Now! Then! Shipments of wallpaper(?) from Schiedam (Holland) pass through Hull customs

Excerpt

There is a most interesting record of a form of what is most probably early wallpaper, described by the customs official at Hull as “paynted pauper”, where “painted” might mean “painted with designs”, or, perhaps, merely “coloured”: on 14th January 1472, two ships, the “Roos” [i.e. “Rose”] and the “Cristofure”, both arrived in Hull from Scheydam, carrying paynted paupers. The “Rose” brought two pipes full, and the “Christopher” 10 dozen [sheets? rolls?].

Twenty-four quires of “papiro depict” were similarly imported into London along with 5 printed books for the merchant Peter Walkyn in 1479/80. On 24th April 1509 a ship entered the port of London with a cargo which included 12 gross [sheets? rolls?] of painted paper and another on 7th May with a dozen painted cloths and 10½ gross of painted paper.

Here we recall the statute promulgated by Richard III in 1483 intended to prevent unemployment in England through a ban on the import of cheap foreign manufactured goods; at the request of the various guilds it was ordained that

no merchant stranger … shall bring into the realm of England to be sold any manner of … painted glass, painted papers, painted images, painted cloths, etc.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations

Comment

It seems that the original text of both items is to be found on p.163 of Wendy Childs’ compendium of late 15th century Hull customs records (Childs 1986), of which Google Books has the following snippets:

Navis Johannis Baronson vocata Roos de Skytdam applicuit eodem die Idem Johannes , al ‘ 14 last’allecis albi 8 last cinerum 3 last picis 11/2 C waynscotts 6C modffysshe s seccis hoppe 2 pipis cum paynted paupers

M ferri Navis Deryk Clauson vocata Cristofure de Skyddam applicuit eodem die Idem Deryk , al last allecis albi 2 waynscottes 2 aught anguillarum Maynard Clauson , al ‘ I maunde cum 20 duss ‘ 20 petris lini hattes 1o duss ‘ paynted

The Leeds Library Service doesn’t have it, so I’m hoping someone will lend it to me for a couple of days.

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Original

There is a most interesting record of a form of what is most probably early wallpaper, described by the customs official at Hull as “paynted pauper”, where “painted” might mean “painted with designs”, or, perhaps, merely “coloured”: on 14th January 1472, two ships, the “Roos” [i.e. “Rose”] and the “Cristofure”, both arrived in Hull from Scheydam, carrying paynted paupers. The “Rose” brought two pipes full, and the “Christopher” 10 dozen [sheets? rolls?].

Twenty-four quires of “papiro depict” were similarly imported into London along with 5 printed books for the merchant Peter Walkyn in 1479/80. On 24th April 1509 a ship entered the port of London with a cargo which included 12 gross [sheets? rolls?] of painted paper and another on 7th May with a dozen painted cloths and 10½ gross of painted paper.

Here we recall the statute promulgated by Richard III in 1483 intended to prevent unemployment in England through a ban on the import of cheap foreign manufactured goods; at the request of the various guilds it was ordained that

no merchant stranger … shall bring into the realm of England to be sold any manner of … painted glass, painted papers, painted images, painted cloths, etc.

200 words.