A Day in the life of Thomas Jones, a draper (afternoon)

I’ve only a bit of time to talk to you – it’s a busy life being a master of the Drapers’ Company. I’ve got to make sure that our members stick by the rules. No opening shops too early or closing too late for a start. Then there’s church services for the guild over the road in the Trinity chapel of St.Mary’s to organize with the vicar. We also take care of the almshouses on Ox Lane. They may only be of one room each but the good folk who live there are grateful enough, and God surely smiles on our efforts. We rich drapers must always follow the example of our Lord Jesus in taking care of the poor. Not that I’m ashamed of my money –I have carried on the hard work of my beloved father William and it was a proud day when I too was admitted to the Draper’s company in 1592.

How true is "Days in the Life..."?

These dramatised accounts have been created by the Discovering Shropshire's History team. We used information taken from biographies of these individuals as researched by Bill Champion, author of "Everyday Life in Tudor Shrewsbury". These biographies, with the sources he used, can be seen in full by clicking on the "in depth" buttons on each page.