Appendix: Foreign trade in early modern Hull to 1700

A History of the County of York East Riding: Volume 1, the City of Kingston Upon Hull. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1969.

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'Appendix: Foreign trade in early modern Hull to 1700', in A History of the County of York East Riding: Volume 1, the City of Kingston Upon Hull, (London, 1969) pp. 172-173. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/east/vol1/pp172-173 [accessed 17 March 2024]

In this section

APPENDIX: FOREIGN TRADE

TABLE 1: Wool Export: Denizen, 1510–47

(quinquennial figures) (fn. 1)

Sacks exported
1510–14 1,452 (fn. 2)
1515–19 2,911
1520–4 1,877 (fn. 2)
1525–9 1,712
1530–4 348 (fn. 2)
1535–9 517
1540–4 655
1545–7 20 (fn. 3)

TABLE 2: Cloth Export: Denizen and Alien, 1510–47

(quinquennial figures) (fn. 4)

Cloths exported
Denizen Hanse Other alien Total
1510–14 3,177 3,448 189 6,764
1515–19 2,872 3,543 209 6,624
1520–4 2,198 1,379 (fn. 5) 159 (fn. 6) 3,736
1525–9 3,023 2,550 155 5,728
1530–4 1,903 1,447 85 3,435
1535–9 2,966 314 185 3,465
1540–4 3,580 189 98 (fn. 7) 3,867
1545–7 186 (fn. 7) 202 (fn. 7) 172 (fn. 7) 560

TABLE 3: Cloth Export, 1614 and 1637 (fn. 8)

To Baltic To all other parts
Kerseys Dozens (fn. 9) Kerseys Dozens
1614 32,480 2,062 13,133 3,625
1637 13,742 4,759 20,613 16,734

TABLE 4: Cloth Export, 1609–1700 (fn. 10)

1609 1637 1682 1700
Kerseys 39,079 34,355 34,399 53,868
Dozens 2,723 21,493 27,656 27,335
Bays 961 12,221 17,175

TABLE 5: Various Imports, 1633–96 (fn. 11)

Iron Flax Hemp Tar and pitch
(tons) (cwt.) (cwt.) (lasts and barrels)
1633 66 6,830 185 13
1681 1,273 11,938 8,633 192
1685 1,971 9,185 18,187 250
1696 1,463 5,108 2,924 286

TABLE 6: Number of Ships Entering Hull from Abroad, 1567–1687 (fn. 12)

Origin 1567 1609 1637 1687
Low Countries 41 30 36 21
Germany 4 6 4
France 16 10 35 19
Spain 4 1
Total Western Europe 61 45 77 44
Norway 3 16 29 59
Sweden 7 16
Danzig, Elbing, and Konigsberg 14 33 32 16
North Baltic 4 18
White Sea and Arctic 4 4 1
Total North Europe and beyond 25 53 69 109
Scotland 43 19 6
America 1
Grand Total 129 117 152 154
English ships 61 60 105 135
Foreign ships 68 57 47 19

TABLE 7: Number of Ships Entering Hull Coastwise, 1600–92 (fn. 13)

1600 1636 1692
Colliers 225 132 194
Others 68 186 145
Total 293 318 339

Footnotes

  • 1. Based on Eleanora M. Carus-Wilson and Olive Coleman, England's Export Trade, 1275–1547. The figures are for full years ending at Michaelmas in the years stated.
  • 2. 4 years only.
  • 3. 1 year only.
  • 4. Based on Carus-Wilson and Coleman, op. cit. The figures are for full years ending at Michaelmas in the years stated.
  • 5. 4 years only.
  • 6. 3 years only.
  • 7. 1 year only.
  • 8. Hall, 'Trade of Newcastle & North-East', 134, 284, 288; Davis, Trade & Shipping of Hull, 22.
  • 9. A dozen was reckoned to be worth nearly twice as much as a short-cloth.
  • 10. Hall, thesis cit. 132, 134, 283, 288; Davies, 'Town and Trade of Hull', 158.
  • 11. S.-E. Aström, From Cloth to Iron, i. 204–8.
  • 12. Davis, Trade & Shipping of Hull, 24.
  • 13. Davis, Trade & Shipping of Hull, 24.