Money in the Norwich Stranger communities, 1565–1615

For several hundred years after the mid-sixteenth century, there were two exile or Stranger communities in Norwich, many of whose members were Calvinists who worked in the textile trade. This article investigates three aspects of the financial activities of these exiles: the types of coins they used; how they financed their commercial activities; and how financial disputes between Strangers were resolved, above all by officials known as Politic Men. This analysis not only assists in understanding the mechanics of the financial and commercial transactions between members of these communities and those involving local people, but also offers a way into thinking about the social relationships between Strangers, and between Strangers and local people and the civic authorities in Norwich.