The port of Rouen maintained active trade relations with England, Spain, and the Netherlands, and had a virtual monopoly granted by Henry I for Norman trade to Ireland. Special privileges were also granted at London.
. . . Also, no vessel from all Normandy may ship to Ireland, except from Rouen, except in one case where it is permitted to ship from Cherbourg once a year.
Also the men of Rouen who are of the gild merchant may be quit of all customs at London, except on wine and royal fish.
Also the citizens of Rouen may have at London the port of Dunegate, just as they have had it from the time of King Edward, with such custom that if they find there any ship, whencesoever it be, they may command it to go away from there; they will then wait for one flow and one ebb tide, and if the ship has not departed thence, the citizens of Rouen may cut the cables of that ship if they wish, and drive it away without claim or penalty; and if the ship be endangered by their expulsion they will be responsible to no one.
Source:
From: C. Gross, The Gild Merchant, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1890), Vol. 1, p. 292, reprinted in Roy C. Cave & Herbert H. Coulson, A Source Book for Medieval Economic History, (Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Co., 1936; reprint ed., New York: Biblo & Tannen, 1965), p. 204.
Scanned by Jerome S. Arkenberg, Cal. State Fullerton. The text has been modernized by Prof. Arkenberg.
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© Paul Halsall, September 1998
halsall@murray.fordham.edu