Middlemen in English Business 245 



vessels of salt to the southern ports where it was bought by the fish- 

 mongers and others; or else were passive and let the latters' ships come 

 to Shields and sold the salt at their pans. The pan owners were 

 essentially middlemen in a domestic system of manufacture. 



(c) Lead. 



This mineral was produced in Somerset, York, and Derby. Bristol 

 was the exporting point for Somerset lead. The largest portion of 

 this came from the Mendips. The chief foreign customer was Spain. 

 For mihtary reasons a prohibition was laid by England upon the 

 export of lead to Spain but constant allusions were made to the infrac- 

 tions of the prohibition.' The York mines were centered at Rich- 

 mond, Nidderdale and its market town Kirkby Malzeard. The lead 

 from Richmond was often carried to York and Newcastle; that of 

 Nidderdale came to Hull. These were the markets in the thirteenth 

 century.^ The industry increased in volume throughout the centuries- 

 following until about 1870 and much the same ports were used. In 

 medieval times Derbyshire lead centered in Derby and Chesterfield 

 and Winster. It was despatched chiefly to London. In the seven- 

 teenth century Chesterfield became the most important lead market 

 in the Kingdom. The lead was carried by pack-horse to Bawtry and 

 Chesterfield, then by river to Hull, and thence by sea to London. In 

 1723 the relative rates for carriage over these sections of the route 

 were 14^., 45., and 25. 6d., respectively. Much of the product was 

 exported to the Continent. In 1607 the relative rank of the ports in 

 export of lead to the Continent was London, Bristol, and Hull; of 

 course the Bristol lead came from Somerset. 



"Free-mining" predominated in the Mendip. "Yeff any man 

 whatsoever . . . intend (ed) to venture hys lyfe and to be a 

 workman of the occupasyon he" had to "fyrst of all requere lycence 

 of the lord of the soyll where he" purposed to work and "by the ould 

 custm of the occupasyon" the lord could not deny him license. He 

 was then free "to pyche wythyn the seyd forest of Mendyp and to 

 brecke ground where and yn what place he . . . shaull thynk 

 best hymself for hys oune byhouff and proffyt, ... so that he 

 doe paye the tenth of that in lede or wore to the lorde of the soyll 

 where hj^t was dyged."' These claims were called "grooves" or- 



IV. C. H., Somerset, II, 374. 



2 V. C. H., York, II, 352-3. 



3 S. P. Dom. EHz., CCLXXXVII, 97; V. C. H., Somerset, II, 367. 



