{{Short description|Person who weighs and grades wool for market}} [[File:The frieze of the Leith Corn Exchange 3 - geograph.org.uk - 542032.jpg|thumb|right|The frieze of the [[Leith]] Corn Exchange showing wool-staplers at work]]{{More citations needed|date=March 2026}} A '''wool-stapler''' is a dealer in [[wool]]. The wool-stapler buys wool from the producer, sorts and [[Wool classing|grades]] it, and sells it on to [[Textile manufacturing|manufacturers]].
[[File:Winston Hall, Gloucester.jpg|thumb|Winston Hall, built in Gloucester in 1750 for the wool-stapler Richard Chandler<ref name=NHL/>]] Some wool-staplers acquired significant wealth, such as [[Richard Chandler (wool-stapler)|Richard Chandler]] of [[Gloucester]] (England) who built [[Winston Hall]] in 1750.<ref name=NHL>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1271655|desc=Winston Hall|access-date=1 December 2018}}</ref>
==Staples== "Staple" in this particular context means a market.
Before the 17th century, a [[The Staple|staple]] was also a particular type of market, "a place appointed by royal authority, in which a body of merchants had exclusive right of purchase of certain goods destined for export".
The now best known English staple was at [[Calais Staple|Calais]] but in [[medieval times]] there were, at various times, many other [[staple towns]] throughout the kingdoms of England and Ireland and the facing coast of the [[Low Countries]] all involved, though not exclusively, with the [[Medieval English wool trade|English wool trade]].
==Etymology== The term "wool-stapler" fell out of use during the 20th century.
==References and sources== ;References {{reflist}} ;Sources *''Oxford English Dictionary'' entries for 'wool-stapler' and 'staple'.
==External links== *[http://boar.org.uk/abiwxo3TWMays1.htm Early 20th century publicity for a wool-stapler.]
[[Category:Wool trade]] [[Category:Medieval English merchants]]