City of London coat of arms The Right of the City of London, And their Proceedings touching the Regulation of Hackny-Coaches, standing in the said City and Liberties thereof.  
THE City of LONDON, by Ancient Usage, ratified and confirmed by Charters and Acts of Parliament, have made By-Laws for the good Government of, and the preventing Disorders in the same City and Liberties thereof.  
In pursuance whereof the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, and Commonalty in Common Council Assembled, many years since did( in respect of the Inconveniences and Annoyances, occasioned by a multitude of cars) by Act of Common-Council reduce and limit their Number to 420, and Appointed them places where to stand, and how many in each place, with Penalties to be inflicted on the Offenders; which upon Trials in Westminster-Hall have been Adjudged good in Law.  
In like manner, for the prevention of Disorders and nuisances within the said City and Liberties, arising from an excessive Number of Hackny-Coaches stoping up the Passages and Streets, the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, and Commonalty in Common Council Assembled,( after the Act of 14 Car. 2. touching Hackny-Coaches was Expired) did by Advice of Able and Learned Counsel in the Law, restrain the Number of hackney Coaches to 400, as the aforesaid Act of Parliament had done.  
By which said By-Law( amongst other Provisions therein) the Rates for Carriage, to avoid Exactions, were settled, the Places where to stand, and the Numbers that at each Place should ply, and at what Distances, were Appointed, to prevent the pestering and annoying the Streets, and that they should give way to any Gentlemans Coach where need should require: And each Coachman to have a Mark of Distinction on his Coach whereby to be known, in case of Misbehaviour; and that no Person keep more than Two Coaches, as by the said Stat. 14 Car. 2. was provided.  
The said By-Law was put in Execution, till the judgement given against the City in the Quo Warranto; but then it was holden, that the Execution thereof was by the said judgement suspended, and so continued till the Reversal of the said judgement, and the restauration of the Ancient Rights and privileges to this City, by the late Act of Parliament.  
Since then, many Disorders of the Hackny-Coachmen having been Presented by the Inquests of several Wards of the same City; also many Complaints of the Citizens and Inhabitants in General, made to the Court of Lord Mayor and Aldermen, the same was reserred to a Committee of Aldermen; and upon their Report the Court of Lord Mayor and Aldermen did on the 9th Day of June, 1691, Order, that the said By-Law should be put in Execution, which was accordingly done; and the City was thereby, for that Year, much Eased from the many Disorders and nuisances occasioned by the great Number of hackney Coaches.  
The like Order was made in the Year 1692, and then only 160 Coachmen, or thereabouts, submitted to it; the Residue, who were by the said By-Law restrained to Drive each of them only One, or at the most Two Coaches, are the Persons who now pretend themselves Aggrieved, because they would not be confined to any Number of Regulation, but have combined to avoid and elude the said By Law, and at this time Drive Three, Four, Five, and some of them more Coaches apiece, by which means the Number of Hackny-Coaches are increased to about a Thousand.  
Whereby not only all the former nuisances and Disorders are returned upon the City: But the Poorer sort of Coachmen, and the Poor Widows of others are ruined and undone, who( as long as the Rules and Orders of the same By-Law were observed) could and did maintain themselves and Families.  
For prevention whereof, the Committee of Aldermen did cause several of the Chief Offenders to be Summoned before them, who obstinately persisting in their Offences, some of them were Sued pursuant to the aforesaid By-Law( the Penalties whereof being 10 s. and others 40 s.) and some of the said Suits were removed by Certiorari into the Court of Kings Bench, where they are now depending; and the Proceedings against the residue are stopped by Order of the Court of Lord Mayor and Aldermen, to attend the judgement that shall there be given.  
Also several Hackny-Coachmen have been Indicted for the Standing of their Coaches, as Common nuisances; and for Assaulting and Beating several Constables and Inhabitants of this City, for endeavouring to remove them from before their Shops, that their Customers, who were coming, might come to them; and thereupon have pleaded Guilty, or by the Jury have been found so: And the Fines imposed on them severally did not exceed 3 s. and 4 d. or 5 s. at the most for any one nuisance; and 'tis humbly conceived, their paying the Tax laid on them by Act of Parliament( as others also do) doth not give them Liberty to live in the Transgression of all, or any other Law, or to contemn the Government of the said City.  
The money that was paid for each Hackny-Coachman's licence, was 16 s. 4 d. and no more, and which was voluntarily paid, being the Common Fees for the same, and was paid to and for the several Officers that are concerned in the Writing, Sealing, Passing and Recording the said Licenses.  
For the Remainder of the 45 s. alleged to be paid( if the same were paid) the same was by Agreement amongst themselves Advanced and by themselves was Disposed as they thought fit; and was not Advanced not Disposed of by any Order or Direction of the Court of Lord Mayor and Aldermen.   

Printed by SAMUEL ROYCROFT, Printer to the Honourable City of LONDON, 1692/ 3.