18. The Weighhouse

Since 1275 when Edward I had introduced a regular tax on wool exports, there had been an on-going battle between those whose job it was to collect custom duties and those traders who wished to avoid paying them.  In Hull’s early days many did manage to ship goods without paying duty, resulting in stringent rules being introduced to try and combat this.  No ship, for instance, was to leave harbour unless fully loaded with no room left for any untaxed items to be sneakily added later. 

Following this, many moved their profitable illegal activities to less populated areas along the Humber.  In 1365 John de Selby, William Wele and two others sailed from Paull to smuggle ten sacks of wool worth £40 over to Flanders, a cargo that was likely worth more then the ship carrying it.  Others were even more devious.  Peter de Grymesby left Hull with his vessel fully loaded as per the rules and with duty correctly paid.  However stashes of wool were later discovered in the beds and storage chests belonging to the crew.  Peter declared that he knew nothing about it.  He had hired the best men for the voyage who had such team working skills that they had managed to load all the extra wool whilst his back was briefly turned.

By the fifteenth century, Hull’s customs officials had gained a new weapon.  The weighhouse was situated on the High Street, just south of Chapel Lane Staith.  Locals knew it as the woolhouse even though a variety of goods passed through it.  It was an imposing structure constructed across several building plots.  There was an inner courtyard, the floor of which was covered with damp reeds to prevent dust as cargos were moved about.  By the entrance was an arcade for merchants to dry off whilst making deals and exchanging gossip.  Backing onto the river at the rear were two wharfs and between them a tower.

The first floor of this tower housed the customs office, offering officials an excellent view of the people and goods moving around below.  Now only citizens of Hull could enjoy the privilege of having their goods weighed in their own warehouse, and then only with the permission of the mayor.  All other cargoes had to go to the woolhouse to be weighed and assessed for duty.  Goods then had to be loaded immediately onto ships by the official porters, unless the weather was bad in which case they had to be stored in the weighhouse until it improved.  For all of these services a fee was charged with the profits making a welcome contribution to the town’s coffers.

Photo: Chapel Lane Staith Hull, near the former site of the weighhouse.

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17. Hull on the Map

Inhabitants of Hull in the latter half of the 14th Century lived in a port that was one of the centres of the wool trade and was blessed with the royal prefix ‘Kyngeston’.  The designers of the contemporary Gough Map though seemingly took great pains to draw the nearby town of Beverley in its proper place before realising that Hull could no longer fit in its rightful spot on the west bank of the river Hull.  It was then squeezed in on the east bank in the hope that no one would notice.

In defence of those who produced the Gough Map, it does show a remarkably recognisable outline of England, although Scotland and Wales are vague blobs of uncertainty.  Included were 600 settlements of varying sizes plus a network of roads and rivers.  Certainly Hull was important but it was still a small town of 3000 people centred on just a few streets and not even a century old.  Meanwhile Beverley was an ancient town dating back till at least the 10th century with almost twice the population plus the popular shrine of St John.

Following the map from Beverley you could take the road to Bridlington, perhaps to visit its priory, or alternatively head to York via Market Weighton.  Bustling York had a population of 14500, a great Minster and numerous religious foundations.  Its annual mystery plays retelling stories from the bible were legendary and attracted an audience from far and wide.  It held three large fairs a year offering produce including exciting exotic foodstuffs like almonds, liquorice and spices.

Missing from the map are the roads laid out from Hull early in the 14th Century to Beverley, Anlaby, Hessle, and east to Bilton through Holderness.  More important roads are also absent however, such the Fosse Way, a major route from Exeter to Lincoln laid out by the Romans.  Most of England’s roads were patched up Roman roads or basic cartways.  In fine weather you could travel 40 miles a day on horse or 30 miles on foot but when rain inevitably came most roads became impassable.  Those into Hull were built on low-lying ground so frequently flooded and maintaining them was a constant struggle.

Although rivers were essential for moving bulky goods like wool and timber, Hull’s merchants valued roads for local trade and transporting smaller loads.  Consequently many left money in their will for repairs, such as John Tutbury who in 1433 left £10 to spend on any ‘ruinous and dangerous roads within thirty miles’.  Such bequests were viewed as charity benefiting not only fellow merchants but all looking to travel whether pilgrim, friar, or small farmer.

Image: Section of the Gough Map taken from http://www.goughmap.org/map/, where the full map can be viewed and searched.

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