The original inspiration of my Carpenter historical research was to discover the beginnings of what seemed a family tradition of weaving, wool production and cloth manufacture. In my own Carpenter line, this tradition ended only in the early 1800s, with large-scale industrial cloth manufacture. Both Rehoboth and Providence Williams brought sheep husbandry to New England, while subsequent Carpenters, in and around the Blackstone River Valley, made significant contributions to the cloth manufacturing industry. I made the choice to begin my inquiry with John Carpenter Town Clerk of London, with the hopes that his historical visibility would afford me just a glimpse of his family and possibly his ethnic origins. All the individuals connected with the civil government in London of the period were of wealthy merchant families. Town Clerk John, I reasoned, should not have been an exception. I was pleasantly surprised to discover a wealth of documents dealing with a network of non-English Carpenters in the 1200s and 1300s, all involved with overseas trade. My first discovery was the wine trade connection, and this was no surprise because a great volume of foreign trade at the time was with wine. The other great commodity of the age was wool and it’s associated products. Finally I was pleasantly surprised the discover material which points to Town Clerk John’s family connections to wool manufacture. Slowly I gathered the scattered documents relating to the wool problem and wish to publish them. Before I introduce these documents, a bit of historical background is in order. In medieval England the manufacturers of wool cloth were called “drapers”. In the 1300s they rise to economic and political prominence and by the 1400s they controlled the London government. In the 1300s the English Crown actively recruited foreign, and chiefly Flemish, technological help in advancing the English manufacture of wool cloth. A great many Flemings moved into the Norfolk, Suffork and Essex area. By 1400 England had displaced Flanders in this industry. Two great centers of cloth production emerged; one in Bristol and upland river areas, which exported to Gascony, and another in London which exported to the Low Countries and elsewhere. These cities are not the actual places of manufacture, but rather the brokerage locations. Any Carpenter connection to the river systems emptying into the Bristol Channel will come as no surprise to us, because Hereford, Worcester and Gloustershire all have their connections to known Carpenters in history. The London side of the problem has always been a mystery. Yes, the Town Clerk lived in London. But what were the Carpenters doing there prior to him? The first account we have of the Town Clerk, by Thomas Brewer of the City School of London in the 1800s, offers us no hints prior to John Carpenters appointment in 1417. John was probably 47 years of age at this point. Mr. Brewer suggests that John had previous employment as a legal clerk and connected legal training at the Inns of Court. That all may have been, but nothing excludes the possibility that John Carpenter could have been in guild connected business in his youth. Indeed common sense dictates that this was so, because all the London Mayors and all the aldermen were such individuals. Why should John Carpenter be an exception? The following is Calendar of Close Rolls entry for May 16, 1393: “John Carpenter of Lavenham ‘draper’ the elder, John Carpenter of Lavenham ‘draper’ the younger and Thomas Corby of Lavenham ‘fuller’ to Richard Grace citizen of London and Thomas his son. Recognisance for 20 L. to be levied etc. in Suffolk. Defeasance thereof, upon condition that they pay 10 marks on each of the days named.” In a December 7, 139l entry: “Memorandum of a mainprise under a pain of 100 L., made in chancery 6 December this year by Thomas atte Stone of Haddeley, Richard Clerke of Kersey, John Dyster, Robert Berte, both of Kersey, Robert atte Mede of Ylle, John Huberd, William Page, both of Ylle, Robert Barewe of Bildeston and Robert Carpenter of Lavenham, for themselves and each for other under the same pain, that they shall do or procure no hurt or harm to Richard Walton of Bishops Lenne, and shall make no unlawful assemblies which tend to disturbance of the people or breach of the peace.” Lavenham is about half way between Norwich and London. In the above we have reference to all three Carpenter brothers mentioned in the 1441 will of John Carpenter Town Clerk of London. Both brothers in the same trade indicate a family run business. Notice the ‘fuller’ mentioned in the same document, suggesting a possible large-scale production of wool cloth. In an October 26, 1389 entry one of the brothers appears with an extremely interesting associate. “John son of Michael de Bures to Thomas de Swynbourne knight, William Skrene, John Conors, Rodger Cavendyssh, William rule and Robert Risby, and to the heirs and assigns of Robert Risby. Charter with warranty of all his lands, rents and services in Lavenham, Cokefeld, Preston and Thorpmurieux, with wards, marriages etc. thereto belonging. Witnesses: John Rocwode, Lawrence Porterose, Thomas atte Tye, Alan Wellynge, Peter Everard, Robert Cooke, John Carpenter. Dated Lavenham, Tuesday after St. Hilary 13 Richard ll.” Witnesses in dispositions are always men of importance and wealth in a community. The name Robert Cooke that appears next to John Carpenter is another member of a ‘draper’ family and the most famous one in English history. Robert Cooke’s son Thomas (d. 1478) became the mayor of London (see his entry in the Dictionary of National Biography). The family was fabulously wealthy, influential in national and international affairs and finance. Thomas was a mover and shaker in London right at the time John Carpenter the younger established himself in city government. (to be continued) Bruce E. Carpenter