Revocation of the Privileges of the Hansards

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Date	1552
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24 FEB., 1552. [Acts of the Privy Council, Vol. III., pp. 487-89.]

In the mattier touching thinformacion exhibited against the Merchauntes of the Hanse, commonly called Merchauntes of the Styllyard, uppon good consideracion aswell of the said informacions as also of thaunswer of the saide Marchauntes of the Stylliard, and of such recordes, wrytinges, charters, treaties, depositions of witnesses and other evidences and proves as hath been exhibited on both partes, it was found apparante to the Kinges Majesties Pryvey Counsell as followeth :First, it is found that all liberties and priveleges pretended to be graunted to the said Marchauntes of the Hanse be voyde by the lawes of this realme, for somuch as the same Merchauntes of the Hanse have no sufficyent corporacion to take the same.

It appered also that such grauntes and pryveleges as the said Marchauntes of the Hanse do clayme to have do not extend to any persons or townes certain, and therfore uncertain what persons or which townes shuld enjoy the said privileges, by the reason of which uncertenty they have and doo admytt and appoynt to be free with them whom and as many as they liste, to the great prejudice and hurte of the Kinges Majesties custome and yerely hynderaunce of xxm li. or nigh theraboutes, besydes It appereth also that if the said pretensed grauntes were good by the lawes of this realme, as in dede they be not, yet the same were made uppon condicion that they shulde not avowe or colour any forreyn's goodes or marchaundises, which condicions the said Marchauntes of the Hanse have not observed, as may appere by office found remayning of recorde in the Kinges Majesties Exchequer, and by other sufficient proves of the same . It appereth also that one hundreth yeres and more after the pretensed pryveleges graunted to them, the foresaid Marchauntes the common hurte to the whole realme.

of the Hanse used to transport no marchandise out of this realme but only into their owne cuntres, neither to bring into this realme any wares or marchandises, but only suche as were commodities of their owne cuntreys ; where at this present they do not only conveye the marchandises and commodities of this realme into the Base Cuntrees of Brabant, Flaundres and other places nighe adjoyning, and there sell the same, to the great domage and subversion of the laudable order of the Kinges Majesties subjectes trading those parties for marchandise and commodities, but also do bring into this realme the merchandise and com- modities of all forrein cuntrees, contrary to the true meaning of the grauntes of their priveleges declared by the auncient usages of the same, by meanes wherof the Kinges Majestie hath not only loste muche in his customes, but also it is contrary to the condicion of a recognizaunce made in the tyme of King Henry the Seventhe.

It appered also that like as the pryveleges heretofore graunted to the said Merchauntes of the Stillyard, being at the begynning resonably used, were commodious and much proffitable to them, 3* without any notable excessyve or enorme prejudice to the royall estate of this realme, so nowe of late yeres, by taking suche and as many as they liste into their Societie, and by bringing in the commodities of all other cuntres, and carying out the commodities of this realme to all other places, their said pretensed priveleges are growen so prejudityall to the King and his crowne, as without great hurte therof and of the hole estate of the realme the same may not be longer endured.

Item; in the tyme of King Edwarde the Fourth the said Merchauntes of the Hanse forfeted their pretensed pryveleges by meanes of warre betwene this realme and them, wheruppon a Treaty was made and agreyd that the subjectes of this realme shuld have like liberties in the land of Pruse, and other places of the Hanse, as they had had and ought to have used there, and that no prises, new exaccions or other prestes shuld be sett uppon their persons or goodes, otherwise or by other meane then before x, xx, xxx, xl, l, yea, a hundred yeres agoo and above, had been or were sett, which hath been and is dayly much broken, and specially in Dansick, not only by prohibiting Englishmen frely to buy and sell there, but also in leving uppon them new exaccions and impositions contrary to the said Treaty. And notwithstanding that divers requestes hath been made, as well by the Kinges Majesties father as by his Majestie, for the present redresse of suche wronges as hath been doone to thenglishe marchauntes contrary to the said Treaty, yet no reformacion hath hitherto ensued.

In consideracion of which the premisses and such other mattier as hath appered in thexaminacion of this mattier, the Lordes of the Kinges Majesties Pryvey Counsell, on his Hieghnes behalf, decreyd that the pryvelege, liberties and frauncheses claymed by the foresaid Merchauntes of the Stillyard shall from hensforth be and remayne seased and resumed into the Kinges Majesties handes untill the said Merchauntes of the Stillyarde shall declare and prove better and more sufficient mattier for their clayme in the premisses ; saving, nevertheles, and reserving to the said Marchauntes of the Styllyard all such and like liberties of cumming into this realme and other the Kinges dominions, bying, selling and all manner of trafique or trade of marchandise in as large and ample maner as any other merchaunt straungers have or of right ought to have within the same, this Order aforesaid or any thing therin conteyned to the contrarye notwithstanding. This Decre was made and gyven at Westminster, the xxiiijth of February, in the sixte yere of the reigne of our Sovereigne Lord, King Edward the Sixte.