The earliest record of William Bowes appears in 1391 in connection to the source of his wealth, namely wool exports.
[1][2] A measure of his standing in the city was evident when he and his wife were granted a papal indult and gifts received from William Skirlaw, the then bishop of Durham.
William was reprimanded in 1418 by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester for apparently polluting the royal fisheries on the River Foss.
He was related by marriage to fellow merchant John Blackburn, who married his daughter Joan.
He died in 1439 and was buried next to his wife in St Cuthbert's Church in York, a building he had paid to have rebuilt and restored.