13. William de la Pole's Devious Scheme

When in 1337 Edward III went to war with France, he started a conflict that the Victorians would later name the Hundred Years War.  Despite initial easy victories the English army soon became bogged down besieging towns in northern France.  Costs skyrocketed as soldiers bedded in for the long haul and the king’s Flemish allies demanded the payments that they had been promised.

For Edward finding this money wasn’t easy.  Customs duties collected on wool and wine only went so far and parliament had to approve new taxes.  The Italian banking houses weren’t being as generous as previously and borrowing money closer to home wasn't easy.  Officially lending money and charging interest was illegal as it was against church teaching, although there were ways to get around this.

Back during the Scottish wars in 1327, William and Richard de la Pole had lent Edward £7200.  In return they could keep all customs duties paid in Hull and Boston until the amount borrowed had been repaid, plus a little bit extra just to say thank-you.  Presumably the king had considered buying them a present instead but it’s always so hard to know what to get people.

Ten years later Edward turned to William again to help fund his war in France.  William and the Londoner Richard Conduit together thought of a cunning scheme to raise the huge sum needed.  They and other leading merchants formed 'The Wool Company’ and the King granted them a monopoly in trading wool.  Edward also temporarily banned the export of wool to create a shortage in Europe and raise the price.  The company bought 20,000 sacks of wool, which they hoped would fetch £200,000 when sold.  This money would then be loaned to the king and the merchants gradually repaid through collecting customs.

The scheme however collapsed amid rumours of smuggling by merchants looking to keep profits for themselves.  When the king came for his money not enough sacks of wool had, officially at least, been exported to Europe.  Peeved Edward rashly seized those that had and sold them quickly and cheaply.  Although this brought in some ready cash it wasn’t enough and Edward was forced to arrange a temporary truce with France.

Edward III blamed William de la Pole for the fiasco and put him on trial, although this fizzled out when once again the king needed to tap him for a loan.  William though was now on borrowed time.  When a decade later the charges reared their head again, he escaped them by writing off any money that the king owed him and retreating to the safety of Hull.

Photo: Statue of William de la Pole, Pier Head, Hull.

www.historyofhull.blogspot.com 

12. Edward Balliol Sets Sail

Edward Balliol surveyed the countryside of northern France and the estate that following his father’s death was now his.  It was charming but he longed for majestic lochs, porridge and cold drizzle.  Plus he wanted a crown.  His father after all had been king of Scotland when the English had invaded in 1296.  The young Edward had been taken as a prisoner to England and confined there for eighteen years.

Meanwhile the Scottish crown landed firmly in the formidable hands of Robert the Bruce.  However when Robert died it then passed to the far less daunting figure of his five year old son, David I.  Balliol knew that now was his moment to pounce but he needed help.  The River Humber would be the perfect launch site for his invasion and, after a bit of pleading, the English king Edward III gave him permission to use it. 

Disaffected Scottish nobles made their way to Hull, eager to enact revenge against the Bruce family.  They gathered a huge convoy of 88 ships in the Humber, the largest fleet ever recorded in connection with Hull.  On 20 July 1332 it set sail for Fife.  Initially all went smoothly and Balliol achieved his dream of being crowned king.  Admittedly he wasn’t really a proper king as, in return for English assistance, Balliol had promised to accept Edward III as his lord and acknowledge that he only held the Scottish throne due to his benevolence. 

This turned out to be true in reality as well as on paper.  By Christmas Balliol had been forced out of Scotland by David I’s supporters and Edward III realised that he would have to become more personally hands on if the campaign was to be a success. The following summer the English king led a force to recapture Berwick.  Hull was asked to provide 60 men and regularly sent weapons and food up to the east coast to the troops.  Overseeing operations was Hull’s first Mayor William de la Pole, now the pre-eminent merchant in Hull as his brother Richard had moved down to London.

Together Edward III and Edward Balliol met with more success but Balliol’s throne was never fully secured and even the hold he had did not come cheap.  As the fighting dragged on it cost the English king around £25000 a year, an amount he could ill afford once war with France began in 1337.  Edward III eventually sought a compromise with David I and by the middle of the century Balliol was retired with a pension and living in Wheatley near Doncaster.

Photo: Looking down the river Humber towards Spurn Point.

www.historyofhull.blogspot.com