Thomas More Essays - Economy Of Medieval England,

Thomas More G.D. Ramsay. A Saint in the City: Thomas More at Mercers Hall, English Historical Review. April, 1982. 267-288. Lawyer. Negotiator. Legislator. Humanist. Scholar. Sir Thomas More served the English people in each one of these capacities. Mores intellectual skill, when combined with his sharp personality, made him Englands most versatile public servant in the early sixteenth century. More was one of the most successful men in English history, as his efforts for various causes propelled him to the forefront of English society. The article, A Saint in the City: Thomas More at Mercers Hall, tells the story of Mores rise to power and his role in Englands trade policy. Born the son of a lawyer in 1478, More was schooled at St. Anthonys and then worked as a servant for Cardinal Morton, archbishop of Canterbury. Morton subsequently sent More to study at Canterbury College. After a short stay at the school, More returned to London, becoming a member of Lincolns Inn. This was the beginning of Mores great legal career. In 1504, More began his service in Parliament, which sat at Westminster. From the beginning, Mores talents were recognized by the leaders of the country: King Henry VII and his minister, Edmund Dudley. In 1509, More was admitted membership into the privileged Mercers Company. More was returned to a new parliament in 1510 and was elevated to the position of burgess of the city. In September of the same year, More took the position of under-sheriff, continuing to follow in the legal footsteps of his famed father. This position entailed appearing in the royal lawcourts for the city when it was engaged in litigation and sitting as judge in th e Sheriffs Court. While these various positions add to Mores genius, it was his work for the Mercers that brought him his greatest fame. The Mercers were comprised mainly from two groups of the cloth industry: the Merchant Adventurers, shippers of cloth to the Netherlands, and the Staplers. Conflict between those two groups first developed in 1493, when a fallout between Henry VII and the house of Burgundy caused the Englishmen who sold cloths in the Netherlands to relocate to the safety of Calais. Friction between the two companies endured until it came to a peak in 1512. That year, each company was summoned to speak its case before the kings council in the Star Chamber. The council allowed eight representatives from both the Merchant Adventurers and the Staplers to speak. The list of speakers for the Merchant Adventurers included the governor of their fellowship, two other Mercers, a haberdasher, a skinner, a draper, a grocer, and a taylor. The list of speakers for the Staplers included seven wool m erchants and Thomas More. It was clear throughout the meetings that More was the most articulate and persuasive member of either group of representatives. Mores goal was to resolve the differences of the two companies. The efforts of more were met with success, as the two groups conciliated and conflicts between the two would be non-existent for several years. Mores negotiating skills were needed again by England in 1510. This time, international trade was the focus of events. A conflict with the Netherlands ensued in the city of Antwerp. The collections of customs and the lack of warehousing space in the city were the source of the problems. A Pensionary was called in to arbitrate the meeting between the English officials and those from the Netherlands. The meetings took place at Mercers Hall in London. Because the Pensionary was unable to speak English, the negotiations were in Latin. Records of the minutes from this meeting show that, once again, More dominated the negotiations. More served in many capacities throughout the meeting, acting as both a negotiator and as an interpreter. The results of the meeting stood heavily in Englands favor. The Pensionary assured that the clothing fleets from England would sail freely from the Thames River to Antwerp for the next mart. For the next five years, More continued his work as a lawyer and a city officer. England, however, once again needed his skills in the spring of 1515. The relations between the Netherlands and the English were once again coming to a boil. More was