John Hende

John Hende was a successful London merchant and royal financier in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. His origins are unknown but by 1368 he was active in the drapery trade. In the next decades, Hende expanded his business on a network of rich clients and by the 1390s he became main supplier of cloth to Richard II's (r. 1377 – 1399) wardrobe. His sales of scarlet, long cloth dyed in grain, russet, and blanket, amounted to nearly £4150. He also continued to supply cloth on a smaller scale to Henry IV (r. 1399 – 1413) and Henry V (r. 1413 – 1422).

Hende’s main interest in business shifted during the Henry IV’s reign to banking and he became the leading royal financier. Between 1402 and his death in 1418, Hende lent a total of £14,514 to the crown, and as security he controlled the London wool customs between 1403 and 1410.

During his life Hende served in a number of civic offices, including being elected as mayor in 1391. He died on 2 August 1418, leaving property in London, twelve manors, and other lands, advowsons, and reversions in Essex and Kent. His wealth at death was around £10,000, about £3.6bn in 2010’s money.