The term mercer in reference to a cloth merchant (from the French mercier, originally referring to a person … See more

In earliest use, the term mercery was amorphous in nature, and described the sale of a wide range of goods, from small items like needles and thread, to expensive materials such as silk or brocade. The term can be dat… See more

Whilst London is closely intertwined as the prominent hub of the mercery trade in England throughout the Middle Ages, before the 12th century goods such as silk, linen and fustian in England primarily implied overseas tr… See more

The mercery trade in the 12th century was synonymous with the overseas trade of silk, linen, and fustian. In the first half of the twelfth century, most of the mercery textiles was brought over by foreigners. While silk cloth was o… See more

The majority of piecegoods sold by mercers used silk as the basis to make a wide variety of dress accessories such as laces, loops and tassels. Dress embellishments could range from simple designs on the edge of sle… See more