AGENDA ITEM NO: 4 Preamble to Notice of Motion There have been various discussions and presentations over recent years as to the Borough Council of Boston becoming a member of Die Hanse (The Hanse) – which is a network of towns and cities which historically belonged to the association of merchant towns known as the Hanseatic League. Boston is one of several towns on the East Coast which have a strong Hanseatic heritage, being one of the few settlements to have had a Hanseatic Steelyard. More information as to Boston’s historical connection with the Hanseatic League can be found appended to this report. It is a short article prepared by Martin Fairman, Chairman, History of Boston Project based on research carried out by Dr Pamela M Cawthorne. Whilst there is extensive membership of Die Hanse across Europe, Britain only has two members at present, Kings Lynn and Kingston upon Hull. The advantage to Boston’s tourist profile from membership can be seen from Kings Lynn’s experience. There is great potential for Boston to work together with Kings Lynn and Kingston upon Hull to develop our shared connection with The Hanse. The Hanse is an active network of towns and cities, membership of the Hanse is open to any town or city that belonged to the historic Hanseatic League, or was associated with it, or where there was a Hanseatic office or trading post for a considerable period of time. This must be evidenced by historical documents or deeds from the respective town/city archives. Application for acceptance in Die Hanse is to be made in writing through the responsible bodies of the city/town to the Commission. Decision on acceptance is vested in the Assembly, following proposal by the Commission. Die Hanse charges no membership fee The Hanse has a council (executive) and a commission (advisory), both elected for a three year term. Each country is represented on the commission. The Hanse Office is responsible for managing the affairs of the Hanse. It is the main point of contact for towns and cities, the media, associations and other groups. There is an extensive on line office. The office of the Hanse is assigned to the headquarters, e.g. the town of the President of the Council. At present this is Luebeck in Germany. The Hanse promotes contact between its members and initiates specific projects, both for the Hanse and the Youth Hanse. The Hanse has established an International Hanse Day. One day is set aside every year on which each Hanseatic town or city celebrates their membership and that of every other member too. Exhibitions, city tours, concerts and a range of other activities relating to the theme of trade are designed to recall the spirit of the Hanseatic League - so that people can not only remember the Hanseatic history of their town or city, but also develop a feeling for what it means to live in a trading city that is, even today, part of a European network. The day is always the third Saturday in May, so the next International Day of the Hanse will be celebrated on 16th May 2015. It would be good if Boston could have progressed its application for membership in time for the town to join in those celebrations Financial implications, membership of the Hanse is free. The only anticipated costs during the first few years of membership would be connected with initial attendance at the annual Hanse Tag (Hanse Day), which could be met from civic budgets. This would primarily be based on attendance by the Mayor, the Mayor has indicated she is prepared to meet this cost herself. Opportunities for additional representation or presence at the Hanse Tag would obviously need to be considered. The 35th International Hanseatic Days will be held in Viljandi South Estonia from 4.-7. June 2015. It would also be useful to establish a Hanse Club which would help guide the project. Such a group be able to attract and apply for external funding to enable the community to take full advantage of the benefits that could come to the town if we were to obtain membership. Suggested organisations that could become involved amongst others are the History of Boston Project and the Boston Preservation Trust Organisation and involvement in the Hanse. Representation at the Hanse Tag should be by the Mayor of Boston, this being organised through the Mayor’s Office. NOTICE OF MOTION We the undersigned hereby request that the following Motion be submitted to the meeting of the Council on Monday 29 September 2014, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 14:- 1. That this Council, being mindful of Boston’s historic links with the Hanseatic League and the prestige and advantages that membership of Die Hanse (The Hanse) would give to the town, supports and approves an application for membership of Die Hanse being made. 2. That this Council authorises and instructs The Worshipful The Mayor of Boston and Admiral of the Wash to pursue and make such an application. 3. This Council instructs the Chief Executive to a. Fully facilitate the making of the application in time for it to be considered by Die Hanse at the International Day of the Hanse, 16th May 2015. b. To work with other interested groups within the town, which amongst others should include the History of Boston Project and the Boston Preservation Trust, to establish a “Hanse Club”. The role of the Hanse Club being to support the Mayor in the making of the application for membership and to develop and take forward projects that will both promote our historic links with the Hansa League and our new links with Die Hanse. Signed: Print names: ………………………………….. Proposer ………………………RICHARD LEGGOTT …………………………………… Seconder ………………………HELEN STAPLES NOTICE OF MOTION (cont.) Signed: Print names: …………………………………… ………………………….CAROL TAYLOR …………………………………… ………………………….RICHARD AUSTIN …………………………………… ………………………….PAUL GLEESON …………………………………… ………………………….DAVID WITTS …………………………………… ………………………….BOB McAULEY …………………………………… …………………………. …………………………………… …………………………. Appendix 1 Hanseatic Boston Boston has a fascinating history of connections to the Baltic between the 13th and 15th centuries, through the Hanseatic League. Here is a brief account of the story. The word ‘Hansa’ or ‘Hanse’ was probably Scandinavian, meaning ‘people’ or a community or crowd. It was used for an association of traders from a number of German towns led by Lűbeck known as the ‘Hanseatic League’. Their aims were to reduce trade restrictions and maintain monopolies. In England these traders were sometimes known as ‘Esterlings’. The English towns were never members of the League as such, but were known as Major and Minor Hanse ‘kontore’, or warehouse facilities. Amongst the Major were London, Bruges, Bergen and Novgorod. Boston, along with King’s Lynn, Newcastle, Hull, Yarmouth and Ipswich were all Minor 'kontore’ Despite continual wars, trade during this period lay at the heart of economic growth across Europe and the British Isles. Water offered the best means of transport but at sea was fraught with the dangers of piracy. Protection from this was one of the main reasons for the formation of merchant associations, and Hanse merchants sought to protect themselves in convoys. The pre-eminence of Boston lay in its position as a coastal port on a river with access to the midlands, allied with the famous international St Botolph’s Fair. As a result, by 1283 merchant houses were set up in the town, including those with monastic links to Kirkstead, Revesby , Louth Park and Furness. Fountains Abbey (founded 1132) also owned property in the town (hence Fountains lane) and was the largest and richest wool producer in northern England. Between 1279- 1288 37% of wool exported from England went out through the port. The Wool Staple moved from Lincoln to Boston in 1369, and by 1377 Boston was the tenth largest town in the country. By the 1380s the alien cloth trade in Boston was dominated by the Hanseatic merchants who accounted for 89% of cloth exports through Boston and Lynn. The figure from 1377-1427 was 98%. As well as wool, by 1310 Boston traded significantly in wax, dried fish and fish oil, furs and goatskins. By 1317 there were four different Friaries in the town. – Augustinian, Franciscan and Dominican in South End where both the Guildhall and parts of the Dominican Friary complex (now Blackfriars Theatre) remain , and a Carmelite monastery on the west side of the river. These had links with the Hanseatic merchants, such as Wisselus Smalenburg, whose 1312 tombstone was moved from the Franciscan Friary to St Botolph’s. The Hanse merchants’ Guilds gained importance from the mid 13th century and led to eventual domination of sea trade in the 15th century. Starting in Germany – an area of the Holy Roman Empire well beyond the present borders of Germany, the Hanse gradually extended influence. Towns such as Riga (1201), and Tallinn (1219) were founded to take advantage of this and along the shores of the Baltic, towns such as Wismar, Konigsberg and Danzig also became important . The establishment of kontore in Novgorod, Bergen, Gotland, Sweden, Flanders and the East coast English ports meant there were always safe havens for ‘alien’ merchants to trade, store , keep records and provide accommodation. By 1266, merchants from Lűbeck and Hamburg joined others from Cologne in London and were referred to as ‘The German Hansa’. Their London warehouse was known as the ‘Steelyard’ – a term that became synonymous with a location for German merchants, taking its meaning from a weighing balance. The German word ‘stal’ was used for a place where goods were offered for sale. The Customs House in Boston came to be called the ‘Stylyard’s House’ and was the place where weighing took place to determine duties.