Katherine de Norwich

Katherine de Norwich was married to Sir William de la Pole, a significant English merchant and royal financier who founded the de la Pole family, which included Earls of Lincoln, Earls of Suffolk, and Dukes of Suffolk. His commercial and financial success elevated his family from obscurity to prominence in England within a single generation. William de la Pole, originally a merchant in Ravenser, moved to Kingston upon Hull where he became a leading wool merchant and provided substantial loans to the crown, which in turn granted him various privileges.

William de la Pole served as Chief Baron of the Exchequer and founded the Charterhouse Monastery in Kingston upon Hull. His career was marked by his role in financing Edward III’s wars against Scotland and France, and his establishment of the English Wool Company with the king. Despite facing charges and imprisonment due to the failure of the wool company, he was later pardoned and continued to be involved in financing royal endeavors until his death.