In the early fifteenth century there was no question of
Bristol’s place among English commercial cities. Although it
could not hope to match the wealth and distinction of London, it
was at the very height of its vigor, as was manifest in the
grandeur and elegance of the church of St. Mary, Redcliffe,
beautified by William Canynges’s benefactions. Indeed, Canynges,
probably the richest Bristolian of this period, easily rivaled
any merchant in the realm. Many of his Bristol contemporaries,
such as Thomas Strange, Robert Sturmy, or John Jay, though
hardly as wealthy, were themselves great merchants capable of
risking vast fortunes in ventures into untried waters. But this
picture is somewhat false, since from the middle of the century
the foundations of this medieval prosperity had been shattered
by events the Bristolians could not control. Throughout the
later Middle Ages Gascony was Bristol’s principal market. From
the very start the demand for wine was at the heart of this
traffic. It was imported through the