Richard Tylman of Faversham facts for kids

Richard Tylman was an English businessman who bought and sold food items. He was also an exporter, meaning he sent goods to other places. He became the Mayor of Faversham in 1580. This was during the time when Elizabeth I of England was queen. Faversham was an old port town, used even before the Romans came to England.

Around 1580, when Richard Tylman was mayor, England was quite different. Many areas had few people and lots of unused land. Roads were not very good. The main way people earned money was from growing grain. Wood was also very important for building. Most jobs were done at home, like spinning thread, knitting, weaving cloth, tanning leather, and working with metal.

Richard Tylman's Life Story

Richard Tylman was born in a place called Pluckley, Kent, England, in 1546. His parents were Nicholas and Mildred Tylman.

Family Life

Richard married a woman named Ellen Cobb. Her father was Thomas Cobb. Richard and Ellen had seven children together. Their names were Alice, Avie, Margery, Nicholas, Richard, Thomas, and William. One of their sons, William, later became Mayor of Faversham in 1594. Richard Tylman passed away on September 8, 1584, in Faversham.

Richard Tylman's Business

Richard Tylman was a very important trader in Faversham. He mainly sold and exported corn, wheat, and malt to London. Sometimes, his name was spelled "Tillman" in official papers. This was common back then because spelling wasn't always the same. But it was the same person.

Grain and Malt Trade

In 1580, Richard Tylman was the main supplier of grain from Faversham to London. He sent 17 loads of wheat on 33 different ship trips. Each trip carried about 64 "quarters" of grain. A "quarter" was an old way to measure grain. In the same year, he also exported 745 quarters of malt to London with another trader, Nicholas Freeman.

Faversham wharfs today

Buying Property

Because his business was doing well, Richard Tylman bought new properties in 1581. He bought three houses, two gardens, two extra storage rooms, and a granary. A granary is a building for storing grain. He also bought two wharfs in the harbor. Wharfs are places where ships can load and unload goods. These wharfs had a capstan, which is a machine used to pull heavy things. He paid 124 pounds of silver for all these properties.

Farmers in the area would bring their extra grain to the Faversham wharfs in carts. Then, the grain was unloaded at places like the wharfs Tylman bought. From there, it was sent by sea to other places. It was much easier to send large amounts of grain by ship than by road.

Timber Trade

During the time of Queen Elizabeth I, England started to run low on wood. This made the price of wood go up. So, people needed more coal for fuel. It also meant that wood had to be brought from farther away. Richard Tylman, like other traders in Faversham, also exported processed wood to London.