Largely obsolete term for a merchant or trader of textile goods
Not to be confused with Mercury or Mercenary.
A mercery (mercer's shop) in Brussels
Mercery (from French mercerie, meaning "habderdashery" (goods) or "haberdashery" (a shop trading in textiles and notions) initially referred to silk, linen and fustian textiles among various other piece goods imported to England in the 12th century.[1]: 2 Eventually, the term evolved to refer to a merchant or trader of textile goods, especially imported textile goods, particularly in England. A merchant would be known as a mercer, and the profession as mercery.
The occupation of mercery has a rich and complex history dating back over 1,000 years in what is now the United Kingdom. London was the major trade centre in England for silk during the Middle Ages, and the trade enjoyed a special position in the economy amongst the wealthy.[2]
A typical mercery business was family-run, consisting of a mercer, wife, their family, servants, and apprentices. The husband would be tasked with the marketing and sale of the business' wares to the public in places such as a small storefront, at markets, and at public fairs. The wife would operate mainly in the workshop, using her skills to buy the business' stock and make various silk cloths and piece goods; she would also be in charge of the workshop alongside her husband, and would often be expected to train the apprentices and the family's children to contribute to the household income.[2]
^The Mercery of London, Anne F. Sutton
^ abSutton, Anne F. (2005). The Mercery of London : Trade, Goods and People, 1130-1578. London: Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN 9781315238326.
Mercery (from French mercerie, meaning "habderdashery" (goods) or "haberdashery" (a shop trading in textiles and notions) initially referred to silk,...
haberdashery the customer may purchase one button if that's all they want. Hatter Mercery Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, 1989: "A dealer in small articles...
François Darboux, businessman of mercery, and Alix Gourdoux. The father died when Gaston was 7. His mother undertook the mercery business with great courage...
Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. Sutton, Anne F. (2005). The Mercery of London: Trade, Goods and People, 1130-1578. Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate...
commenced working in retail with David Jones. He rose to be in charge of the mercery department and lived above the store, as was common in the era. Gowing...
schoolboy years, coined on account of the fact his father ran a men's mercery business. He left school at age 15. Richards, a Coogee junior, was a halfback...
take hundreds of hours of work and sell for thousands of dollars. The Mercery of London, Anne F. Sutton, p. 9 Caulfield, Sophia Frances Anne.; Saward...
beauty and sunglasses; lingerie, including sleepwear; menswear including mercery; accessories, footwear, and luggage; home, including kitchenware, tableware...
merchant or trader, more specifically a merchant who deals in textiles (mercery) Mercer, a member of the London guild of the Worshipful Company of Mercers...
leaves, Owen shoots Henry for failing to kill Feng along with two other merceries who were loyal to Chris. Feng tracks down Chris and confronts him, but...
In 1912 Trumper opened "Victor Trumper and Dodge Ltd.", a sports and mercery store in George Street, Sydney. Some notable highlights of Trumper's career...
England, efforts were made to standardize the width of cloth, to promote mercery. The first on record is the Assize of Cloth (also called the Assize of...
was already being imported to England before the invasion through the mercery trade. Some towns, such as York, suffered from Norman sacking during William's...
Edinburgh: Archibald Constable and Company. Sutton, Anne F. (2005). The Mercery of London: Trade, Goods and People, 1130-1578. Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate...
Furniture Stores. In 1430, the site was occupied by shops by the name of Le Mercery and by a building known as Hellekeld (the dark well). These were believed...
together with his brother, the director of the Jonco-groep, a wholesale mercery in Rotterdam. In March 2020, Aptroot retired as mayor of Zoetermeer. (in...
continued by his daughter Aly until the 1970s. F. A. C. OLSEN's ENKE, a mercery wholesale business, was based in the building as of 1910. The company was...
vol. 4, British History Online, pp. 217–222 Sutton, Anne F. (2005). The mercery of London: trade, goods and people, 1130-1578. Ashgate Publishing. p. 387...
The Allobroges may thus be the descendants of mobile groups of Gallic merceries who were active across central Europe in the first part of the 3rd century...
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