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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