. 17%. Scottish cloth poor quality but market among Baltic poor. Salt c. 27% competed with western France esp when Anglo-Hanseatic disputes in C15 meant Hansa ships enroute to France for salt oft attacked by English pirates.
More variable exports to western Hanseatic ports
Import-export
Stockfish from Shetland to Bremen & Hamburgh
Coal from Dysart to Denmark, 1507
Some imports to Scotland then re-exported eg wine & alum from Leith to Copenhagen & Elsinore in 1479. Large quantities of cloth, probably originally from England, shipped to Danzig by Scottish merchants, 1444.
p 168
Imports
Germans brought victuals & arms from England & Low Countries
Cologne cloth in 1330s and 40s. Rhenish wine.
From 1380s, most Scottish-German trade took place in eastern Baltic. Grain from Prussia & Poland = one of earliest & most important. Teutonic Order’s Scottish factors dealt in wheat, rye, malt & flour. Honey & ale also but these less import.
Raw materials, flax & linen = most impt. Flax bcm mainstay of Prussian trade. Also wood (Eastland boards) used for eg building, masts, barrel staves. Also wood by products of tar, pitch & ash.
Iron = main mineral import though not major item.
p 169
Trade with northern Germany less impt than Low Countries & Eastern Baltic but similar commodities
Scots demand for Norwegian timber for ship building saw rise in trade in later C15
Swedish produce eg copper, iron, agricultural produce came to Scotland bia Danzig
Limitations for records
Lack of sources means hard to know who traded from Scottish burghs with northern Europe & how.
All but impossible to check merchants known to be active with burgh records
Assume merchants taking citizenship in Baltic towns = men of substance. Parliamentary statute 1467 decreed only the ‘famous & worshipfull’ could trade abroad
Data for Scottish imports & exports survive for Danzig alone of Baltic ports so general conclusions difficult.
Broad conclusions:
No demand for Scottish wool in Baltic & other exports small
Value of Scottish goods in later C15 averaged only 3% Danzig’s total imports.
Exports to Scotland much higher. 12% of Danzig total exports betw 1490-1492.
Bullion used to pay for imports & efforts to prevent this increased in later C15.
Scotland’s stake in overall Baltic trade probably minimal & trade heavily in deficit.
p 170
‘lesser’ men limited from visiting Baltic by Aberdeen, 1502. Complaints from all over Germany about itinerant Scottish pedlars but may have come to mean pedlars of any nationality.
No equivlent of peddlars among German traders visiting Scotland but merchant elite probably traded little with Scotland
How trade conducted?
Lack of evidence. In Hanseatic cities, partnerships were common to spread risk & increase capital. not clear if medieval Scots did same as they often sent cargo to Baltic from single owner though usually clubbed together (with other Scots and/or Germans) to charter a ship
Scots often used foreign ships. 1428 act permitted this but already happening re German trade. Germans trading in Scotland also used Scottish ships.
p 171
Sailing
Scots skippers liked to hug coast but not always possible.
Usual to sail open seas in convoy for safety
Difficult to know how long trips took but Scotland to Danzig return twice in one season was possible
Some merchants sailed with goods and sold at destination. From later middle ages though buying/selling usually done through factors.
Currency
Scots & German traders used various currency eg Scots, prussian, Rhenish, Wendish & English.
Hanseatic traders used credit from C13, evidenced by existence of debts eg 1417, list of 41 Scots in debt of Teutonic Order.
Debt could be money loans or goods not paid for
