William de la Pole

June 21st marks the death of William de la Pole 654 years ago. William rose to prominence, particularly during the reign of Edward III. Using Hull as his base he became an influential and wealthy merchant by importing wine and exporting wool and corn. William's newly acquired wealth enabled him to provide financial assistance to Edward III to help fund wars with France and Scotland. A significant royal money lender, William also gained political influence and he became Hull's first mayor in 1331. William also found himself in the service of Edward III, in the office of the exchequer and although William found himself in hot water with Edward III, he did manage to come away largely unscathed, laying the foundations for the de la Pole family dynasty. 

Portrait of William de la Pole, believed to be by T. Tindall Wildridge

Tradition has it that William and his brother, Richard, came from Ravenser on the Spurn Point peninsula. Between the ports of Hull and Ravenser it was the latter that was initially of more importance. However, Edward I acquired Hull as a forward supply base for his campaigns against Scotland and this, together with Ravenser's demise and eventual loss by the mid-fourteenth century, saw Hull emerge as the principal port.

At the time of their arrival in Hull business was often a joint venture between the brothers. They imported wine from Gascony, while wool and corn were exported. Both brothers held office as chamberlains of Hull. Being leading merchants and political figures, it is not surprising that William and Richard became connected with central government. Richard, for example, became the king's chief butler, while William would later become Baron of the Exchequer.

Both brothers played a significant role in Hull's early development. The trade in wine, wool and corn brought prosperity and with it the town grew in size and influence. William acquired the manor of Myton. He also acquired land in Hessle, including property at Hesslewood and the quarry at Hessle. Cottingham was temporarily under control of both William and Richard. William also had estates further afield at Foston-on-the-Wolds and Nafferton.

To protect the town against Scottish incursions into Northern England William and Richard financed the early building of the town’s walls. The death of the last royal bailiff in 1333 led to William inheriting property in Hull including the great mansion house, which was later known as Suffolk Palace. It remained a residence for William and his decedents, as lords of Kingston upon Hull, until the 16th century. The site once occupied by Suffolk Palace is now occupied by Hull's former central post office, currently situate on the corner of Lowgate and Alfred Gelder Street.

Hull's General Post Office building, on the site of Suffolk Palace at the corner of Lowgate and Alfred Gelder Street

The opportunity to lend to the crown arose when Edward III's usual source of money lending, Florentine bankers, fell into temporary difficulties and William and Richard stepped into the breach. Eventually however William and Richard's partnership ceased in 1331. Richard began to spend more time in London and at the time of his death in 1345 he was described as a citizen of London. William had now emerged as Hull's most important citizen. He represented Hull in Parliament. He became Hull's first mayor in 1331, involving himself in town politics such as the dispute to determine Sir John de Sutton's claim of exclusive rights of passage over the River Hull at Drypool. His ongoing mercantile activities in the export of wool, for example, made William a wealthy merchant in his own right.

Using Hull as his main base William could now provide loans to the crown independently from his brother Richard. William became looked upon favourably by Edward III and It was under Edward that William increased his portfolio of estates in Ripon and Norfolk. He also became Baron of the Exchequer (1339-1340) the position a gift from the king. William was also knighted.

William now found himself increasingly acting on behalf of the crown. He spent time in London and abroad in protracted negotiations. He was particularly influential in negotiations with Flanders, firstly to encourage Flemish weavers to settle in England. Beverley's Flemingate is named after those Flemish weavers who settled in the town, and secondly to allow Edward III to land his army at Antwerp.

He made important contributions to the war against Scotland, not only through loans but also supplies. Hull was used to supply the army and provide ships and men for the campaign. The war with France created further opportunities for William. By now he had monopolised exports of wool which allowed him to help finance the war with France. However, the finance collapsed. William was largely unscathed and continued to provide loans to the crown. In return he acquired the royal manor of Burstwick in Holderness, at the time the most valuable of all the royal estates, much to the frustration to Edward III.

However, things soon turned sour for William. In 1340, furious at his inability to finance his French campaign, Edward III took his frustration out on those financiers he felt responsible, including William de la Pole. William found himself imprisoned in the Tower of London, before spending the next six months in Fleet Prison. Prosecution was brought against William and much of his land was seized, including Burstwick. Proceedings, however, were annulled as Edward once again required financial assistance and William provided the funds. William also took advantage of Edward's partial bankruptcy, which enabled William to recover some of the debts still owed to him.

By 1345 William appears to have somewhat reduced his role in providing loans to Edward by withdrawing from one of his financing operations. To further compound Edward's woes, the Black Death (1347-8) ruined many English financiers including those who had financed the Crecy campaign and siege of Calais. William avoided responsibility for their debts. However, he was not out of the woods yet. Some of his former associates continued to hold William responsible. In the meantime, Edward managed to shake off his reliance on royal financiers and turned against William. The charges of wool smuggling threatened William with ruin. William escaped trial by remitting all outstanding royal debts and renouncing his claim to Burtswick which Edward had earlier confiscated. William, however, still retained a considerable fortune.

In his later years William founded a hospital for poor persons, which would be succeed by the Carthusian Priory, established by his son in 1377, better known today as the Charterhouse. Today the building dates from 1780 but its initial concept was very much the brain child of William de la Pole.

William de la Pole died on 21 June 1366. A statue of William de la Pole by Hull's pier commemorates his legacy and importance to the early development of Hull. The town familiar to William has changed over the centuries. However, many of the Old Town's streets follow the original medieval layout of the late 13th and 14th centuries. Some street names have since changed. For example, in William's day, Whitefriargate was known as Aldgate; and High Street was previously Hull Street. The only buildings familiar to William today would be Holy Trinity and possibly St. Mary's church.

Unveiling of the statue of William de la Pole, originally situate on Prospect Street, before being relocated to Nelson Street by the pier [C DI]

William's importance to Hull cannot be under estimated. Edward I may have realised Hull's strategic importance, but William certainly helped exploit its economic development. William also laid the foundations for power and prosperity for the de la Pole family over the next two hundred years. His son Michael, for example, would surpass his father in the political arena rising to position of Chancellor. But unlike his father, Michael forged a military career, serving under Edward, the Black Prince and John of Gaunt in the wars against France. But that is another story....

Neil Chadwick, Project Officer