Monarchs – King Edward III On Side Of Town Hall – Manchester, UK - Monarchs of the World on Waymarking.com

King Edward III was born on 13 November 1312 and reined as King of England from 1 February 1327 – 21 June 1377.

Manchester Town Hall was built between 1868 and 1877 in a time when Manchester was expanding rapidly and a larger town hall was needed to replace the existing one. There are a number of statues on the exterior walls of people that Manchester felt had contributed in some way to the city’s development.

This statue is in the middle of the side of the town hall that runs alongside Princess Street. He is shown wearing his crown and battle dress. In his left hand he is holding a shield and in his left a sword.

Edward III has a controversial reputation as far as the textile trade is concerned. However Manchester certainly felt that he had helped their trade develop.

During his reign, he had fought many battles with Scotland and France and then in 1348 the Black Death struck England and Europe. It is estimated that a third of the population died during the Black Death.

All these things combined meant that Edward needed to raise taxes. One of his schemes was to impose a tax on wool. As part of this he gave special privileges to foreign merchants in preference to the English.

As a result of his policies many Flemish weavers settled in Manchester and helped to develop the textile trade that would later be the foundation to Manchester’s wealthy in the Industrial Revolution.

Monarch Ranking: King / Queen Proper Title and Name of Monarch: By the Grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland and Duke of Aquitaine Country or Empire of Influence: England, Ireland and Aquitaine Website for additonal information: [Web Link]

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