William Frost

William Frost was a wool merchant, landowner, and influential civic office holder of York. Much of his success is owned to his uncle, Walter Frost, who maintained a network of valuable commercial and social links with various York merchants. Possibly through the agency of his uncle, William married Isabel Gisburn, daughter of a wealthy merchant, sometime between 1385 and 1390. It was through his wife that William became part of the mercantile elite of York.

William decided to follow his late father-in-law’s example by investing in the wool trade, for in about 1392 he shipped a cargo of fleeces out of the port of Hull. But little else is known about his business ventures, and it seems that most of his income derived from land rather than commerce.

From 1389 onwards, Frost was regularly employed by the Crown on a variety of administrative tasks, combining these with a remarkable record of involvement in the day to day running of the city. In February 1396 he began the first of seven terms as York’s Mayor. He was also Member of Parliament in 1399. William Frost must have been very practical man, since he had good relations with King Richard II (r. 1377 – 1399) and later he wholeheartedly supported Henry IV (r. 1399 – 1413) when the latter seized the throne in 1399.