In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
or 16th and 17th centuries, a cloth merchant was one who owned or ran a
cloth
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is n ...
(often
wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...
) manufacturing or wholesale import or export business.
A cloth merchant might additionally own a number of
draper's shops. Cloth was extremely expensive and cloth merchants were often very wealthy. A number of Europe's leading banking dynasties such as
Medici and
Berenberg built their original fortunes as cloth merchants.
In England, cloth merchants might be members of one of the important
trade guilds, such as the
Worshipful Company of Drapers.
Alternative names are clothier, which tended to refer more to someone engaged in
production and the sale of cloth, whereas a cloth merchant would be more concerned with distribution, including overseas trade, or haberdasher, who were merchants in sewn and fine fabrics (e.g. silk) and in London, members of the
Haberdashers' Company.
The largely obsolete term merchant taylor also describes a business person who trades in textiles, and initially a tailor who keeps and sells materials for the garments which he makes. In England, the term is best known in the context of the
Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors, one of the
livery companies of the
City of London
The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
, nowadays a charitable institution best known for the Merchant Taylors' schools – the Company preserves the ancient spelling "taylor" in its name.
Notable cloth merchants
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Alderman Robert Aske
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Sir William Gardiner
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Benjamin Henshawe, (1585–1631)
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Baptist Hicks, (1551–1629)
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Robert Jousie
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John Kendrick
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Henry Machyn, diarist
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Jack O'Newbury
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William Paterson
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Thomas Spring of Lavenham
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Sir Thomas White
See also
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Clothing industry
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Textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing.
Industry process
Cotton manufacturing
Cotton is the world's most important natural fibre. In the year 2007, th ...
*
Cloth hall
References
01
Clothing industry
Sales occupations
Textile industry
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