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staple
sta·ple1 / ˈstāpəl/ • n. a piece of bent metal or wire pushed through something or clipped over it as a fastening, in particular: ∎ a piece of thin wire with a long center portion and two short end pieces that are driven by a stapler through sheets of paper to fasten them together. ∎ a small U-shaped metal bar with pointed ends for driving into wood to hold attachments such as electric wires, battens, or sheets of cloth in place. • v. [tr.] attach or secure with a staple or staples: Mark stapled a batch of papers together. sta·ple2 • n. 1. a main or important element of something, esp. of a diet: bread, milk, and other staples Greek legend was the staple of classical tragedy. ∎ a main item of trade or production: rubber became the staple of the Malayan economy. 2. the fiber of cotton or wool considered with regard to its length and degree of fineness: [in comb.] long-staple Egyptian cotton. 3. hist. a center of trade, esp. in a specified commodity: proposals were made for a wool staple at Pisa. • adj. main or important, esp. in terms of consumption: the staple foods of the poor | fig. violence is the staple diet of the video generation. ∎ most important in terms of trade or production: rice was the staple crop grown in most villages. |
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Cite this article
"staple." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "staple." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-staple.html "staple." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-staple.html |
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Merchants of the Staple
Merchants of the Staple or Merchant Staplers, English trading company that controlled the export of English raw wool. The first wool staple (i.e., a place designated by royal ordinance as a special center of commerce) was established in 1294, and the first compulsory staple, where all wool exporters were required to trade, was set up in 1314. The staple was moved from place to place according to political needs, but in 1363 a group of 26 English merchants was incorporated as the Company of the Staple at Calais with a complete monopoly of wool exports. The staple thereafter remained almost continuously at Calais until 1558, and the company's resources contributed heavily to the defense of that city against the French. The company's wealth and importance diminished with the rise of the English cloth trade and the loss of Calais to the French in 1558. The staple was moved to Bruges, and the staplers retained their monopoly until 1617, when the export of raw wool was prohibited and home staples established. They then became domestic wool brokers. The staplers were the only trading company to be organized on a commodity rather than a regional basis.
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Cite this article
"Merchants of the Staple." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Merchants of the Staple." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-MerchantSt.html "Merchants of the Staple." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-MerchantSt.html |
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staple
staple. A staple was a trading centre in England or occasionally abroad, where traders deposited certain important commodities, bought and sold there. Edward II is regarded as the ‘father of the English Staple’ since it was during his reign that the Ordinance of the Staple (1313) made the system compulsory. The aims of the system, of particular importance in the 14th and 15th cents., were to regulate commerce in important commodities, especially wool, wool cloth, leather, and tin, and, by confining trade to a few named staple towns, to facilitate the collection of tolls or customs duties, and to bring trade under the control of royal officials who could ensure the maintenance of quality. The courts of the staple decided issues within the statutes. Because of England's importance as a trading nation, the staple system was also significant politically as an instrument of diplomacy.
Maureen Mulholland |
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "staple." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "staple." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-staple.html JOHN CANNON. "staple." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-staple.html |
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staple
staple former term for a centre of trade, especially in a specified commodity, such as wool; originally, a town or place, appointed by royal authority, in which was a body of merchants with exclusive right of purchase for certain classes of goods destined for export. An ordinance of Edward III in 1353, the Statute of the Staple, established staples in a number of English towns as well as at Carmarthen, Dublin, Waterford, Cork, and Drogheda.
At various times the chief staple was overseas; from about 1390 to 1558 it was at Calais, which was sometimes called the Staple. |
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Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "staple." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "staple." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-staple.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "staple." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-staple.html |
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staple
staple A staple was a trading centre in England or occasionally abroad, where traders deposited commodities, bought and sold there. Edward II is regarded as the ‘father of the English Staple’ since it was during his reign that the Ordinance of the Staple (1313) made the system compulsory. The aim was to regulate commerce in important commodities, especially wool, wool cloth, leather, and tin, and, by confining trade to a few named staple towns to facilitate the collection of tolls and the maintenance of quality.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "staple." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "staple." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-staple.html JOHN CANNON. "staple." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-staple.html |
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Merchants of the Staple
Merchants of the Staple see Merchants of the Staple . |
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Cite this article
"Merchants of the Staple." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Merchants of the Staple." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Staple-M.html "Merchants of the Staple." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Staple-M.html |
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