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A Day in the life of Robert Ireland, a mercer (morning)
Mercer (Image courtesy of J.Bryan)
Greetings! You find me stamping my feet on a cold morning watching the boats glide like giant swans up to Frankwell. Men are unloading sacks of wool at the back of the Fellmongers’ Hall for storing in its great warehouse. Their shouts and curses almost drown out the clacking of the weaving looms in the upper floors. Why am I here when I could be warm at home? Well I’m a member of the Mercers’ Company and unless we buy and sell we make no fortunes. And there’s no bigger fortune to be made in Shrewsbury than through the buying and selling of woollen cloth – worth the tramp over St.George’s bridge on a cold morning!
The Fellmongers Hall, a busy place of weavers which backs onto the river.
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.