Robert Appleby

Robert Appleby was one of the richest merchants in Lincoln. He owned at least six messuages, a windmill and a ‘place’ in Lincoln and its suburbs. His wealth came largely from the wool trade, although he evidently had some connexion with the leather-sellers of Lincoln.

In September 1396, Appleby was made bailiff of Lincoln, and thus became responsible for holding the election to the first Parliament of 1397, to which he himself was returned. He was also in Parliament in 1404, and was mayor of Lincoln in 1402.

That he could rely on handsome profits from his wool trade is clear from his readiness to contribute towards two separate loans of £200 made by the wealthier merchants of Lincoln in the summer of 1404 for the financing of Prince Henry’s expedition against the Welsh.