5i6 A. D. 1336. 



' continent in all times pajl, it would grieve us exceedingly, if our royal 

 ' honour fjiould in the fmallefl degree be impaired in our times.' He 

 alfo wrote to all the fhirrefs of England to permit no veflels to fail, even 

 though they fhould have obtained his licence, except thofe appointed to 

 carry provifions and arms to Berwick, Stirling, and Perth, for his fer- 

 vice. [Fcedera, V. iv, pp. 721, 723.] 



The above lift of ports, though evidently defedive, as all fuch lifts in 

 the records are *, furnifties an important fad in the hiftory of the flour- 

 iftiing commercial town of Liverpool, which now appears, for the firft 

 time, as a port capable of contributing fome veflels to the national navy. 

 About this time the community of Liverpool were i-epeatedly empow- 

 ered to levy duties for paving their ftreets ; another mark of advancing 

 profperity. \Rot. pat. 1 Edw. Ill, m. 34 ; prim. 7 Edw. Ill, m. 27 ; prim.^ 

 10 Edw. Ill, m. 43.] 



December 3'' — The Brabanters were the principal rivals of the Flem- 

 ings in the woollen manufadure : and the earl of Flanders being now 

 in the intereft of the king of France againft Edward, the duke of Bra- 

 bant thought the opportunity favourable for requefting King Edward 

 to remove the ftaple for Englifti wool to fome town in his dominions. 

 The king, who was very much difpleafed with the earl of Flanders, 

 wrote him, that he would fend over fome merchants to treat with him 

 for proper fecurity and a friendly reception in his territories : and he 

 required of him to engage, that none of the wool ftiould go into the 

 hands of the Flemings f . In a few weeks after he alfo fent an agent to 

 treat with the magiftrates of Brufl^els, Louvain, and Mechlin, upon the 

 fame bufinefs. [Foedera, V. iv, pp. 720, 751-] 



December \2^ — King Edward in the midft of his eft'orts to fubdue 

 Scotland, and preparations for fubduing France, was not inattentive to 

 the more rational projed of eflablifliing the woollen manufadure in his 

 dominions. He now fent a letter of protedion (from Bothwell in the 

 weft of Scotland) for two weavers of Brabant, wlio propofed to carry on 

 their bufinefs at York ; and he exprefl'ed his hopes of utility and ad- 

 vantage to refult to his fubjeds from their induftry and example. He 

 alfo gave fimilar protedions foon after to a confiderable number of 

 woollen-manufadurers from Zeland with their families ami workmen. 

 [Fadera, V. iv, pp. 723, 751.] 



1337, January 16'' — King Edward, having commiflioned three ad- 

 mirals, conferred upon them the power of punifliing all feamcn in the 



* AH tliC Wctfli ports, of wliicli fiveii appear pear in fuch enumerations, that they did not exift, 



in the enumeration of ilie year i jco, are omitted or liad no fhippinjj. 



in this lift, as are alfo many of thofe on the fouth f As England and Brabant could not work up 



and ead coafts, owing, undoubtedly, t') the lofs of all the wool that ufed to go to Flanders, what did 



the writs fent to thofe ports. Tiiefe evident omif- the king propofe that the Englidi proprietors of 



fions or loITeii of records Ihow, that we ought not the wool fliould do with it ? 

 tadily to conclude, bccaufe fome ports do not ap- 



