royal blazon or coat of arms HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE dieu ET MON DROIT  
❧ By the King.  
¶ A Proclamation declaring His majesties pleasure, in the Incorporating of the tradesman and Artificers, inhabiting within three miles of the city of London.  
WHereas a great number of people as well Aliens as others Our Subiects born, who never served as Apprentices in any trade, craft, or occupation, haue intruded into places, as well within Our City of London, exempt from the freedom thereof, as without Our said City, and within three miles of the same, And there without restraint or order, haue usurped, and do still practise and exercise several Trades, Mysteries, and Handicrafts: By means whereof the said places are much pestered with Inmates, and become noisome and contagious, wears are falsified and sophisticated, and the tradesman and Artificers, as well within the said places, as within Our city of London, who haue served as Apprentices according to Our laws, are very much impoverished and disabled to maintain their families.  
Wee taking the premises into Our Princely consideration, and resolving on the best and speediest way of reformation for the good of Our people, and for the remedy of the aforementioned evils for time to come, haue thought it meet to set a stop to the future confluence and intrusion of foreigners and Aliens into the said places. And for that cause, and for the regulating and more orderly disposing of Trade and tradesman there, by the advice of the Lords and others of Our privy council, haue by Our Letters Patents under Our great seal of England, in such sort as therein is expressed, incorporated the present tradesman and Artificers inhabiting within the same places, who haue served as Apprentices by the space of seven yeares, and haue there erected and established a settled government: Ordaining and declaring by Our said Letters Patents, that no person whatsoever, other then the present tradesman and Artificers shall from henceforth inhabit in the said places, to set up or exercise any Arte, Mystery, Trade, or Occupation, or use any trading by retail there, or be admitted into the said Corporation unless he shall first serve as an Apprentice there by the space of seven yeares.  
And concerning the said present tradesman and Artificers, Wee haue by Our said Letters Patents ordained and declared, that such of them as haue served apprenticeships by the space of seven yeares, shall forth with be received into the freedom of the said body. And for such of them as being natives, haue not served apprenticeships as aforesaid, in regard the punishment whereunto they are liable( if Wee should put Our laws in execution) would much impoverish them, and rather bring a charge upon the Parishes wherein they live, which are ouerburdened with poor already, then work any reformation for the time to come: We therefore, out of Our Princely care for their ease and welfare, by Our said Letters Patents haue further ordered, That they also may be admitted into the said freedom, in such manner, as by Our said Letters Patents is ordained; And after such admittance, shall, and may freely use their Trades within the said places during their natural lives.  
And as for such Aliens, as haue for some reasonable time, openly used and exercised Trades within the said places, We haue further by Our said Letters Patents, declared Our gracious Will and Pleasure to be; That such of the said present Aliens there inhabiting, as shall bee found fit to partake of this Our Grace and favour, and will submit themselves to be regulated and ordered by Our laws, and the Constitutions of the said Corporation, may also bee admitted into the communality and freedom of the said Body, accordingly as is ordained by Our said Letters Patents; And after such admittance, shall, and may freely use their Trades there, during their natural lives: And that no other Alien shall from henceforth be admitted into the said freedom.  
And to the end, that so great care by us taken, for the general good and welfare of Our People inhabiting the said places may not bee frustrate; Our Will and Pleasure is, That all the said tradesman and Artificers, now inhabiting in the said places, and intending there to continue, be forthwith admitted into the said freedom. And that no person or persons whatsoever, shall after the Feast of All Saints next ensuing, use or exercise any Trade, Mystery, Craft, Occupation, or trading by retail in the places aforesaid, unless he, or they bee admitted into the said freedom, vpon pain of Our Indignation, and such further punishment, as We by Our laws, and the Statutes of this Our realm, or by Our prerogative royal may inflict vpon the Contemners of Our royal Will and Pleasure.  
And for the more speedy effecting the great good hereby intended, it is Our express Will and Pleasure, That the Church-wardens, Constables, and other Officers of the several Parishes and Precincts, within the places aforesaid, do forthwith deliver unto the chamberlains of the said Corporation, the names and surnames of all the present inhabitants, within their respective Parishes and Precincts, who now exercise any Trade, Mystery, Craft, Occupation, or dealing by retail there, as also the places of their abode, and what Trade every of them doth use: That so the names of the present tradesman and Artificers, and places of their abode being known, the intrusion of others may the better be prevented, and discovered in time to come.  
Lastly, We do hereby declare, That in all the premises, Our royal care hath been, not to alter or infringe the present forms of government already established within any of the said places; but only to afford Our royal assistance, for the ease and relief of Our good Subiects, in cases already not provided for. And therefore by Our said Letters Patents Wee haue provided, That the jurisdiction and form of government, heretofore established within Our City of London, Our City of Westminster, the Borough of Southwark, Our Tower of London, the Liberties and Precincts thereof, or elsewhere within the places aforesaid, and the privileges, Immunities and Rites of them, or any of them; and also the Liberties, privileges, Immunities and Rites heretofore granted to the dean and Chapter of the Collegiate Church of S. Peter Westminster, or by them, or their high Steward for the time being, lawfully used, shall not by Our said Letters Patents be any ways infringed or prejudiced.  
given at Our Palace at Westminster, the four and twentieth day of February, in the twelfth year of Our reign.  
God save the King.   

¶ Imprinted at London by Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings most Excellent majesty: And by the assigns of John BILL. 1636.