Middlemen in English Business 225 



the coal trade. In 1634 the employees of the Hostmen are desig- 

 nated under the four appellations, "Fitters, Servants, Agents, or 

 Factors;"^ and in 1651 the "Fitters" are the same as the "Factors;"- 

 During the first half-century of their existence, therefore, the fitters 

 were paid employees of the coal-owners (who at this time were Host- 

 men) and were appointed severally or by a group of coal-owners. 

 The function of the fitter was "to fix the cargoes for the coal-owner 

 with buyers from a distance, and to get the coals dehvered by keels 

 from the colliery staiths to the ship."^ 



By the admission of apprentices and cjthers there arose in the Host- 

 men's Company a group of Hostmen who were not coal-owners, and 

 who by the right of their admission had the right to engage in the coal 

 business. These became agents for coal-owners who were not members 

 of the Hostmen's Company, and acted as fitters for them. In the 

 progress of the century the Company thus lost its character as being 

 a company- of coal-owners and became one of chartered fitters. The 

 Hostmen tried to check the tendency, but in vain, and by 1700 the 

 terms Hostmen and fitters were equivalent concepts.^ At this date 

 their business was to care for the loading of coals, brought in keels 

 from the collieries, into the ships, and they had taken on themselves 

 "to buy coals at certain prices of the owner of collieries, and to carry 

 them in keels and sell them to the ship-masters," and sometimes to 

 act as agents "paid at certain rates for their negociations between the 

 owners of the . . . collieries and the ship-masters."^ 



In 1711 an act*^ was passed by Parliament requiring the fitter to 

 give a certificate to the ship-master, for every voyage, containing the 

 date of the loading, the name of the ship and ship-master, the quan- 

 tity, the colUery, and the price of every sort. The course of this 

 certificate will be traced in the hands of the ship-owner or master." 

 The purpose of the certificate was to reduce and prevent frauds, 

 combinations and discriminations. 



The functions of the fitter in the latter half of the eighteenth century- 

 were those of a del-credere factor. He had a stipulated allowance 

 called fittage, at Newcastle Is., at Sunderland, 2s 6d, per chaldron. 



' Surtees, 75. 



2 Ibid., 92. 



3 Ibid., XLVIII. 

 Mbid., 119, 162. 

 ■' Ibid., 162. 



6 9 Anne, Cap. 28, Sec. 2. 



'' Tiais requirement was effective in 1774, sec Surtees, 105:XLIX. 211; and in 

 IcSOO. see Rep. from Com. H. C, X, 541. 



