366 Dr. Parry's Essay on the Nature, Produce, Origin, 



jealous of tlieir superior skill. Thus the balance of trade soon turned in favour 

 of England. 



It is chiefly from this period that our historians date the evidence of the supe- 

 riority of our wool to that of other countries. 



The export of wool soon greatly increased; and in 1338, the 12th of Edward 

 the Third, the king issued a proclamation to prevent the exportation of live rams 

 from the port of St. Botolph's.* 



Two years afterwards, the best wool, that of Salop, sold for £6. 6s. 4c?. the sack 

 of 364lbs.t At this time the nominal pound was a real pound weight of silver, 

 divided into twenty nominal shillings and three-pence; so that the standard, or pro- 

 portion of silver to the alloy, being the same as at present, each shilling was equal 

 to about 25. io^:d. of the present coin. The sack of 364 lbs. was therefore worth 

 ■£"18. OS. yd. of our money; which was about £ ii. I'js. Bd. for our pack of 

 «4olbs. 



About this period we had acquired so much skill in the manufacture of cloth, 

 that Edward, who had quarrelled with the Flemings, and debarred them from the 

 supply of English wool, ventured to forbid his subjects the use of any cloths but 

 such as were made in the country ; reserving, however, to himself and his family, 

 the privilege of indulging themselves in foreign and better fabrics. J These prohi- 

 bitory edicts were soon repealed. 



In 1343, the lowest price of all the wools in the kingdom was fixed by act of 

 parliament. Among these, all the wool of Salop and Lincoln was ordered to be 

 sold for at least 14 marks, or £c). 6s. Sd. per sack ; the best of Oxford and Staf- 

 ford at 13 marks, or/'S. 135. 4</. ; all Leicester and the best ot Gloucester and 

 Hereford at 12 marks, or£'B. &c. ; and Devon and Cornwall, which were the 

 two worst, the former at £^. and the latter at 4 marks, or £2. 13s. 40?. per sack. J 

 At this time the pound of silver, which, as I have before observed, always con- 

 tained twenty shillings by the tale, was divided into 22s. 6c?. The siiilling was there- 

 fore equal to 2s. "jd. of our present coin. The Salop and Lincoln wools were, 

 therefore, at £'24. 2s. 2d. of our money per sack, or £"15. 175. lod. the pack; the 



• Rymer's Foedera, V. 36. 



■f Smith, Memoirs ot'WooI, Vol. I. page 22. 



X Anderson, anno 1337. § Rymer's Fecdera, V. 369. 



