Steelyard

The Steelyard (including Steelyard ) designated since 1475 umfriedetes a site on the north bank of the Thames, where the Hanseatic merchants in London had their branches. 1853 the site was sold by the Hanseatic cities of Lübeck, Bremen and Hamburg. The Stiliard ( Steelyard ) was bounded by the cousin Lane in the West Thames Street in the north and the Allhallows Lane in the East. Opened since 1866, the Cannon Street Railway Station, lying on the ground the tracks to the tunnel under the Thames.

Guildhall

Since the early 11th century Rhenish merchants are detectable in London, who traded mainly with wine. 1175 gained some Cologne merchants by Henry II trading privileges or letters of protection and established a joint office on the Thames. This building, the Guildhall, translated guild or guild house, served the combined merchants as a gathering, storage, and occasionally for residential purposes.

To 1238 and 1260 were of Henry III. the privileges of the merchants confirmed they were now for all German Hanseatic merchants in London. The main trading goods of German merchants were transformed, in place of the wine occurred mainly grain and cloth, which were imported to England.

Steelyard

In the 15th century, the emerging British merchant bourgeoisie strove more and more to break the privileges of the Hanseatic League in the Baltic trade. As chartered in 1468 with the help of the Danish crown Danziger capers in Sund English ships were stopped and seized, Edward IV had in spring 1469 storm and pillaging the Guildhall. The merchants were detained temporarily and had to be liable for the damage incurred in the Sound with their assets. That was the reason for the Hanseatic - English war, which ended with the Treaty of Utrecht ( 1474 ) and the rights of the Hanseatic confirmed. After this peace agreement the merchants adjoining to the Guildhall site was transferred from the English king. This area was surrounded by a strong wall and called Steelyard or Steelyard. On the site there was a separate crane, own commercial and residential buildings, as well as a garden. Since the withdrawal of trade privileges in 1552 by King Edward VI. had tried diplomatically to stabilization and recovery of the Steelyard for the Hanse of Cologne Heinrich Sudermann, from 1556 to 1591 Counsel of the Hanseatic League, even with the successors Edwards. At the end of the 16th century, the clashes increased by the cloth exports and England lay with the German Emperor in the war, decreed Queen Elizabeth on January 13, 1598, effective January 24, the expulsion of the Hanseatic merchants from England, whose trading privileges picked it up, and the closure and confiscation of the Steelyard. The occasion was the same day becomes effective expulsion of the English Merchant Adventurers from Stade. 1606 Steelyard was returned to the former Hanseatic owners, not renewed the privileges against it. In the following years he had hardly any economic significance. During the great fire of London in 1666 most of the buildings were destroyed. They were built at the expense of the cities of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck again. They used part of the building for their own purposes, leaving the Steelyard manage the Stalhofmeister. At times, had three cities in London also has its own common diplomatic business support, mostly as Consul General and Minister residents as the Scots Patrick Colquhoun († 1820). Last Stalhofmeister in London was the Hanseatic Minister Resident James Colquhoun († 1855). Two years before his death sold the assignee of the Hanseatic Lübeck, Bremen and Hamburg the site in 1853 final.

At the top of the Steelyard was elected by the merchants on New Year Older man and two assessors. The older man represented the Steelyard to the outside, was responsible for the enforcement of the regulations inside and was lord of the manor. The Kontor statutes of the Steelyard demanded that each one of these chosen men should represent one of the following regions, called third. The first third designated Cologne and other cities west of the Rhine. The second third involved the right of the Rhine, Westphalia, Saxony and Wendish towns. From Gotland, Livonia or the Prussian cities of Danzig and Elbing had merchants come, which should represent the final third. Since the Cologne merchants were always in the majority in the Steelyard, they usually put the older man. The Steelyard was financed mainly from a " lap " said tax, which had to pay all Hanseatic merchants, who traveled to England.

The Steelyard was superior to the other Hanseatic offices in England such as those in Boston or King's Lynn. The surviving building in Lynn memory of the Hanseatic Faktorei give an idea how the Steelyard might have looked about. An impression of self-representation of the Hanseatic merchants in the Steelyard mediate by Hans Holbein the Younger painted portraits. In addition to these portraits have at least five, with the exception of a silver jug and basin received any appurtenances or architectural remains after a Holbein design. However, there are detailed descriptions of the Steelyard by the London City biographer John Stow.

Older people

• Tideman Berck from Lübeck ( 1486 )

Stalhofmeister

• James Colquhoun, last Stalhofmeister

Name theories

About the origin of the name there is no consensus. After a thesis he derived from Middle High German and Old High German stal, Dutch stal, stall english, swedish barn, which originally spot, stand, location meant. Recent research suggested that the Low German verb distal, which means something like excel or seal it, behind it. Thus, in many archaeological excavations lead or Wachsplomben have been found who have served the customs clearance of cloth or as a seal of origin. Since the 14th century, many textile processing occupations near the Steelyard are demonstrated.