Drapery in Exile: Edward III, Colchester and the Flemings, 1351–1367

Lambert, Bart; Pajic, Milan

doi:10.1111/1468-229x.12077

Drapery in Exile: Edward III, Colchester and the Flemings, 1351–1367

Lambert, Bart; Pajic, Milan

Authors

Bart Lambert

Milan Pajic

Abstract

Throughout the fourteenth century, Edward III issued several letters of protection encouraging Flemish textile workers to establish their trade in England. During the centuries that followed, historians have disagreed about the newcomers' contribution to the development of the English drapery. Lacking in each debate were quantifiable data related to the presence of Flemish cloth-workers on English soil. This article argues that, between 1351 and 1367, over 100 immigrants from the Low Countries settled in Colchester, twenty-seven of whom were Flemish textile manufacturers exiled from Flanders and welcomed by Edward III in 1351. Attracted by excellent natural conditions for clothmaking, a shortage of manpower following the Black Death and an open economic environment, they made a vital contribution to the town's development as an internationally renowned centre of textile production that was able to withstand the pattern of urban decay so prevalent in other parts of late medieval England.

Citation

Lambert, B., & Pajic, M. (2014). Drapery in Exile: Edward III, Colchester and the Flemings, 1351–1367. History, 99(338), 733-753. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-229x.12077

Journal Article Type	Article
Online Publication Date	Dec 16, 2014
Publication Date	Dec 16, 2014
Deposit Date	Sep 9, 2014
Publicly Available Date	Sep 23, 2015
Journal	History
Print ISSN	0018-2648
Electronic ISSN	1468-229X
Publisher	Wiley
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	99
Issue	338
Pages	733-753
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-229x.12077

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Copyright Statement
© 2014 The Authors. History © 2014 The Historical Association and John Wiley & Sons Ltd This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.