medieval-atlas/economic-development/250

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Overseas trade: the Middle Ages to the sixteenth century The exchequer returns only give a partial picture of Scotland's export trade in the fourteenth century because the "Great Custom" was levied only on wool, hides and woolfells. Rates of duty were initially fairly low, but were quadrupled between 1358 and 1368 to help pay the ransom of David n. lames I added cloth, fish, salt and skins to the list of dutiable exports: while reducing the duty on wool by 19%, lames ill completed the process by making all exports subject to duty, although he failed to dislodge certain exemptions after the death of James I. Despite these later additions total customs receipts drifted down, and their value was further eroded by inflation. The principal source of royal income in the fourteenth century, customs revenue had been far exceeded by income from Crown lands by the late fifteenth century. For much of the sixteenth century the customs at (£ Scots) many ports were farmed, often for years at a time. Only in the latter loss in 1333 transformed the economic map of southern Scotland. The most important Scottish burgh of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Berwick's former trade was divided between various burghs: principally Edinburgh, Linlithgow and Haddington % of customs in the 1320s, 32% in the 1370s, 45% in the I 420s, 55% in the 1470s, 67% in the 1530s and 75% in the 1590s. The other regional centres of thirteenth-century Scotland had been Aberdeen and Perth. Aberdeen retained its place but Perth fell behind Dundee. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centu.ries Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth were regarded on the continent as the 'four great towns' ofScotland. But Edinburgh's preeminence was increasing and by the sixteenth century it had become the economic focal point of the entire country. The customs returns provide our clearest indicator of relative growth, decline and restructur· . The series of. maps years of lames V's reign and after 1574 was this practice reversed. ~ ~ which follow illus In both instances customs receipts markedly increased thereafter. J_. .• ~~ trate the different The late recapture of Berwick ~dits subsequent J~mooo Inverness ~Lo 600 400 • Dumbarton • Dumfries 00000... "'" WiglOWn~ ''o~ ~",,"db"" • 100Lo o No returns extant 2 Values too small to register on bar chart ~ Based on only one or two years returns Defective returns for 1536 not included returns (£ Scots) 1500 1000 500 • m Melrose 0l1li3 0 Bumtisland 0000011 Culross O,=,-=O",O,,-,=,~ DysartOOO~ Inverkeilhing ~23 Kinghom 004~ Presloun 000",,0l1li kms o 25 50 75 100 , ,, , , , . o 10 20 30 40 50 60 miles Customs on exports, all commodities 1327 to 1599 ML, ASt 250

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