Drapery in Exile:<scp>E</scp>dward<scp>III</scp>,<scp>C</scp>olchester and the<scp>F</scp>lemings, 1351–1367

Abstract

Abstract Throughout the fourteenth century, E dward III issued several letters of protection encouraging F lemish textile workers to establish their trade in E ngland. During the centuries that followed, historians have disagreed about the newcomers' contribution to the development of the E nglish drapery. Lacking in each debate were quantifiable data related to the presence of Flemish cloth‐workers on E nglish soil. This article argues that, between 1351 and 1367, over 100 immigrants from the L ow C ountries settled in C olchester, twenty‐seven of whom were F lemish textile manufacturers exiled from F landers and welcomed by E dward III in 1351. Attracted by excellent natural conditions for clothmaking, a shortage of manpower following the B lack D eath 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 E ngland.