Company of Merchant Adventurers of the City of York Archive

Royal Charters and Grant of Arms, 1430-1969; Minutes and Ordinances, [1443]-2021; records of membership, 1364-2022; correspondence and trade papers. 1423-2014; financial records and guild account rolls, [1350s]-2015; deeds and papers relating to the acquisition of the Company's estate, including cartulary and inquisition ad quod damnum, [late 12th century]-1937; records relating to the Merchant Adventurers' Hall and grounds, 1763-2022; and records of the York Residence of the Merchant Adventurers of England, Eastland Company, and Company of Porters, 1617-1815.

The Company of Merchant Adventurers’ of the City of York can trace its origins to 1357 with the foundation of the Fraternity of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, established by York merchant John Freboys and twelve other merchants by licence from Edward III. In the preceding year, Freyboys and two of his fellow merchants, John Crome and Robert Smeton, had been granted a plot of land in Fossgate by Sir William Percy, and it was there that from 1357 work began on the building of what is now known as Merchant Adventurers’ Hall.
The Fraternity, with John Freboys as its first Master, admitted both men and women as members in their own right, from a range of trades. By 1371 the Fraternity was able to apply for a new licence to formally found a hospital, later known as Trinity Hospital, in the hall’s undercroft, for the care of 13 of the poor and sick of the city. The Fraternity was closely involved with the running of the hospital, with four brethren elected to administer to the hospital, appoint the Master and Wardens, and to pay the salaries of the chaplains.
In 1430, the fraternity received a new charter, incorporating them as the Mystery, or Guild, of Mercers. The guild shared the main aims of the fraternity - charity, fraternity and religious devotion - and continued many of its existing traditions. The guild was strongly associated with the annual Corpus Cristi plays, now known as the York Cycle of Mystery Plays, with the Mercers responsible for the last and most important play, the Doom play - a responsibility that continues to this day.
The guild held Courts four times a year, at the Feast of the Annunciation in March, the Friday following the Nativity of St John the Baptist in June, Michaelmas in September and Epiphany in January. The new master was elected and accounts reviewed at the first of these, with members expected to attend all four courts. The courts also provided a forum through which the mercers could regulate trade throughout the city, which they did through appointed officers known as searchers, alongside a network of informers. The searchers had the authority to inspect all weights and measures against government-issues standards, and to ensure any trader opening a shop in the city was a member of the guild.
A new charter granted by Elizabeth I in 1581 incorporated the Mystery of Mercers as the Company of Merchant Adventurers of the City of York. Under the new charter, Company members elected a Governor and Deputy annually, along with 18 elected Assistants, wardens to administer to the Company's property and accounts, and a beadle to enforce Company regulations. Not only did the charter give the Company the name it has retained to the present day, but it also appeared to consolidate their trading monopoly within York. As well as domestic commerce, the merchants of the Company had strong trade links with the Baltic region and the Low Countries in particular. The Company had strong links with other guilds, through which access to trade routes were controlled, with merchants required to be members of the Merchant Adventurers of England and the Eastland Company, depending on where they were trading.
Although the decline of the cloth trade during the 17th century saw a change in the trades and professions of its members, the Company’s day-to-day life maintained consistency, with an ongoing focus on the trading life of York, charity - both from members to the Company and the Company to the city - fraternity and religious worship.
During the early 19th century the loss of a significant court case challenging the Company’s monopoly over independent traders in the city and the introduction of the Municipal Corporations Act which removed guild restrictions on trade and industry, meant the Company's membership fell. Only 14 members attended the Charter Day Court in 1861. Despite this the Company continued to play a role in commercial interests in York, taking advantage of the growth of the confectionery and railway industries in the city to encourage new members to join.
Today, the Company continues to be based at their Hall in Fossgate, which it maintains for the education and enjoyment of the public. The Company plays an active role in the economic development of the city of York, and has a sustained focus on charitable activities, particularly in the encouragement of entrepreneurship in York and in the support of business and enterprise education.

This catalogue represents the fusion of earlier finding aids created by the former Honorary Archivists to the Company, David M. Smith, Rita Freedman, and Jill Redford. The first six subfonds are based entirely on David Smith's 1994 Guide to the collection, and remain largely unchanged. The later subfonds were created in response to the material contained in the modern archive, some of which has also been added to Smith's existing structure. The catalogue entries have been edited for ISAD(G) compliance, but the archival descriptions remain the work of the original archivists.

Records are open to the public, subject to the overriding provisions of relevant legislation, including data protection laws. 24 hours' notice is required to access photographic material.

The Company of Merchant Adventurers’ of the City of York can trace its origins to 1357 with the foundation of the Fraternity of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, established by York merchant John Freboys and twelve other merchants by licence from Edward III. In the preceding year, Freyboys and two of his fellow merchants, John Crome and Robert Smeton, had been granted a plot of land in Fossgate by Sir William Percy, and it was there that from 1357 work began on the building of what is now known as Merchant Adventurers’ Hall.
The Fraternity, with John Freboys as its first Master, admitted both men and women as members in their own right, from a range of trades. By 1371 the Fraternity was able to apply for a new licence to formally found a hospital, later known as Trinity Hospital, in the hall’s undercroft, for the care of 13 of the poor and sick of the city. The Fraternity was closely involved with the running of the hospital, with four brethren elected to administer to the hospital, appoint the Master and Wardens, and to pay the salaries of the chaplains.
In 1430, the fraternity received a new charter, incorporating them as the Mystery, or Guild, of Mercers. The guild shared the main aims of the fraternity - charity, fraternity and religious devotion - and continued many of its existing traditions. The guild was strongly associated with the annual Corpus Cristi plays, now known as the York Cycle of Mystery Plays, with the Mercers responsible for the last and most important play, the Doom play - a responsibility that continues to this day.
The guild held Courts four times a year, at the Feast of the Annunciation in March, the Friday following the Nativity of St John the Baptist in June, Michaelmas in September and Epiphany in January. The new master was elected and accounts reviewed at the first of these, with members expected to attend all four courts. The courts also provided a forum through which the mercers could regulate trade throughout the city, which they did through appointed officers known as searchers, alongside a network of informers. The searchers had the authority to inspect all weights and measures against government-issues standards, and to ensure any trader opening a shop in the city was a member of the guild.
A new charter granted by Elizabeth I in 1581 incorporated the Mystery of Mercers as the Company of Merchant Adventurers of the City of York. Under the new charter, Company members elected a Governor and Deputy annually, along with 18 elected Assistants, wardens to administer to the Company's property and accounts, and a beadle to enforce Company regulations. Not only did the charter give the Company the name it has retained to the present day, but it also appeared to consolidate their trading monopoly within York. As well as domestic commerce, the merchants of the Company had strong trade links with the Baltic region and the Low Countries in particular. The Company had strong links with other guilds, through which access to trade routes were controlled, with merchants required to be members of the Merchant Adventurers of England and the Eastland Company, depending on where they were trading.
Although the decline of the cloth trade during the 17th century saw a change in the trades and professions of its members, the Company’s day-to-day life maintained consistency, with an ongoing focus on the trading life of York, charity - both from members to the Company and the Company to the city - fraternity and religious worship.
During the early 19th century the loss of a significant court case challenging the Company’s monopoly over independent traders in the city and the introduction of the Municipal Corporations Act which removed guild restrictions on trade and industry, meant the Company's membership fell. Only 14 members attended the Charter Day Court in 1861. Despite this the Company continued to play a role in commercial interests in York, taking advantage of the growth of the confectionery and railway industries in the city to encourage new members to join.
Today, the Company continues to be based at their Hall in Fossgate, which it maintains for the education and enjoyment of the public. The Company plays an active role in the economic development of the city of York, and has a sustained focus on charitable activities, particularly in the encouragement of entrepreneurship in York and in the support of business and enterprise education.

A published catalogue, 'A Guide to the Archives of the Company of Merchant Adventurers of York', by David Smith (York, 1990), and published index, 'The Company of Merchant Adventurers in the City of York: Register of Admissions 1581-1835', by David Smith (York, 1996) are available in the searchroom of the Borthwick Institute. Copies of the catalogue can also be purchased through the University of York's online shop.
Published indices to the records of the Eastland Company, 'The Eastland Company, York Residence: Register of Admissions and Register of Apprentices 1642-1696', by Anna B Bisset (York,1996), are available in PDF format through the Borthwick Institute website.
For transcriptions of five account rolls from 1357-1367 published by The Latin Project in 2007, and for transcriptions of several company documents 1356-1917, by Dr Maud Sellers, please see the publication notes below.

The archive includes VHS videotapes and compact discs. Access to audiovisual material may be restricted due to technical requirements, please contact the Borthwick Institute for more information.

Created by L. Dean, 18.07.23.

A reprographics service is available to researchers. Copying will not be undertaken if there is any risk of damage to the document. Copies are supplied in accordance with the Borthwick Institute for Archives' terms and conditions for the supply of copies, and under provisions of any relevant copyright legislation. Permission to reproduce images of documents in the custody of the Borthwick Institute must be sought.

The Latin Project, “Before the Merchant Adventurers: The Accounts of the Fraternity of Jesus and Mary”, 2007.

Maud Sellers, “The York Mercers and Merchant Adventurers 1356-1917”, Surtees Society, volume CXXIX, 1918.

Published

GB 193