THOMAS KYTSON AND WILTSHIRE CLOTHMEN, 1529 -1539 43 
Wiltshire ‘whites’ over the ten-year period was 
£16,010 8s. 3d. at an average of £30 15s. 8d. for each 
pack of 10 cloths. 
Kytson was able to export virtually all the 
‘whites’ that he bought. In 1514 an Act had 
forbidden the export of unfinished cloth valued at 
more than 5 marks (£3 6s. 8d.).”° In 1536 a further 
Act raised the price limit to £4 for whites and £3 for 
coloured cloths.”” With a few exceptions Kytson 
paid less than £4 for single ‘whites’ and exported 
these cloths within the law. However, he also 
exported the few dearer cloths that he bought. The 
single fine ‘white’ that Thomas Bayley sold for £4 
13s. 4d. was exported to the Sinkson mart in 1536, 
and two ‘fyne whites’ of Roger Wynssloe of Keevil 
which cost Kytson £4 10s. each were exported to the 
Cold Mart in 1538. One ‘fyne whitte’ that Kytson 
bought for £4 6s. 8d. from Richard Batte of 
Westbury on 28 April 1537 was exported to the 
Sinkson mart at Whitsuntide in 1537 as ‘1 white no 
41 of Richard Battes for store’. Later in the year 
Thomas Wasshington recorded: 
Delivered to my master the 15th day in December in 
the year 1537 
Item 1 fyne whitt of Richard Battes at £4 6s 8d 
which was dyed black in Flannders. 
Here was an example of Thomas Kytson reserving a 
particularly good white broadcloth for his own use 
and identifying it as ‘for store’ so that it was not 
sold to the dealers in Antwerp. There the 
unfinished cloth was dyed and returned to London 
after the Cold Mart in 1537. 
With one exception all the Wiltshire cloths 
purchased by Kytson were described as ‘whites’. 
However in 1535 Kytson purchased 40 
‘Castellcomes’ and 19 whites from William Stumpe 
and 20 whites from John Hedge of Malmesbury. 
When Kytson exported these cloths they were all 
described as ‘Castelcomes’. No other Wiltshire 
clothmen supplied ‘Castlecombes’ to Kytson. He 
did however buy them from clothiers in 
Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.” 
Unlike the several Somerset clothmen who 
supplied Kytson with other goods, like silver, 
kersies and other types of cloth, only one Wiltshire 
clothman sold anything other than cloth to him. 
Bought of John Duffell of Westbere under the planne 
the 17th day of Maye of the year 1537 
Item 10 whyttes at £32 at £32 the packe £32 
Sum £32 
Later, on the same page, a memorandum was 
penned: 
Memorandum John Duffell owth as dothe a pere by a 
nowut made the 24th day in December in the year 
1537 & also by a byll of Thomas Harfordes owne 
hand as dothe a pere 
& for rest thatt he owthe is with the 20" nobylles 
£25 14s ld 
Rebatte for 79 barell of 3 halpenny bere at 3s the 
barrell Sum £11 17s 
So rest £13 17s ld 
paid to the sayd John as this daye beyinge the 24 day 
of December in the year 1537 
Item in redye monye to the Sum of £6 13s 4d 
Sum £20 9s 5d 
Memorandum that the sayd John Duffell hathe 
promysed my master of gyft 2 barrelles of 3 halpeny 
bere to be delyvered medyatlye after Cristmas in the 
year 1537 paid & quytt 
An entry in the margin of Kytson’s ‘Boke’ records 
that John Duffell was paid for his 10 ‘whites’. 
Duffell was then lent 20 nobles (£6 13s. 4d.) by 
Kytson but was also in debt in respect of a bill of 
Thomas Harford’s. Set against Duffell’s total debt 
of £25 14s. 1d. was a rebate of £11 17s. for 79 barrels 
of beer supplied by him. He was then paid a further 
£6 13s. 4d, making the total sum of £20 9s. 5d. owed 
to Kytson. Perhaps in recognition of the loans 
Duffell gave Kytson two further barrels of beer. 
Later Duffell must have paid the outstanding debt 
which is marked as ‘quit’. 
From earlier entries in the ‘Boke’ it is evident 
that as well as selling cloth John Duffell brewed 
beer: 
Sold to John Duffelde bere bruyar the 11th day of 
November 1533 
Item 2 sackes of hoppys n°4 weight 5Cwt / n° [blank] 
weight SCwt 3qtr 14lb. 
Sum weight all m! [=10Cwt] 3qtr 14lb, at 7s [the Cwt] 
£3 16s 
Memorandum that John Duffeld hayth resaved of 
Thomas Harford £4 the 8th day of January [1533/4], 
to be payd in bere, and after that the said £4 be paid 
the said John Duffeld hayth grantted to delyver 
[word illegible] £4 of his old detts, and further as my 
master & he can agre. 
Sold to John Duffell macer the 18th day of January of 
the year 1533[4] 
Item 1 sacke of hoppys at 7s at 7s, weight 342Cwt 3lb. 
