3G THE CITY COMPANIES : ings of so large a body, and tlie Grocers' Company have, or lately had, in their possession a curious me- morial evidently belonging to those early courts, intended for a purpose similar to that of a chairman's hammer of modern times. It consists of a carved figure of St. Anthony, their patron saint, holding a small bell, which the president struck when he enforced order. In the court-room at Leathersellers' Hall is a handsome ivory hammer, unusually large and heavy, originally intended to quiet disorderly or outspoken members, and bearing an inscription to the effect that the said hammer was presented to the worshipful company, a.d. 1623, by '^ Francis Barradon, warden of the yeomanry, .1620, and nowe one of the assistants of the yeomanry ;" from which date it has been in use uninterruptedly — fortunately, as we are informed, more as an orna- mental than a necessary article. From these, and similar relics, it is readily surmised that some amount of tact and much firmness were required in one assuming so responsible an office as president of a gild. The following extract from the minutes of the Carpenters' Company, shows that some patience was used to be exercised in their councils : — "1556 "Ksd of master abbott a fyne for that he helde not his peess before the master hade knockyd with the sylence iij tymes vjd."* In 1487, the Drapers' books record a pay- * Jupp's "Hist. Ace," p. 139. THElil ALDSRMEN. 37 menfc for '' a hammer to knock upon the table, vj^ viii^'* In Heath's '^Account of the Grocers' Company," p. 32, we have the following extract from their minutes of the date July 8th, 1670 : '^ Upon com- plaint and observation of the unseemliness and dis- turbance, by taking tobacco and having drink and pipes in the court-room, during court's sitting; and for the better order, decorum, and gravity to be observed, and readier despatch and minding of debates and business of the court, and avoiding the occasion of offence and disgust, it is agreed that hereafter there be no taking of tobacco, or drinking used or permitted in the courfc-room during the sitting of the court ; and if any person have a d'esire to refresh himself with a pipe of tobacco or a cup of drink, at a convenient time or interval of serious business, to withdraw into some retiring room more suitable and fit for the purpose." As early as a.d. 1512, the Merchant Taylors make mention in their minutes of a '' Court of Assistants " by name, when the common clerk (Henry Maynard) is said to have " transacted certain affairs at the commandment and request of the master and war- dens, with the advice of the more part of the most substantiall and discreet persons, assistants and counsellers of the said fraternity." The numbers of the court vary in different Companies, but twenty- five is the most usual number. In the early Saxon gilds, where a council was needed, thirteen was the favourite number, in imitation of Christ and his '■1. f T \^ 'M 1, /r^-z^r?^:/ " — ^^Crr/(^7r^'. ^^o I, REESE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, /deceived ^t^^^.____, i8^ / Accessions No/^j4^4c/^ 4^ Shelf No. f/fik'.ri ■J 11 x^^^^ \ . i » A . A. V IiL K^^ /'.• // 'J:^ THE CITY OF LONDON LIVERY COMPANIES. HISTOEICAL REMINISCENCES THE CITY OF LONDON- LIVERY COMPANIES. r.Y THOMAS AEUNDELL, B.D., F.G.S., OF ST. JOHN'S COI-LEGK, CAItfBEIDGi:, AXD TICAK OF HATTOTT. ' Individuals may form communities, but institutions must found a nation." DlSEAEir, LONDON: EICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. ^ubUsl^w in ©ibiuarg to f ^r STajc£it|T. 1869. All EigMs lieserved. ^4^4^^^ TO THE RIGHT HON. THE LORD MAYOR, M.P., MASTER OF ALL THE COMPANIES, AND TO THE SHERIFFS Of LONDON AND MIDDLESEX, €U^ WaXwmt IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR. r\/ ADVERTISEMENT, The following work is founded upon a series of fugitive papers, published weekly in a Yorkshire periodical, during the years 1866-7. The Author's aim is to draw the attention of the general reader to the history and antiquities of the City of London, and to show the dignity and value of many of its ancient corporations. In an age of restless and rapid movements like the present, the test of utility is ruthlessly applied to every institution, and destruction being the han- diest and speediest of all remedies, no institution can be safe vvhich is not manifestly and conspicuously useful. The Author hopes that these pages will leave on the mind of the reader an impression strongly favourable to the preservation of the powers and privileges of the great corporate bodies of the City of London, and their various dignified officials, and that he has indicated satisfactory reasons for many customs and observances which have usually been thought to have only prescription and antiquity on their side. He has also shown that the property of Vm ADVERTISEMENT. the now wealthy gilds has been created by the con- tributions and bequests of their own members, has accumulated by their own careful and skilful manage- ment, and i3 employed in a manner accordant with the objects of its donors, greatly to the honour and renown of the Empress City, and to the advantage of her poorer citizens. ISTo property in the land is held by a better title, or is more righteously and beneficially employed. The Author has much pleasure in acknowledging the kindness of many friends in affording assistance and facilities in the preparation of this work. In particular, he would tender his best thanks to J. J. Howard, LL.D., F.S.A., the learned editor of the "Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica;" to the Rev. John Tagg, M.A., Eector of Mellis, formerly a Fellow of Sion College; to the Right Worshipful John Sugden Neale, Esq., Master; to William Bent- ley, Esq., and Martin Blackmore, Esq., past Masters of the Leathersellers' Company; to the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor; to Colonel Wilson, the senior alderman; and especially to Sir Thomas Gabriel, Bart., past Lord Mayor, for the privilege of search- ing the treasures of the Corporation Library, the most valuable collection of local antiquarian litera- ture which this country possesses. Eayton, York, A^ril, 1869* CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE The Livery Companies — their Origin and Objects 1 CHAPTER II. Their Antiquity , 14. CHAPTER III. Their Aldermen 31 CHAPTER IV. The same continued 42 CHAPTER V. Their Mayor 54 CHAPTER YI. The same continued 63 CHAPTER YII. The same continued , 11 CHAPTER YIII. Their Sheriffs 91 X CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. PAGE Their NAME Livery 104 CHAPTER IX. Theie Religious Observances 116 CHAPTER XL The same continued 125 CHAPTER XXL The same continued ....„ 139 CHAPTER Xni. The same continued 149 CHAPTER XIY. Their Apprenticeship 162 CHAPTER XV. The same continued 172 CHAPTER XVI. Feasts in Olden Time 183 CHAPTER XVIL The same continued 191 CHAPTER XYIII. . The same continued — Crowning with Garlands 200 CHAPTER XIX. The same continued — Minstrels 210 CHAPTER XX. The same continued — The Loving-cup and Platers 222 CONTENTS. XI CHAPTEH XXI. PAGE Their Maidens 232 CHAPTER XXII. Their Holidays 245 CHAPTER XXIII. The same continued — Their IMatings 255 CHAPTER XXIV. The same continued — Royal Processions . . . . , 264 CHAPTER XXY. The same continued — Lord Mayor's Day 280 CHAPTER XXYI. The same continued — Water Pageants 295 CHAPTER XXVII. The same continued — Out-door Games 306 CHAPTER XXVIII. Their Fondness for Dirt in the Olden Times 321 CHAPTER XXIX. TheTwelye 337 CHAPTER XXX. City Ceremonials 359 CHAPTER XXXI. The Relation of the Companies to Trade 373 CHAPTER XXXII. Their Modern Banquets 377 XU CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXIII. PAGE Their Armorial Bearings 387 CHAPTER XXXIV. Their Training to Arms 402 CHAPTER XXXY. Their Warriors 410 APPENDIX. List of Mayors FROM 1189 to 1869 :..... 423 Lord Mayors M.P. for the City 432 Lord Mayors M.P. for the Proyinces 433 List of Charters from William the Conqueror to George HI. 435 HISTORICAL REMINISCENCES OP THE CITY OF LONDON LIVERY COMPANIES. CHAPTER I. THE CITY companies: THEIR OEIGIN AND OBJECTS. " Towards three or four o'clock Look for the news that the guild hall affords." Sdakespeaue's Fiicliard III. For. wealtli and vastness, London outvies all tlie cities of Europe. The riches of tlie Corporation of the City are something marvellous. One of our early kings, when in want of money, " in consideration of his love for hi^ loyal subjects the citizens," and of a sum down in ready cash, grants them by royal charter the village of South wark, from which one gift alone now arises a revenue sufficient probably to support a peerage. The state observed by the Lord Mayor at his official residence, the Mansion House, is almost regal. Certainly no subject of our Queen maintains an equal amount of courtly ceremony, nor can the state banquets of our greatest nobility sur- ^Z THE CITY companies: pass in splendour tlie princely entertainments con- tinually furnislied by tlie sovereign of the City. The frequency, too, of these hospitable gatherings, and the large numbers generally invited — covers being laid, as we sometimes read, for three hundred or four hundred guests, and at the Guildhall for between one thousand and two thousand — lead us to imagine that the cellars of the Mg^nsion House must be as exhaustless as the wealth of the Corporation. If we remember correctly, the present* Lord Mayor has on two dijfferent occasions already during his year of oflB.ce entertained Sovereigns, or Eoyal Princes, without the necessity, as we understand, of any variation from his usual preparations for his guests. The original sum voted for the present Mansion House was £80,000, besides the site ; the supply of plate, the accumulation of centuries, both by pur- chases and by presents from royal and other person- ages, is unsurpassed; and no cost is withheld by the City in maintaining the fittings and appoint- ments throughout in a manner worthy of so great a Corporation. Bearing in mind all these facts, people in the country are frequently rather startled at reading in the London papers, as we did last week,t that the wealthiest city and first county in England had appointed for the ensuing year S. "VYaterlow, Esq., citizen and stationer, and Francis Lycett, Esq., citizen and spectacle-maker, high sheriflTs for London and ]\Iiddlesex. Not long since the Lord Mayor (Wire) * Sir B. Phillips (1866). f Written 1866. THEIR ORIGIN AND OBJKCTS. 6 was an innholder ; liis predecessor a butclier ; the under- sheriff a cook ; while from the recent lists we extract the names of Alderman Wheelton, sheriff and cordwainer ; J^Ir. Thomas Lott, F.S.A., deputy and baker; Moses. Kipling, esquire and blacksmith ; E. J. Hutchins and A. S. Ayrton, both members of Parliament and leather sellers ; and what is still more curious, the Eev. Markland Barnard, \acar of Eudge and mercer ; the Rev. Thomas Lee, vicar of Osset and leather- seller ; the Eev. Charlton Lane, rector of Hampstead and mercer ; the rector of St. Margaret's, Lothbury, chaplain to the Queen and haberdasher. There is something still more ano- malous than all this, namely, that the great and eloquent Earl of Derby is at the same time Prime Minister of England and merchant taylor ; while the estimable Prince of Wales, recently the guest of the Lord Mayor and the Archbishop of York, is not only a merchant taylor and goldsmith, but adds to his other professions the lucrative calling of mercer. ISTow although many and most of the City gentle- men above named are engaged in trade, probably there is not one of the number connected with the particular trade whose designation is attached to his name ; but as it is necessary, in order to bo eligible for civic offices, that a candidate shall be a freeman of London and a liveryman of one of the ancient gilds, and as many privileges attach themselves to the office of liveryman, all who look for office, or who wish, to become participators in the advantages offered by these corporations, connect themselves 4 THE CITY COMPANIES : •with one or otlier of them, wliicliever offers the greatest attractions, without the slightest regard to its designation. The first cost of admission to the livery varies, in diflPerent Companies, from £20 to 100 guineas,* which, in addition to the freedom of the City, and the freedom of the Company and future fmes, brings the total cost in some of them to nearly £200. In the early times, none could exercise any craft or calling in the City of London without having first become free of his particular craft or mystery ; now, in these days of free-trade, no such restrictions exist, and, consequently, the necessity of these gilds no longer remains. Their vast estates, however, remain, and they, as powerful corporations, will con- tinue as long as society holds together. N^apoleou caught the right idea of the cause of England's greatness when he called us a nation of shojDkeepers. Conquest and diplomacy may enrich and extend for a time, but for a nation to live and become increasingly rich and strong, her prosperity must be 'based upon a sound system of trade. The power of England is felt on every sea, for her mer- chant ships are there. The wealth of England enables her to maintain her vast influence in every plime, and her wealth is drawn from her rich landed nobles and her prosperous trading communities. The wealth of the nobles, however, has been chiefly obtained from trade. Few of the Norman barons r.ro to be traced through their descendants to the * Tho highest we know of is that of the Lcathorsellers— viz., 100 guineas. THEIR OEIGIN AND OBJECTS. b present time ; those wlio now possess our soil are chiefly descended from our great bankers, goldsmiths, and other City traders. Last summer a City man died worth £3,800,000, all of which he had himself accumulated, — Richard Thornton, a Yorkshireman, a native of Burton-in-Lonsdale, in the North. Riding, in which parish, during his lifetime, he built and endowed schools at a cost of £40,000. He died at the advanced age of eighty-nine, having been for sixty- six years a liveryman of the Leathersellers' Company of London. We believe that the art of trade cannot be learned in a century, that it must be fostered by a nation, and studied by its disciples, who must understand its history and traditions. England has ever honoured her traders. She knows how mucli to them she is indebted. The -highest oinces in Parliament and in Government are open to them, and the Peerage is continually strengthened by admissions from their ranks. It is certainly below the mark to affirm that more than two hundred peerages have been founded by Lord Mayors and other members of the London Livery, since the time of Henry Fitz- Allen (Mayor 1110), each of whom has been in trade. As a curious specimen of the result of an examination of the records of one Com- pany out of the fifty, we subjoin a list of founders of ennobled families from the Mercers : — 1. Sir Adam Francis (Mayor 135J-) ; his daugliter and heiress married John, Lord MontacUe, Earl of Salisbury. 2. Sir John Coventry (1425) ; ancestor to the present Earl of Coventry. 6 THE CITY COMPANIES : 3. Sir Geoffrey BuUen ; grandfather of Thomas, Earl of Wiltshire, father to Ann Bullen, and grandfather to Queen Elizabeth. 4. Sir William HoUis ; ancestor to the Earls of Clare, afterwards the ducal family of Newcastle. 5. Sir Michael Dormer (1542) ; produced the future Lords Dormer. 6. Sir Thomas Baldry (1523) ; his daughter married Lord Eich, ancestor of the Lords Kensington, and whose progenitor was Eichard Eich, mercer. 7. Sir Thomas Seimour (1527) ; from him sprung the Seimours, Dukes of Somerset, 8. Sir Baptist Hicks ; ancestor of the Yiscounts Camden. 9. Sir Eowland Hill ; ancestor of Lord Hill, who from 1833 till his death served on the court of this Company. 10. James Butler; ancestors of the Earls of Ormond (reign Henry YIII.) 11. Sir Geoffrey Fielding (1452) ; ancestor of the Earis of Denbigh. Sir Baptist Hicks obtained Ms wealth from the trade of mercer, which he carried on in Oheapside, being mercer to the King (James I.) and the Court. He was first knighted and afterwards created Viscount Camden. This is one of the very few. instances on record of a trader being transferred from his shop to the House of Lords. His wealth must have been great, as he not only founded a peerage, but gave each of his daughters £100,000, in those days a vast fortune for an heiress. The present Clerken- well Sessions' House was built by him for the meet- ings of the justices for Middlesex, and to this day it is called ''Hicks' Hall." He was one of the first citizens who kept a shop after the honour of knighthood, and upon being remonstrated with by some of the aldermen, he laconically rephed that ''his servants kept the shop, and that he did not live altogether upon the interest of it" (Strype). THEIR ORIGIN AND OBJECTS. 7 A list of founders of ennobled families, equally numerous and distinguished perhaps, might also be selected from the roll of the Drapers' Company, amongst whose lord mayors are such names as Fitz- Allwyn (1190), the Pultneys (1313), the Oapells (1303), the Wattons (1415), the Eudstons, of Hay- ton (1528), the Brydges, Dukes of Chandos (1520), etc. ; or from the Grrocers' Company, who claim existence as a trading community from the time of the settlement of the Eomans in London, and boast of having supplied from their numbers one hundred lord mayors ; and from the Goldsmiths' Company might be obtained a list of founders of peerages, which would probably eclipse in numbers and splendour any other of the City gilds, containing, as it would, some of England's greatest names, and many who to Yorkshiremen are especially dear. Let us look back at the causes of the prosperity \ of our traders — at the reasons of their unusual suc- cess in this country. We must go back for this to Saxon and Is'orman times, for there we may discern the foundations of the present edifice. The Saxon Gilds were the first nurseries of trade. ' Although man^T- other countries have had their gilds and fraternities, nothing like our early gilds has existed. The ancient Eomans had their unions of craftsmen and companies of artificers and traders, occupying particular streets to which they gave name, a custom imitated in London soon after the Conquest, as Fitzstephen* tells us : '' This city, even * A monk and secretary to Thomas a Becket. 8 THE CITY COxMPANIES : as Rome, is divided into wards, and all the sellers of wares, all tlie workmen for hire, are distinguished every morning in their place as well as street."* But what knit these traders together by the strictest bonds was their congregating into fraternities or gilds. They knew that in union is strength, and they hit upon the most happy mode of securing a harmonious brotherhood. They united to the one great object of their desire, namely trade, two accesy series, religion smd feasting. There was much know- ledge of human nature here. Men are never so amiable and forgiving as when enjoying the pleasures of good cheer, and never so successful as when they feel they are doing their duty. Our old Saxon ancestors did nothing without a good dinner to accompany it ; and these traders evinced a deep sense of their dependence upon the Almighty, by the employment of priests to say prayers for their success and for their souls, and to bless the food at their banquets. We frequently find the several gilds quarrelling one with another, but it is most rare to discover any trace of discord between the members of any one particular fraternity. We occasionally, it is true, meet with differences, but they are generally of the mildest type ; one or two we give by way of example. From the Gold- smith records we learn that in 1449 a member was lined for '' revileing a member of the liverie;^* in 1518 a member is fined 2s, ''for myshehaviour in words ;^' and another is sent to the Compter "for • Descriptio Nobilissim. Civifc. Lond. " Strype's Stow," ii. p. 4. THEIR ORIGIN AND OBJECTS. 9" many simple and bad words." In 1519 two members, Walter Lambe and Thomas Banister, are sent by tlie wardens to tlie Compter, '^ for that eacli of them used lewde, revylinge, and slanderous words to the other at the tyme of the eleccon of the new wardens ; wher' they abode till they were agreed ; that is to say till viii. of the clocke at nyghte ; at whiche tyme Mr. Wardens sent for them to the hall, and examyned them whether they were agreed. And they said yea ; and also that they were sorry for that they had spokyn. Whervpon they drank to geder and deprted frendly bothe." The minute-book of the Ironmon- gers' Company contains a similar entry, under date 15th July, 1567 : " At this court, Mr. Harvy and Mr. Gamage, olde wardens, complayned against William Penyfather for unkynde words against them and evell order on the feast day in the hall ; and it was ordered by this court he shal be sent to prison and pay fyne of XX*, and (at) the request of Mr. Harvy and Mr. Gamage his imprisonment was released."* Of a very different aspect is a quarrel between two gilds narrated by Northouck. In 1226 so violent a quarrel arose betvf een the goldsmiths and tailors, that each party met on an appointed night to the number of five hundred men, completely armed, and proceeded to decide their difference by blows. Many were killed and wounded on each side ; nor could they be parted till the sheriffs, with the City posse comitatuSjCiiTne and apprehended the ringleaders, thirteen of whom were condemned and executed ! * Nicoll's " Hist. Iron Comp." p. 94. 10 THE CITY companies: Some of these corporations, by prudent manage- ment and tlie increase in tlie value of land, have become fabulously rich ; and with age, instead of decrepitude, manifest now after many centuries all the vigour of new institutions. The secret of this lies in the social feature which is their distinguishing"! characteristic. Feeling that their power lay in their \ union, they banded together for purposes secular, by means of usages religious and social. There was a time when the occupation of man was confined to agriculture and husbandry, but as the wants of society increased, many detached them- selves from these employments, and settling down into some central spot, formed themselves into com- munities, and founded towns and cities, the marts for all kinds of commodities. Hence sprung muni- cipal governments. Of these communities, one of the earliest in this country was the Frithgild of the seventh century, in which social feastings formed an essential feature, and which partook much of a pohtical character. To this succeeded gilds eccle- siastical, founded for alms-deeds and devotion, not a few of which were established in York and its neighbourhood, consisting both of clergy and laity. When a brother died, a feast was prepared for the day of burial; and in the ecclesiastical laws of King Athelstan we read this declaration: *'We have charged all that are admitted into our gildships, that if any one happen to die, every brother of the gild give a loaf." The festivities, however, were not confined to eating merely. THEIR OBIGIN AND OBJECTS. 11 " I found them winding of Marcello's corpse. And there was such a solemn melody, 'Twixt doleful songs, tearn, and sad elegies — Such as old grandames, watching by the dead. Are wont to wear the night with. Ofctimes with wassail bowl refresht Their grief they drowned in wine."— Old Play. Even in the Metropolis, as late as the sixteenth century, unseemly banqueting took place at the funerals of the great. The Merchant Taylors' re- cords state it to be an ancient custom of their society ''to attend the funerals of worshipful brethren, and on the day of their interment to par- take of a dinner at the hall, at which a commendable grace was said for the good brother deceased." In return for this act of respect, the family of the deceased usually presented the Company with a piece of plate. In the ordinances of the Leather sellers' Company, in the times of James I., it is ordered that a cup of £3 value shall be given after the attendance of the livery, by the friends of the deceased member ; and it is further ordered that at the funeral of a member '' the master and wardens shall attend in state.'' In 1524, Sir Thomas Lovell (of Shakespeare memory) was buried at Holywell Nunnery, Shoreditch, vritli great ceremony. '' The gentlemen of the Inns of Court, forasmuch as Sir Thomas had built their noble gateway at Lincoln's Inn, with certyn crafts of London, received the remains at the convent, accompanied by the maior and ail the aldermen of London," and during the singing of the dirge, '' whyche was solemnly done 12 THE CITY COMPANIES : by all the clerks of London, the maior and aldermen encircled the rails and repeated the De jprofundis.'^ The mourners, during these services, were suffered to want nothing in the way of refreshments. The libations were most copious, for during the dirge it is stated " there was a drynkynge in all the cloisters, the nones hall, and parlors of the said place," and " every where ells, for as many as would come, as well the crofts of London^ as gentilmen of the Inns of Court." This custom of feasting at funerals still prevails universally in the East Riding villages. The entire parish attend the remains of a neighbour to his grave — singing in procession, and in the church, doleful chants to tunes evidently composed at a period anterior to the' discovery of music, and the day closes with weeping and festivity. This is an old Saxon usage, unrepealed by the progress of society, but one which seems rather more suited to Saxon times than to the present. Besides the gilds political and the gilds eccle- siastical, were the Merchant Gilds, or Gildge Mer- \ catorise, of which we especially treat, as the originals | of the present livery companies of London. As the name implies, a payment was made to a common fund by every member of each gild. The Saxon \ word GiLDAN — to pay — indicates a tax. Thus, we read in Doomsday Book that "the burgh of Totenais did not geld, but when Exeter gelded, and then it paid twelve pence for geld." *•'' Dr. Johnson * Firma Burgi, p. 24. THEIE ORTGLN^ AND OBJECTS. 13 explains the word guild as a '^ society, corporation, fraternity, or company combined together by orders and laws made among themselves by their prince's licence. Hence the common word gild or guildhall proceeds, being a fraternity or commonalty of men gathered into one combination, supporting their common charge by mutual contribution." Gildam, otherwise Geltum, Geldum, and Geldus, are all de- rived from the Saxon Gildam and Geldam, whence Gildare is, in Doomsday Book, synonymous with Solvere, Keddere, to pay, to render. Spelman in- forms us that in like manner Godgildam meant offerings to God, as did Deofulgild, offerings to the devil. Geld, as meaning public taxes, was changed by the Anglo-Kormans into Taxum, tax. Gildam, meaning a fine or mulct to the king, occurs in the laws of Ethelbert,Athelstan, and other Saxon princes, as quoted by Granville. 14 THE CITY COMPANIES : CHAPTER II. THEIE ANTIQUITY. "Jn woollen cloth, it appears, by tliose ancient gilds that were settled in England for tliis manufacture, that this kingdom greatly flourished in that art." — Hale's Origin of Man. Of the tliree kinds of gilds existing in Anglo-Saxon times, tlie gilds political (or Fritli gilds), tlie gilds ecclesiastical, and tlie gilds secular, services, we believe, were required in all cases by the Sove- reign. The Frith gilds originated in the country districts in a law requiring every freeman o£ fourteen years old to find sureties to keep the peace ; ten families joined, and became bound to each other to produce him who committed an offence, or to make satisfaction to the injured party. They formed a common fund, and met at stated periods for feasting, which assembly, in the seventh century, was called the '' Gebeorscipe," or *' Beorscipe," which equals convivium, symposium, a banquet — literally beer- ship, beer-drinking. Tacitus describes these ban- quets as frequent among the Gothic tribes. It was at such a ge-beership that the poet Coedmon was called upon to sing, when the harp was handed round THEIR ANTIQUITY. 15 to eacli of the company in turns. ^'' Our ancestors were great patrons of music, botli sacred and secular. All festivity was accompanied by minstrelsy and sacred song. Cromwell's people are supposed to liave been the most successful psalm- singers this country has produced ; but, from a study of Anglo- Saxon times, we should be led to infer that in the days of Edward the Confessor the passion for psalm- singing was at its height ; for historians tell us that his royal banquets and great festivals were preluded by no less an effort of lungs and memory than the entire songs bequeathed to us by King David. In times of war, military services were required of these Frith gilds, and even the ecclesiastical gilds had to appear in battle to intimidate the enemy, and to cheer their own countrymen by all the sanctions of their religion. In William's first and fruitless effort to raise a rebellion in England in his favour, we read that both the Norman Bishop of London and the Norman Archbishop of Canterbury headed the insurgents, armed caf-a-pie, with spears in hand, and bravely fought for the Norman. " Red with gore was the spear of the prelate of London ; broken to the hilt was the sword militant in the terri- ble hand of the Archbishop of Canterbury. But the men of London triumphed. The conquered doffed their mail, and crept through the forest to the sea, the two prelates and their attendant priests being the last to gain their boats, and drift across the Channel to the French shores. And thus, in the year of our Lord * Videt also, Bede iy. 24. 16 THE CITY companies: 1052, occurred the notable dispersion and ignomi- nious flight of the counts and vavasours of Great William the Duke" (see the Old Chronicles). Wil- ham again, as well as Harold, made good use of this element in their final battles at Stamford Bridge and Hastings, when a magnificent array of white- robed ecclesiastics accompanied each army. Espe- cially imposing was that of the Normans, who, with pomp theatrical and banners consecrated by the Pope, invoked a curse upon their enemies, and pro- mised certain victory to their own forces. Historians all agree that, but for this accessory to his army, William's success would have been doubtful. The secular gilds also had to fight w^hen re- quired : and the one of which we know the most par- ticulars in the Anglo-Saxon times was so far military as to owe all their privileges to their prowess in the field. They were called the '^ Cnighten Gild." Stow, in his " Survaie of London," 1598, gives some interesting details respecting them, whom he calls the " Knighten-gild," and he assigns to them the origin of the Yfard of Portsoken, which, he says, means 'Hhe franchise at the gate." *' In the daies of King Edgar, more than 600 j^ears ago, there were thirteen knights, or soldiers, Vv^ell-beloved of the King and the realme for services by them done, which requested to have a certaine portion of land on the east part of the Citio, left desolate and forsaken by the inhabitants, by reason of too much servitude. They besought the King to have this land with the liberty of a Guilde for ever : the King THBIE ANTIQUITY. 17 granted to their request, with conditions following ; that is to say, that each of them should yictoriously accomplish three combates — one above ground, one under ground, and the thirde in the water; and after this, at a certaine day, in East Smithfield, they^ should run with speares against all commers ; all of which was gloriously performed, and the same day the King named it Knighten-gild." It was to this gild Edward the Confessor granted a written charter — the first we hear of granted to any such fraternity ; and William Eufus confirmed the same, terming them a solce, a frater- nity, granting them the privileges of a soke " and the land appertaining thereunto, with all customs as they had before enjoyed."* Thus we learn that from very early times the London citizens had been warlike — a propensity re- maining with them down to the period of the armed city apprentices and the city trained-bands, and to the present days of volunteer riflemen and artillery. We cannot well understand what King Edgar's con- flict underground might be ; but that the people were athletic and brave we know, and most expert in contests on the water. That Stow is in error in speaking of them as knights, seems certain. There were no knights in England then, no standing army, no soldiers by profession. The very first men- tion of any approach to regular soldiers was a.d. 1485, when King Henry YII. appointed fifty yeomen, and this small force was our first " standing army." * Strype's Stow, i., p. 349. 18 THE CITY COMPANIES : The order of Knights-Templars was not founded till 1118, centuries after King Edgar's time. Antiqua- rians are agreed that " Cneughts " signified young men, i.e., young men of the gild, and not knights or soldiers. This gild was undoubtedly " burgensic and secular," and not military. In his beautiful picture of Anglo- Saxon life, given by Bulwer (Lytton) in his *' Harold," he uses this word '' cneM,^' or ^' cmight,^^ in the same sense ; and, in defending himself from the charge of using the word instead of the English word " knight," he says : ''I should sadly, indeed, have misled the reader, if I used the word Jcnight in an age when knights were wholly unknown to the Anglo-Saxons; and ' cneht ' no more means what we understand by a knight, than a Templar in modern times means a man in chain-armour, and vowed to celibacy." In Strutt's '^ Sports and Pastimes" (p. 132), we learn some particulars of the water- combats, which were boat-justs, or tiltings, on the water. He was the conqueror, who could parry with his shield the baton of his opponent, and, whilst himself re- maining firm, could overturn the latter into the water. The London youths were singularly skilled in these sports. Stow furnishes many particulars of the bravery and prowess in arms of the young men of London. '' The citizens' sons," he says, " issue out through the gates by troops, furnished with lances and war- like shields ; the younger sort have their pikes not headed with iron, when they make a representation THEIE ANTIQUITY. 19 of battle, and exercise a skirmisli. Many courtiers resort to this exercise when tlie King lies near-hand, and young striplings out of the families of barons and great persons, which have not yet attained to the warlike girdle, meet to train and skirmish. Hope of victory inflames every one. , The neighing and fierce horses bestir their joints and chew their bridles; at last they begin their race, and then the young men divide their troops. Some labour to outstrip their leaders, and cannot ; others fling down their fellows, and get beyond them."* Of such mettle were the citizens and the youth of early England.! Records exist of a still earlier gild than the Knighten-gild, called '' The Steel-yard Merchants of London," who gave existence to the famous Han- seatic League, first formed on the east shores of the Baltic, in the eighth century, to protect their trade from the incursions of the Norman pirates, and thence called '^ Easterlings." The Steel-yard Mer- chants dealt in grain, flax, cloth, and iron ; their institution was celibatarian ; all were obliged to remain unmarried. Stow informs us that if one "married an English woman, or concubined with one, he lost his hanse,^^ or gildship. No one was allowed even a housekeeper, nor to admit a bed- maker. They were obliged to pass the night on the premises, no doubt for the protection of their wares, * Appendix to Sfcrype's Stow, ii., p. 684. t Sir John Young (Lord Mayor 1466), with Sir John Crosby, Sir John Stockton, and nine other aldermen of London, were knighted on the field for distinguished bravery in repulsing the bastard Falconbridge in his attack upon the City. 20 THE CITY COMPANIES : as London abounded with robbers, and tlie imme- diate neiglibourhood of the city was one dense forest, wild as the Yorkshire Wolds, but wooded, in many parts, as densely as Norwood or Epping Forest, forming good cover for the lawless marau- ders of that day. We cannot suppose that it was hatred of women that gave rise to these strict laws enforcing their banishment. Their countrymen in particular, and the Anglo-Saxons and Danes generally, were by no means averse to marriage; indeed, so much otherwise, that the early Christian missionaries, especially on the Scandinavian conti- nent, had great diJSiculty with their converts, who claimed to eat horse-flesh in honour of Odin, and to marry wives ad libitum. The puzzled monks, often driven to a choice, yielded the latter point, it is said, but stood firm on the graver matter of the horse- flesh. This gild having been plundered by the mob in 1493, gradually decayed and finally dissolved itself in 1552. In its prosperity it is said to have exported annually 40,000 pieces of cloth, whilst all the Eng- lish merchants united exported only 11,000 pieces. The other gilds not only approved of marriage, but admitted females into their societies, who took rank in every way with the men, except only in their being ineligible for offices having the direction of affairs. This admission of females appears not to have been confined to the trade privileges, but they were sum- moned to the feasts, not as spectators, but as guests at the banquet table. Neither were the invitations \ THEIR ANTIQUITY. 21 restricted to the " female associates," but tlie wives of the livery were included. In the last charter granted to the Leathersellers by Charles I., in recapitulating the privileges accorded by former charters, especially those of Eichard II., certain ordinances are quoted therefrom respecting the presence of females at the banquets ; and one day, that on which the election of wardens occurs, is named, upon which heavy fines are inflicted for non- observance of this order; '^upon the first Tuesday in August, at the cost of an allowance from the stock of the house, as formerly and anciently hath heen used, the wardens shall make and keep a dinner or feast in their Common Hall, to which feast all assistants and livery, together with their ivives, as anciently, shall be called, and then near about the end of the said feast, garlands shall be presented to such of the new wardens as then shall be present ; and in default of making the said dinner or feast the wardens shall forfeit £40, that is to say £10 a-piece, to the benefit of the company." A heavy fine in those days. Queen Elizabeth was a Free Sister of the Mercers' Company. Many of the Companies from the earliest times have not only admitted to their board their '^female associates," and "widows," by right, and the wives of the hvery upon payment, but if unmarried the liveryman might introduce a "damsel if ho pleased." The ordinances of the Grocers' Com- pany, A.D. 1348, contain a quaint and curious decree, that every one of the fraternity, from henceforward, 28 THE CITY COMPANIES : having a wife or companion (compagnon) shall come to the feast, and bring with him a damsel, if he pleases {ameyne avec luy une demoiselle si luy jplest) ; if they cannot come from the reason hereafter named (malade, ou grosse danfant et ^pres sa deli- verance), they are then, and not otherwise, to be excused. Slovenly composition has given this ordinance an entirely different signification to that which was intended ; but the meaning is clear : the contingency named evidently was intended to refer to the wives only. To the great antiquity of the Easterlings, or Steel- yard Merchants, above referred to, all British history attests. They are known to have been settled here before the year 967, for a regulation of King Ethel- dred's of that date declares that '' the Emperor's men or Easterlings, coming with their ships to Belins-gate * shall be accounted worthy of good laws." A gild of nearly equal antiquity was a wealthy branch of the numerous and powerful craft of leather- sellers, viz., the Gilda Sellariorum or saddlers, of whom we read immediately after the Conquest as ]30ssessing " ancient statutes," existing between the Saxon religious foundation of St. Martin-le-Grand and the saddlers, which latter are called " brethren and partakers of all benefits with the Church of St. Martin, both by night and by day, in masses, psalms, prayers, and watches;" moreover that it had been * A heathen temple once stood here erected to the British Deity, Belin, hence the name of Belinsgate, now BiUingsgate. / THEIR ANTIQUITY. 23 granted to the gild that " they should all be sepa- rately prayed for by name on the Ebdomada (the day preceding the Eesurrection) in two masses, one for the living, and one for the deceased brothers of the said gild ; and that it had been further granted that for the latter the bell of St. Martin's Church should be tolled and procession made with burial freely and honourably." Herbert says there can be '' little doubt of the saddlers being a veritable Anglo-Saxon gild, and consequently one of the oldest on record of all the present Livery Companies." That these secular gilds were common institutions as early as the reign of Henry II., is evident from Glanville (who prepared a digest of the laws of England, a.d. 1181) : — " If a native (servus) quit for one year and a day to dwell in a privileged town, so as to become one of the same community (scilicet gyldum), he shall be received as a citizen, and liberated from his villeinage" (v. lib., cap. 5). Gildarum nomine continentur non solum minores fraternitates et sodalitia sed ipsa etiam civitatum communitates (Spelm.). And in the same reign we read of eighteen gilds amerced as adulterines, or, set up without the king's licence. This is a proof that the gilds were numerous, for we cannot suppose that any but those of the poorer sort would run so great a risk. Nearly all the companies at present existing may be traced without a break to the period quite as remote as this reign (Henry II.). The Mercers' Company were undoubtedly a trading gild in 1172. Their alderman or master, Eobert Searle, was Mayor 1214. From 24 THE CITY COMPANIES : this gild arose, in 1296, the well-known " Company ^ of the Merchant Adventurers," which company, in 1406, obtained from Henry IV. a charter, in which they are designated "Brothers of St. Thomas a- Beckett." The present stately hall of the Mercers occupies the site of the ancient hospital of St. Thomas of Aeon, the place of the first settlement of the Mercers in London. Anciently on the spot where is now the entrance to the hall in Cheapside, stood the house of Gilbert Beckett, citizen and mercer. In his youth Gilbert had been fired with religious zeal to rescue the Holy Land fi?om the infidel. He joined the Crusaders, fought well and bravely, was taken prisoner, was released by a " fair Saracen" from his captivity, who, being herself taken captive by love, followed him to London, became a Christian, and eventually the wife of the Crusader. The son born to Gilbert and Matilda the '' fair Saracen" was none other than Thomas, in his youth clerk in the sherifi^'s ofiice, London, and eventually the Arch- bishop of Canterbury. He was Thomas of Aeon, or Acres (the ancient Ptolemais), the birthplace of his mother. Twenty years after the archbishop's murder, his sister Agnes built a chapel and hospital on the spot where her brother was born ; so deep was the reverence of his sanctity that, without waiting for his canonization, the foundation was dedicated " to the worshippe of God Almightie and the blessed Virgin Mary and of the said glorious martyr." Soon after- wards Do Helles gave to the master and brethren " alle the lande that was sometime Gilbert Bekkettes, THEIR ANTIQUITY. 25 fatlier of tlie said Thomas tlie Martyr, and where he was born, which landes be yn in the parishe of St. Mary, of Colechnrche, yn London, yn free, pure, and perpetuall almes for evermore," and constituted the company of Mercers patrons. In 1377 Henry III. made a further grant to the master and brethren, at that time twelve in number, '' for ynlarging of their said ground." In 1444 they became a body corporate, and in 1456, upon the petition to Parhament of four clergymen of London, power was obtained to found a grammar school ^* to teach all that will come." The petitioners state that " where there is a great num- ber of learners and few teachers, and all the learners are compelled to go to the few teachers, and to none others, the masters wax rich in money, and the learners poor in learning, against all virtue and order of public weal." The foundation now under the name of the Mercers' School is the result of the aforesaid petition, the prayer of which was regularly granted by Parliament. The traders of London, even in the days of their greatest prosperity, seem never to have forgotten to express their gratitude to their benefactors, nor were they ashamed to unite in all their ceremonies a due observance of the rites of their religion. Strype describes a most interesting ceremony which used to be observed in old St. Paul's, when the new Lord Mayor, on the occasion of his inauguration, " after dinner, ^^ was wont to go from his house to the church of St. Thomas of Aeon, the aldermen and his livery going with him ; thence to the church of St. Paul, 26 THE CUT companies: where they were wont to pray for tlie soul of tlie Bishop of London, William the Norman, who was a great benefactor to the City in obtaining the confir- mation of their liberties from William the Conqueror, a priest saying the oJ0&ce of Be profundis * (called a dirge), and thence they passed to the churchyard where Thomas a-Beckett's parents were buried, and there, near their tomb, they said also for all the faith- ful departed De profundis again." t Dugdale informs us that in the old St. Paul's an inscription existed on a tablet near the prelate's tomb commemorative of this ancient custom, placed there in 1623 by Edward Barkham, Lord Mayor. " Walkers, whosoere you be If it prove you chance to see, Upon a solemue ' scarlet day,' The City Senate pass this way. Their grateful memory for to show Which they the reverend ashes owe Of Bishop Norman here intum'd. By whom this city hath assum'd Large privileges — those obtained By him when Conqueror William reign'd. This being by Barkham's thankfull mindrenew'd. Call it the monument of gratitude." (Dugdale's St. Paul's, (1653) p. 52). The Drapers' Company, again, claims great anti- quity. Elkanah Settle, in his elaborate and fulsome preface to his Triumphs of Tl/ondon, or pageant for Sir Thomas Stamp, draper. Lord Mayor in 1691, thus addressed the Company : — ''I dare not pretend in so narrow a paper to * The words commencing the 130th Psalm, t Vide Liber Albus, lib. i., pt. i., cap. vii. THEIR ANTIQUITY. 27 recount tlie antiquity and splendour of the Worshipful Company of Drapers. It is enough to say that the honour of your corporation extends as far as trade can reach or canvas wings can carry it, and, from this Httle island, visits only those nations of the world that there is sea to travel to. As for your first original, drapery is unquestionably so ancient as to have the honour of being the immediate suc- cessor of the fig leaves. And, though we are not quite certain that our great first father began it within his fair Eden, yet we are assured that Eve's spinstrey and Adam's s^ade set to work together." The same author thus panegyrizes the Cloth- WOEKBRS, in his account of the pageant of Sir Thomas Lane, Lord Mayor, 1694 : — " The grandeur of England is to be attributed to its golden fleece" (which is the crest of this Company), " the wealth of the loom making England a second Peru, and the back of the sheep, and not the entrails of the earth, being its chief mine of riches. The silkworm is not spinster of ours, and our wheel and web are wholly the clothworkers. Thus, as trade is the soul of the kingdom, so the greatest branch of it Hes in the Clothworkers' hands ; and, though our naval com- merce brings us in both the or and the argent, and indeed the whole wealth of the world, yet, when thoroughly examined, it will be found 'tis your cloth sends out to fetch them. And thus, while the imperial Britannia is so formidable to her foes and so potent to her friends by her strength and her power, when duly considered, to the Clothworkers' 28 I* THE CITY companies: honour, it may justly be said, 'Tis your sliuttle nerves her arm, and your woof that enrobes her glory.'' Indeed, almost all the principal and most wealthy Livery Companies of London, — ^the Fish- mongers, Ironmongers, Goldsmiths, Leathersellers, Merchant Taylors, and others, may claim an anti- quity coeval with the Anglo-Saxon period, they having uninterruptedly cohered as fraternities to the present time throughout the whole period in- tervening ; sometimes, it is true, dwindling into insignificance and ready to collapse, and then, from the mere force of their vitality, springing into vigorous growth, and expanding, through successive ages, into the ample dimensions to which they have now attained. That in all ages they have taken a high position in the State is evident, from the place awarded them on all royal progresses and pageants, at coronations, royal marriages, and funerals. The master or alder- man of each gild ranked as a ^night two centuries prior to the institution of Heralds' College (which was not founded till 1340), when knighthood was the most honourable distinction, at a period anterior to the existence of social knighthood ; each livery- man ranked as an esquiee, and each freeman as a YEOMAN of the craft. The freemen in all the charters are termed the yeomanry. The various sovereigns from Edward III. to the present time have ever paid marked honour to the Livery Companies, nearly all having been enrolled as members of a craft. We THEIR ANTIQUITY. 29 miglifc quote innuinerable instances of their favour : one will suffice. In the reign of Henry YII., a.d. 1491, on the marriage of Katherine of Spain with Prince Arthur, we read that in the " Banketts and Disguysyngs " which took place at Westminster on the occasion, the principals of the Companies, toge- ther with the Lord Mayor, were honoured by being seated next to the King and Queen. At a sub- sequent period the same king not only became a brother of the Merchant Taylors' Company, but delivered them a new charter from the throne, himself habited in the Company's livery, made of velvet and other rich materials ; and in the same dress presided afterwards at the banquet as their master. Amongst the first to receive armorial bearings from the new college were the leading Livery Companies, and one has only to examine these various grants to discover the high and honourable position which was awarded them. With the ex- ception of the Ironmongers, Mercers, and Vintners, the chief Companies have the privilege of sup- POBTEItS.* * In ancient tournaments the knights caused their shields to be carried by servants or pages, disguised as lions, bears, griffins, blackamoors, etc., who had to support and guard the escutcheons, which the knights were obliged to expose to public view for some time before the lists were opened. Hence these figures were desig- nated supporters, and were introduced into the designs on the banners of the knights banneret. As a rule, none under the degree of baron had the grant of supporters. We learn from Menestrier that, according to the heraldic rules of England, bearing coats-of- arms supported is the prerogative — 1st, of Nobiles majores, viz., 30 THE CITY COMPANIES : Sucli was the rank they had attained, and the estimation in which they were held by the monarch of the day, that amidst the royal and courtly per- sonages admitted to the '* honours of chivalry," the very highest distinctions, as the archives of Heralds' College amply testify, were accorded by the Sovereign to the great and powerful trading Livery Companies of London. dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons ; 2nd, of all Knights of the Garter, though they should be under the degree of baron; 3rd, of Knights of the Bath, who receive on their creation a grant of sup- porters ; and, lastly, of such knights as the King chooses to bestow this honour upon. Neither peeresses nor bishops have mottoes or crests; and the latter, though peers of Parliament, have no supporters. THEIR ALDEEMEN. 31 CHAPTER III. THEIR ALDERMEN, But if the trumpets' clangour you abhor, And dare not be an alderman of war, Take to a shop, behind a counter be." Dhyden's Juv. Sat Nothing can more certainly attest the. antiquity of tlie City Gilds than the fact that they first gave the name and created the office of Ealdman, Ealdorman, or Alderman. Alderman equals Senex, whence is derived Senator. The office of alderman of a corpo- rate town is usually considered one of the most ancient which we now possess; but it should be known that before corporate towns existed, and down to the close of the reign of Edward I., the master of each gild was termed alderman, and possessed almost absolute power over the members of his gild. He had the right of search, the power of fine and imprisonment, he and his wardens going their rounds, like juries, to discover spurious articles of their trade, to assay gold and silver,* to decide * Gold and silver plate, and other luxuries, -were more common amongst the Anglo-Saxons than they became in ages much more 32 THE CITY companies: on tlie standard of weights and measures, and on tlie quality of all articles of merchandise and manufac- ture ; and it was not until towns and cities became incorporated that the name of Alderman became transferred from the mastership of the gilds to the chief magistracy of a ward or district. For this statement we have the authority of the '^ Judicia Civitatis Londonise," compiled by King Athelstan,* recent. In Anglo-Saxon times, too, the habits of the higher classes were less primitive than they afterwards became. For instance, in Edward the Confessor's time it was customary for the wealthier sort, in retiring to rest for the night, to be enrobed in an ample linen tunic (called dormitorium, in the Latin of that period, and night- rail in the Saxon tongue) ; but a few generations later this comfortable and decent fashion of night-gear was abandoned, and our forefathers, Saxon and Norman, went to bed in puris naturalihus like the Laplanders. Even the ancient Britons understood the art of working in gold and silver, as is evidenced by specimens of their workmanship discovered in barrows throughout this country, many of which were of a great excellence. The Saxons greatly improved upon their predecessors. When Bishop Wilfred built a church at Ripon, a.d. 628, the columns and porticoes were adorned with gold and silver, and a relic still preserved in the Ashmolean Museum of the time of Alfred the Great proves that in his time workmen in gold and silver and the precious stones were highly skilled. Strutt (vol. i. p. 90) affirms that the Anglo-ISTormans practised these arts with great success. The list of gold and silver vessels belonging to King Edward I. contains, amongst other things, " a gold ring with a sapphire, of the workman- ship of St. Dunstan " (" De fabrica Sti. Dunstani "). In the thirteenth century, such was the simplicity of the times, that one Peter Spileman made fine for his lands to Edward 11. to find (among other things) litter for the king's bed, and hay for his horse (Pennant, p. 263). Yfo are in error in dating all barbarous customs to the Saxons and their times, or in supposing that they did not possess many things since termed luxuries. Benalt, a monk, invented glass in England as early as A.D. 664. Silk was here a.d. 274, it having been introduced from India in that year, and the manufacture of it about the same time set * Vide Wilkin's " Saxon Laws," 66. THIIIE ALDEEMEN'. 33 and Madox considers the trade gilds to be so ancient as to have given the origin of gildated towns, and also to have originated the name and office of Alder- man. He says that '' Alderman was a name for a chief governor of a secular gild, and in time it became also a name for a chief in a gildated city or town."* Still further evidence is furnished by Stow, who in recording the foundation of the Priory of Holy Trinity, Aldgate, by Queen Maude in 1105, says that Cnighten-gild or certain burgesses of London (good proof that they were not knights or soldiers, as he had elsewhere called them) gave to that con- vent '' all the lands and the soke called in English hnighien-gild,^^ but reserved the right to be a trade corporation, which it is remarkable was not assigned either by this grant, or its confirmations by Henry I., or other sovereigns, and in consequence the prior of Holy Trinity became the territorial lord or alderman of Portsoken Ward ; like the other aldermen of London he rendered due account to the Crown ; like them he held courts of wardmote ; and we are in- formed further that he was seen by Stow himself on foot. It is quite true that our ancestors had no chimneys in their houses till a.d. 1200, nor were coals known or used in London until 1357 ; but it is possible to live very comfortably without either coals or chimneys, as may be seen at the great halls at Oxford and Cam- bridge Universities to this day. It is true gardening was unknown here prior to 1509, all our vegetables before that time being imported from the !N"etherlands ; nor were pins invented till 1543, the ladies previously using skewers. Silk stockings also were unknown till that same year. Indeed, most of our modern luxuries were unknown two «* " Firma Burgi," p. 30. 34 THE CITY companies: riding with, the mayor and other aldermen in proces- sion, " only distinguished from them by the colour of his gown, theirs being scarlet, and his ecclesias- tical purple." The ruler of a gild was therefore not then ad- dressed, as he is at present in all official documents, as the "Right Worshipful the Master," but the " Eight Worshipful the Alderman ;" and his three co-wardens were then, as now, entitled to be ad- dressed individually as *' his worship." The Livery have individually no title of honour, but in the aggre- gate are called the *' Worshipful the Livery;" so also "the Worshipful the Court of Assistants." We shall therefore refer to his office as an Alder- manry, and designate him Alderman, as the only title by which in ancient times he was known. We have said that his power over the gild was nearly absolute. To this day such are the traditions of the Companies that it is allowed that for his year of office he cannot do wrong. 'No one questions any one of his acts. He has no absolute authority by right ; no charter has surrounded him with the pre- rogatives of an absolute ruler; but yet, from the beginning to the present time, he has been allowed almost unlimited power and jurisdiction. In the early times, if the alderman of a gild had occasion to travel out of London, or if he were pre- vented by illness from performing the duties of his office, he selected whom he pleased to fill his place. If any member of a gild departed from London without his permission, or in disobedience to his THEIR ALDERMEN. 35 command^ the alderman directed a sergeant to fetch him back, and he was kept prisoner during his wor- ship's pleasure. His power, indeed, was supreme, appointing whom he chose to share with him the responsibility of direction, and in other cases retain- ing all power to himself alone. The usual course, however, seems to have been for the alderman, who was himself an annual officer, to select three seniors, called wardens, to act as his lieutenants : in process of time others were united with them and termed '* Assistants," and thus was established a usage, now universal, of having jointly with the master and wardens, a council, called the Court of Assistants. The first authoritative mention of a court occurs in the books of the Grocers' Com- pany under the year 1379, "at ye furst congrega- cyon of ye wardeyns there shall bee chosin six of ye companie to be helpyng and counsellynge of ye same wardeyns for ye yeere folio wynge ;" and soon after {temp. Edward III.) we read of the master, wardens, "and ye fele'ship associed."* The first legal appointment of a Court of Assis- tants was made to the Stationers by Philip and Mary, and the members of it nominated in the incor- poration charter. It is possible that the masters at times had difficulty in maintaining order at the meet- * " Herbert," vol. i. p. 420, note, 427—464. This may be taken not as a specimen of the correct orthography of the period, but as a sample of the indifferent scholarship usually prevaihng. A hundred years later the Grocers' clerk spells whale oil — waloil : 44fi. is charged for " costs, freight, carriage, wharfage, and piling up of ij shippes of wa-loil, given to the fellowship by Alderman Knolley." 3G THE CITY COMPANIES : ings of so large a body, and tlie Grocers' Company have, or lately had, in their possession a curious me- morial evidently belonging to those early courts, intended for a purpose similar to that of a chairman's hammer of modern times. It consists of a carved figure of St. Anthony, their patron saint, holding a small bell, which the president struck when he enforced order. In the court-room at Leather sellers' Hall is a handsome ivory hammer, unusually large and heavy, originally intended to quiet disorderly or outspoken members, and bearing an inscription to the effect that the said hammer was presented to the worshipful company, a.d. 1623, by '^ Francis Earradon, warden of the yeomanry, 1620, and nowe one of the assistants of the yeomanry ;" from which date it has been in use uninterruptedly — fortunately, as we are informed, more as an orna- mental than a necessary article. From these, and similar relics, it is readily surmised that some amount of tact and much firmness were required in one assuming so responsible an office as president of a gild. The following extract from the minutes of the Carpenters' Company, shows that some patience was used to be exercised in their councils v — "1556 "Rsd of master abbott a fyne for that he helde not his peess before the master hade knockyd with the sylence iij tymes vjd."* In 1487, the Drapers' books record a pay- * Jupp's "Hist. Ace," p. 139. THEUi ALDERMEN. 37 men fc for ''a hammer to knock upon the table, vj^ viii^." In Heath's '^Account of the Grocers' Company," p. 32, we have the following extract from their minutes of the date July 8th, 1670 : '^ Upon com- plaint and observation of the unseemliness and dis- turbance, by taking tobacco and having drink and pipes in the court-room, during court's sitting; and for the better order, decorum, and gravity to be observed, and readier despatch and minding of debates and business of the court, and avoiding the occasion of offence and disgust, it is agreed that hereafter there be no taking of tobacco, or drinking used or permitted in the court-room during the sitting of the court ; and if any person have a d'esire to refresh himself with a pipe of tobacco or a cup of drink, at a convenient time or interval of serious business, to withdraw into some retiring room more suitable and fit for the purpose." As early as a.d. 1512, the Merchant Taylors make mention in their minutes of a '' Court of Assistants " by name, when the common clerk (Henry Maynard) is said to have "transacted certain affairs at the commandment and request of the master and war- dens, with the advice of the more part of the most substantial and discreet persons, assistants and counsellers of the said fraternity." The numbers of the court vary in different Companies, but twenty- five is the most usual number. In the early Saxori gilds, where a council was needed, thirteen was the favourite number, in imitation of Christ and his 38 THE CITY COMPANIES : apostles. Du Cange tells of one society (no doubt a religious one), consisting of twelve men and only one woman, who represented the Virgin Mary. Frequently in early times the whole body, as in the case of the Steel-yard Merchants, resided together in one house, after the fashion of a college. The united council have ever acted in perfect independence of the general body of livery, who have no more authority in the management of the affairs of the company than strangers. At the same time every courtesy is paid to them, and upon request they may examine all documents or accounts of in- terest, and receive information upon all matters of importance connected with the common weal. The court appointed annually their chaplain, preachers, clerk, steward, bailiff, cook, bargemaster, almsmen, and almswomen, and last, but not least, the most useful of all oflScers — the beadle — who in some com- panies was, by the conditions of the charters, to be provided with '* a scarlet livery gown each year, and to precede all the processions on horseback, followed by the minstrels, to make way for the master." In addition to his gown, he was to have his '^meat found by the master, and to be paid fourpence per week wage." As good land in England let at one shilling an acre in 1654, we do not see that the beadle was much underpaid a century or two earlier at " fourpence a week wage." Even lawyers' bills, and proceedings in Chancery, appear to have been moderate in expense in those days. We copy a bill of costs to the Goldsmiths' Company : — THEIR ALDERMEN. 39 8 Edw. rV., 1469. Oostes in the Channcerie for recoverie of a Counterfete Diamant.** (We modernize the orthography.) For boat hire to Westminster and home again for the suit in the Chancery began in the old war- den's time, for the recovery of a counterfeit diamond set in a ring of gold . . , .£006 For a breakfast at Westminster, spent on our counsel 16 To Mr. Catesby, serjeant-at-law, to plead for the same . 3 4 To another time for boat hire in and out, and a breakfast for two days Again for boat hire and one breakfast . To the keeper of the Chancery door To Timothy Fairfax at two times .... To Pigott, for attendance at two times . To a breakfast at Westminster 7d., and boat hire 4d But to return to the master's office, and his early designation of Alderman, to which we have already referred as an evidence of the great anti- quity of the gilds. Dr. Johnson seems quite to have overlooked the early origin of this office of alderman, for all we read under the word is, " Alder- man, from aid, old, and man. The same as senator. A governor or magistrate originally, as the name imports, chosen on account of the experience which his age had given him." This is rather a meagre explanation of the origin of the office from so erudite a scholar as Dr. John- son ; and although his explanation is precisely cor- rect, as far as it goes, yet those who imagine the 1 6 1 2 8 4 6 8 11 £1 3 11 40 THE CITY COMPANIES : office to have been created when towns were first gildated, might doubt whether all the aldermen then, any more than at present, were old men. Indeed, it is certain that even in Saxon times men not old have held the office ; but if we had been taken back to the Saxon gilds, whence the office originated, we should have perceived that as the presidents are usually chosen in rotation, none but men advanced in years could have been eligible for the office. Thus the name Ealdman, Ealdorman, or old man, was the most appropriate when the office first arose. The influence of these magistrates, not only in the city, but in the state, was great. J^o national move- ment occurred without their knowledge, and through them the London lithsmen were represented in the great national Witan or Wittenagemote,* and thus they became concerned not unfrequently in deciding the election even of kings. We must not suppose, however^ that none but the highest magistrates were admitted to this council of state. To encourage adventure, a statute was promulgated, that any traders, or sons of traders, who had crossed the seas three times at their own cost and risk, should have a seat at the Witan. This encouragement of trade on the part of the Anglo-Saxons was actuated by a wise and provident policy, and well'lias it succeeded. But London then, as now, was England, as Paris is * One of the regnlations enforced by King Alfred was that the assembly termed the Wittenagemote should hold a session in Lon- don twice a year. The word means literally " an assemblage of wise men." It was evidently of a parliamentary character **Qd all the great events of the nation had their sanction here." THEIR ALDEEMEN. 4l France. In the year 1018, a subsidy raised in Eng* land readied what was then deemed a stupendous sum — viz., 71,000 Saxon pounds. London con- tributed 11,000 pounds besides. In the earlier ages, the Witan had usually assembled wherever it happened the King's Court might be at the time, and the circumstance that King Alfred fixed its meetings to take place periodi- cally in London, may be taken as an evidence of great advancement in the national policy, and of the importance in his day of London as a centre of influence. Although the London lithsmen were represented in this great council, we must bear in mind that they sat there as nobles. Lithsman, we acknowledge, means merchant. Northouck trans- lates the word mariner. The Saxon word from which it is taken equals navigare, which is frequently used by Saxon writers in a mercantile sense. But these merchants, before possessing the high privilege of a seat at the national council, had been elevated to the rank of nobles by a law of King Athelstan, which, for the purpose of encouraging commerce, sets forth in the " agreement " with the citizens of London, that a merchant who had made three voyages across the sea, should be entitled to the quality or degree of a thane or noblemen. Not as a lithsman, there- fore, but as a thane, he sat at the national Witan. 42 THE CITY COMPANIES : CHAPTEH IV. THEIR ALDEEMEN, CONTINUED. In the " Liber Albus," compiled a.d. 1419, by Jolan Carpenter, Town Clerk of London, from tlie most complete collection of ancient records in tlie pos- session of the City, is an interesting paragraph under chapter x., which we extract : — ■- "If we look to the etymology of the word ^ Alderman,' the more aged were so called. For aide in Saxon means old, and alder is our word for ' older ;' and hence, as the judgment is most vigo- rous in persons of more mature years, the dignitary who among the Romans was known as ' Consul ' or ' Senator,' among us is called ' Alderman.' And yet in the case of Aldermen, maturity of mind is to be considered rather than of body, and gravity of manners in preference to length of years ; hence it is that in the ancient laws of King Cnut and other kings in Saxon times, the person was styled ' Alder- man,' who is now called ' Judge' and ' Justiciar,' as set forth in the ' Liber Custumarum.' Yet in several other laws of Saint Edward, the personages who are now styled ' Justiciars,' were called ' lage- THEIB ALDERMEN. 48 manni,^ from the Saxon lage, wliicli corresponds with the Latin, lex, or law ; the lagemannns being * a man of law/ such as we now call 'lawyer,' juris* peritum, or more correctly, a ' legislator.' " These Aldermen, too, in respect of name as well as dignity, it would seem, were anciently called " Bar ones, ^^ For it is matter of experience that ever since the year of our Lord 1350, at the sepul- ture of aldermen the ancient custom of interment with baronial honours was observed. In the church where the alderman was about to be buried, a person appeared upon a caparisoned horse, bearing a banner in his hand, and arrayed in the armour of the deceased, carrying his shield, helmet, and the rest of his arms, along with the banner, as is still the usage at the sepulture of lords of baronial rank. But by reason of frequent changes of the aldermen, and the repeated occurrence of pestilence, this cere- monial in London gradually disappeared. From this, however, it is evident what high honour was paid to the aldermen in ancient times ; indeed, no person was accepted as alderman, unless he was free from deformity in body, wise and discreet in mind, rich, honest, trustworthy, free, and on no account of low or servile condition ; lest, perchance, the opprobrium that might be reflected upon him by reason of his birth, might have the additional effect of casting a slur upon the other aldermen, and the whole city as well.* Than the title of Alderman, the Saxon kings * " Liber Albus," part i., chap. x. 44 THE CITY COMPANIES : could have conferred upon the masters of the gilds none more honourable or exalted. Alderman and earl were equal, if not synonymous. Spelman has preserved a monumental inscription, taken from the abbey of Eamsey, which is as follows : — '' Hie re- quiescit D. Alwinus, inclyti regis Badgari cognatus, totius Anglise Aldermannus et hujus sacri caenobi miraculosus fundator." Maitland, in his *' History of London," p. 565, quotes this inscription, and adds this remark : — " Alderman is the same as earl. Thus Alwin was dignified with the title of Earl of all England, which shows the City of London must have been in very great repute when the noble ap- pellation of alderman was conferred upon her magis- trates." It may be interesting to note that this Alwin, or Alwyn, was ancestor of Henry Fitz-Alwyn, the first Mayor of London, from 1189 to 1212.* Again, we learn from Malmesbury, who wrote in King Stephen's reign, that King Alfred gave London to Ethelred as the marriage portion of his daughter ; or, as it is more correctly stated in the Saxon manu- script, "he set London to Alderman Ethelred to hold." As to whether this means that a grant to hold in demesne was conferred or not, the learned difier. We refer to the fact here only to show the honourable nature of the title, and that in fact the Saxons could go no higher than alderman when de- signating the masters of the gilds by that name. It is difficult now to ascertain the date of the earliest privileges granted to the City of London. * Pennant, p. 17. THEIE ALDERMElsn ^5 It is usual to praise William I., King of the English,* for his grauts to the City, and for his having fostered its infant institutions, but that his charters were not their first enrolment is evident ; for when at the in- stigation of the Bishop of London William, or, as he is usually called, Wilham Norman (surnames not being used in England till a.d. 1220), the Conqueror made the grant, he states therein briefly, " I grant you all to be lawworthy, as ye were in the days of King Edward ; " thus implying that he therein only confirmed the previous municipal constitution. But that William or any other king granted a charter without a qidd fro quo, we cannot believe. A goodly sum was invariably paid if the privileges received were of any worth, For King John's first charter to the City of London, a fee of 3000 marks, or £1000, was paid to the King. Henry III. charged for his sixth charter to the city 1100 marks, 500 to the King and 600 to his brother, the Earl of Corn- wall. For his next he charged them 20,000 marks, but this, it states, was '' for their great crimes and misdemeanours." Immense sums were paid, we know, for monopolous charters, besides a royalty on all matters sold by the monopolist, but the price of 20,000 marks for a municipal charter in the thir- teenth century discovers a large amount of wealth on one side and of appetite for gold on the other. At the time of the Conquest, the mayor, or port- * Each of the first Anglo-^N'orman Kings, till Richard I., styled himself King of the English; afterwards, till the time of King John, he styled himself Basileus. 46 THE CITY companies: reeve, wlio was chosen from the aldermen of the gilds, exercised jurisdiction over the whole municipality, the privileges of which belonged to the fraternities, and not to the householders, as at present. The gilds, indeed, became the exclusive possessors of all municipal rights ; and, in the reign of Edward II., articles were prepared by the citizens, confirmed by the King, and incorporated in a charter, that ** no person should be admitted into the freedom of the city unless he were a member of one of the trades or mysteries.^* * Here we have the first mention of these Companies under their new name of trades or mysteries, arid henceforth, for ages, in all official documents, they are thus designated, and no longer as gilds. 'No greater proof of the power of the Companies could be given than their compelling all citizens to become connected with them. For several centuries, not only was the Court of Aldermen composed exclusively of the masters of the gilds, but the Common Council were all, in, like manner, the representatives of the same bodies, each Company sending a given number, according to their influence and wealth. The chief sent six, and the smaller Companies two. Herbert has extracted from the city records a list of the '' number of per- * '' In England, in regard that there is some mystery in every trade, therefore a trade is called a mystery." (Madox, *' Firma Burgi," 32 — 3.) The same author derives the custom of calling the Com- panies " mysteries " from the French, who, he says, using the word mestiere for a craft, art, or employment, the name came to be used here in a similar sense. No mystery is implied beyond the secrets of trade. THEIR ALDERMEN. 47 sons cliosen by the several mysteries to be of the Common CouncH, 50 Edward III." (a.d. 1368), which hst, written in Korman- French, contains 148 names of the representatives from the Companies, at that time forty- eight in number.* It should be noted, however, that in the reign of the first Edward, all London became divided into Tfards, each possessing its respective alderman, who gave his name to the ward by right of proprietor- ship. The Common Council was still returned by the Companies. Who received the purchase-money in the first sale we know not ; but, in those days of few taxes, possibly the King may have received it in payment for fines upon the city. In the " Hundred Eolls," first Edward I., is a list of these aldermen proprietors, or, rather, of the wards named after them, viz. : — ''Warda Will. Hadestock; Warda de Peter Anger ; Warda Eoberti de Meldebourne ; de Collemannoster ; Warda Joh'is de Blakesburn ; Warda Wolmer de Essex," etc., etc. Portsoken Ward has already been named as the aldermanry of the prior of Holy Trinity, t * City Kecords, lib. Ix., fol. 46. t " 1 Eichard II., A.p. 1378. Letter Bk. H. fol. 79 (Latin). The Prior of Christ Church, Aldgate, sworn ex-officio as Aldn. of Portsoken Ward. On Monday next after the feast of Our Lord's Epiphany (6 Jan.) in the jfirst year &c., in the Mayor's Court holden on that day in the Guildhall of London, in presence of the Mayor, Aldn., and Officers, for the same Court summoned, William Rysyng, Prior of Christ Church, in London, was sworn to fill the office of Ald'^. in the Ward of Portsoken, and faithfully to do all things touching that office, according to the custom of the said City ; in manner and form in which the other Aldermen are wont to be charged." — Bilefs Memorials of LondoUf p. 415. 4S THE CITY COMPANIES : Farringdon Ward — which was divided into two wards, "Within" and '^ Without/' in Hadley's mayoralty — was originally one aldermanry, purchased by William Faryngdon, goldsmith, a.d. 1279; and remained in his family upwards of eighty years. It was held by the singular tenure of presenting an- nually, at Easter, a gilliflower (probably for the purpose of church decorations), a flower which was formerly of great rarity.* Norton is of opinion that, if this proprietary right of aldermen to their wards were ever more than partial in London, it was certainly of short duration, as we find it wrested from them in the succeeding reign of Edward II. ; the citizens being then de- clared to possess the power of annually electing aldermen who shall preside over them.f It pro- bably arose with the introduction of the feudal system, and expired with the grant of those privi- leges which were secured to the citizens by their early charters, the establishment of a community, and the election of their own magistrates. Norton * " Faryngdon," says Stow, " purchased of Ralph le Feure all the aldermanrie, and the appurtenances, within the city of London and suburbs of the same, between Ludgate and Newgate, and also within the same gates which Ankerirus de Avene held, during his life, by grant of Thomas Averne. To have and to hold to the said Ealph and his heirs, yielding one clove, or slip of gillyflower, at the feast of Easter, for all secular service and customs which the said Le Feuro had warranted unto him by the said Thomas Averne, in considera- tion of twenty marks, which the said Ralph le Feure did give before- hand, in name of a gerium or fine, to the said Thomas." t Although the appointment was for life, yet an alderman (of the Ward of Bredstretc) was dismissed for deafness {obtusitatem aurium), 5 Hen. V. a.d. liiS —Riley's Memorials of London, p. 661. THEIR ALDERMEN. 40 says that there is no trace to show when the name of *^ aldermen" was first apphed to the presidents of the London wards ; the probabihty is that it was first appKed after the Conquest. The denomination was common, in Saxon times, to various judicial dignitaries and officers, from the highest to the lowest rank ; but there is no record of it as applied to the heads of particular districts in London during that period : and there is reason to believe that the appellation was not used in that sense until the reign of Henry II., when they are first mentioned as presiding over gilds, some of which were territorial, and others mercantile. In the reign of Henry III., aldermanries had become a common term for a civic district comprised within a leet jurisdiction, as well in London as in other cities.* Honourable as was the office at all times it has never been without its disadvantages to the possessor. In days when liberty had not been secured and developed, and when the King was absolute, he must be very yielding who could escape penalties. It is true the alderman was himself occasionally despotic in his gild,t but he had in his turn to bow the neck to authority. Henry YIIL, found the gilds a mine of wealth to his extor- tions, having in 1545 compelled them by a forced * " Comment. Lond.," p. 436. t " W. Hulot, Esq., then dwelling with the Bp. of Bath, and an official of the Eeceipts of his Lordship the King, was adjudged to have his hand struck off in the Guildhall, for an assault upon John Bote, an alderman, in the Mayoralty of Nicholas Exton (1387), the 10th year, that is to say, of King Richard." — Biley's Liber Alhus, p. 32, 4 50 THE CITY COMPANIES t loan to advance him £21,263 6s. Sd, towards the expenses of his wars with Scotland, determined to raise a further sum by a benevolence, and sent into the City to demand the same. One sturdy alderman, Richard Eead, objected to this arbitrary proceeding, and positively refused to pay the sum demanded of him ; for which the strong-willed King enrolled the unruly alderman as a foot soldier, and sent him in person with the army into Scotland, where (says JSTorthouck), after great hardships, he was taken prisoner and obliged to pay a considerable sum for his ransom. Queen Elizabeth had studied politics in the same school, and was not much behind her royal father in the severity of the measures to which she resorted to enforce obedience to her demands. Strype, in his edition of Stow, gives several instances of most arbitrary acts of this nature, especially in her granting monopolies to the injury of the various crafts. In 1590, Edward Darcey, '^ one about the court," purchased for a large sum a patent from the Queen, against the Leathersellers' Company, empowering him to search and seal all the leather throughout England, and our author says " he found it a very gainful business to him ; for on the skins he sealed, he sometimes received the tenth part, the ninth part, . , . and sometimes even the fourth or third part of the commodity." His profits lasted, however, little longer than a year. Even leather- sellers can be roused to indignation if the cause be suflSicient, and in 1592 the mighty host of manu- facturers in the trade of leather, fellmongers, THEIR ALDERMEN. 51 glovers, point* makers, purse makers, saddlers, girdlers, coffer makers, badget makers, wliite tawyers,t jerkin:}: makers, leather dyers, makers of sconces, baggs, bellowes, bottles, lanthorns, pouckes, barckides, or coverings for chariots, poles, standards, trimets,§ buckets, and many others, rose as one man to resist this inroad upon their prerogatives. The Queen knew how, and when, to yield; no one ever knew this better; she bowed before these warlike workers in leather, and a breach was prevented by her timely concession. The war- dens of the leathersellers are highly praised by Strype for their firmness, for upon being imprisoned for their stubbornness, they defended themselves by pleading that at their first incorporation (temp, Edward III.) they were charged with a precise oath to ''be obesiant and obedient unto the mayor and ministers of the city, the franchises and customs thereof to maintain, and this city to keep harmless in that that in them was." " Judge," they said to the aldermen who were sent to mediate, " if to admit Mr. Darcey's ministers to search and seal our leather is not to run into the horrible sin of perjury, which * A string with a tag. " For a silken point I'll give my barony." — Sliahespeare. " I am resolved on two points ; That if one break, the other will hold ; Or if both break, your gaskins fall." — Shakespeare. t Dressers of coney (rabbit) skins. X A short coat ; a waistcoat. § Qy. ? trimmer. A piece of wood or leather, used in uniting the joists and girders in staircases. (Vide Moxon's "Mech. Exerc") 52 THE CITY companies: tlie Queen's Majesty could never abide, nor ever yet left unpunished." Thus stout and h^rdj were these leathersellers.* Old is the proverb, wherever origi- nating, '' There's nothing like leather." The Governments of the day have usually kept a careful oversight of the rich citizens, and when in want of supplies, have not always been very scrupulous as to the means made use of to obtain them. Three years prior to the execution of King Charles I., the party who had wrested the Government from him having placed their "committee of safety" at Haber- dashers' Hall, sent to the master of the Grocers' Company a most remarkable message. It was to the effect that they had learned that one Eichard Greenough, who " was found to be a delinquent to the Parliament," was their creditor to the amount of £500, for which the company had given their bond, and they (the Parliament) therefore demanded a speedy payment of the same to them. This, in a.d. 1645. The master and wardens were naturally amazed at so novel an application, and craved for time for consultation ; but all was vain, they had to borrow the amount on their company's seal and to pay to the Parliament the debt due to Greenough. These aldermen or masters of the mysteries appear themselves not to have been immaculate. Bribery at elections is not much charged against them, but that they sometimes carried elections by violence is certain, for in 1385 the Grocers' Company having returned two years successively their alderman, • Strype's Stow, ii. 293. THEIR ALDEEMEN. 53 Sir !Nic]ioll Brembre, mayor, against tlie general voice of the City, an inquiry into the circumstances of the election took place. The historian of the day informs us that " this yere. Sir Mcholl Brembre, was chosen maire he certayne crafts and not be fre eleccion of the cetee of London as it oivith to be : and the oolde halle was stuff'd with men of armes overe nighte, be ordinannce and assente of Sir MchoU Brembre, for to chose hym maire on the morrowe ; and so hee was." (Chronicle of London.) A petition is sent up to Parliament, 10 Eichard II., 1386, complaining that the said " Sir N. Brembre, wyth his upberers had through debate and stronger partye, by carrying a grete quantity armure to the Guyld-hall" to over- come the citizens, procured his own election. The result was, it was determined that henceforth four Common Council men should be elected annually from each ward, instead of as aforetime from the crafts ; and inasmuch as Brembre' s Company had sixteen aldermen at the time, which gave it a prepon- derance, it was decreed that no Company should have at the same time more than six aldermen. 54 THE CITY COMPANIES : CHAPTER V. THEIE MAYOR. " There was a sharp prosecution against Sir William Capel for misgovernment in his mayoralty." — Bacon's Henry VII. Amongst the otlier privileges attaching themselves to the office of liverymen, that of appointing their Mayor has ever been considered one of the most important. They only, we have seen, have had the right of returning sheriffs, aldermen, and Common Councillors ; and with them also exclusively rested the privilege of returning from the aldermen the Mayor. In early times this official held sway over the City in style right royal ; his power was almost unlimited ; what the alderman was in the gild, the Mayor was in the City ; the Londoners yielded unmurmuringly to each and every order or exaction issued in his name. The City was imperium in imjperio^ and within the walls the Mayor was considered supreme sove- reign. The monarch of the day, upon all royal visits to the City, has ever appeared to humour this fancy, and to recognize the existence of this rival throne. Temple Bar alone, of all the many gates of entrance, has been preserved from destruction, no doubt because, being the entrance from the royal / THEIR MAYOB* 55 residences, it has been necessary on all occasions of royal visits, for tlie purpose of keeping up one of the most ancient of civic customs, that of closing the gate against the sovereign, and requiring him before entrance to ask the Mayor's permission to enter within his domain. The ceremony is interesting because of its anti- quity, and its origin cannot now be traced. The Mayor, upon receiving the King's request, is usually sufficiently complaisant to accede most readily, and with all respect to hand to the King on bended knee the key which will admit him within the pre- cinct. He also gives up his sword and mace, in token that he is not a rival, but a loyal subject, and the King as readily returns the same, in token that he has confidence in the Mayor's integrity, and is willing to retain his services as his lieutenant. On all such occasions, the Mayor, if he had not pre- viously won his spurs, had conferred upon him the honour of knighthood. This formerly was a high distinction, especially at a period anterior to the institution of a social knighthood. As aldermen of London claim rank above a social knight, they will never accept a civic knighthood.* Upon James I. instituting the hereditary order of knighthood, termed Baronets, for the purpose of * A few weeks after the above was written, this rule, for the jfirst time, was broken by two ex-Lord Mayors (Aldermen Eose and Phillips) accepting knighthood. Hitherto aldermen who were knights had received the title previously to their election as aldermen ; but no prior case is on record of the acceptance by a past Lord Mayor of a civic knighthood, which is in truth an advancement-retrograde I 56 THE CITY COMPANIES : raising funds for liis Government, lie made it for the time a purchasable rank, and to any subject, what- ever his position, if he could only produce the sum named (£1095), letters patent were immediately granted, and he became a baronet.* A large sum was realized by the King from this source, many merchants of wealth and aldermen of London and other towns being purchasers, and very many of the present baronetages go back to the years 1610 to 1620, not one of which titles, we believe, was granted but by purchase. We believe that Charles I. did not follow his father's example in making merchandise of this honourable and hereditary order ; but in the first year of his reign he commenced trading in an equally objectionable manner with the order of knighthood. Rushworth copies from the Govern- ment records certain writs to sheriffs of counties npon this matter, and adds, '' Writs were directed to all sheriffs, commanding all such as possessed £40 a year of lands, or revenues, for their own use for three years, and are not yet knights, that they do at their peril prepare to present themselves in his Majesty's presence by the 31st Jan., to receive the order of knighthood." f Prom all that we can discover respecting this injunction, we are led to believe that its monstrosity * Hallam says that "James I. sold several peerages for con- siderable sums. The sale of baronetages was notorious. They were offered for £1095 a-piece, and in six years 93 patents were sold, raising £101,835."—" Constitutional History," vol. i., p. 461. t Eushworth, vol. i., p. 190, a.d. 1625. THEIR MAYOR. 57 defeated its end; tliat none were found ready to comply, and tliat the whole affair was covered witli contempt, and forgotten in tlie sad tragedies wliich succeeded so soon and in sucli quick succession. We know, however, that the aldermen of London would not accept the title as a gift, nor to this day will they accept a title below that of baronet.* It is true we may now, and at all times, find aldermen who are but knights, but in every instance the knight- hood was anterior to the becoming an alderman. The Sovereign now, on all occasions of a royal visit to the City, confers upon the Lord Mayor a baro- netcy. That Charles had a precedent for this in- junction we admit, for by a statute of Edward II., all who possessed land of £20 a year in fee or for life were to take the order of knighthood. t In Hait- ian d's '' History of London " will likewise be found a copy of a writ addressed to the sheriffs (18 Edward III., 1344), requiring all citizens who possessed £40 a year in fee to become knights. This was to assist the King in his French wars. To such an extent did these extortions affect the citizens, that many refused the knighthood, and had to submit to fines ; and at length the Commons petitioned that it might be enacted that no man should be fined twice for not receiving knighthood, but the bill never received the royal assent. J Carpenter, the founder of the City of London School, and one of the executors * See note, p. 55. t Fosbroke's " Encyclopsedia of Antiquities," vol. ii., p. 748. J Nicolas's " Proceedings, etc., of the Privy Council," 5 preface, pp. 23, 24. 58 THE OITY COMPANIBS: of Eichard Wliittington, upon retiring from public life obtained, in 1439, letters patent from tbe King, dated 3rd Dec, 18 Henry VI., exempting him for life from all military and civil duties, among wMch are included serving in Parliament and receiving tlie holiour of knighthood. The original of this patent is still extant among the Cottonian MSS. in the British Museum, and is referred to by Brewer, in his valuable Life of Car- penter.* By the earliest ordinances, the Mayor is the King's lieutenant, and, with the Aldermen and Com- mon Council, can make by-laws for the government of the City. He has also the authority of a kind of judge. When Alfred divided England into counties, and counties into hundreds, and hundreds into tyth- ings, he constituted the portreeve, or bailiff, or sheriff, the chief governor of the City. Wilham the Conqueror's first charter, which is still preserved at Guildhall, is addressed to Wilham the Bishop and Godfrey the Portreeve. ''Portreeve" is governor of the port,t as ''sheriff" (from " sher," or "shire," a county, and " riff," or "reeve," a bailiff), signifies the King's bailiff of a county. After the conquest, * Vide "Proc. and Ord. of the Privy Council," edited by Sir Harris Nicolas, 8vo, 1836, vol. v., p. 3. t Port, in the Saxon and Teutonic languages, is of the same meaning as Om^as, city. Ever since England was a kingdom, the honour due to an earl, as well in the King's presence as elsewhere, has belonged to the chief officer of London : hence it is, too, that the sword is borne before him as before an earl, and not behind him. — (" Liber Albus," Bk. L, part i., ch. ii.) / THEIE MAYOR. 59 the name usually assigned to the chief magistrate of London — which by charter is both city and county — was bailiff until the reign of Eichard I. when, in the year 1189, it was changed into that of mayor. This King, in order to maintain the ex- penses incurred in the Crusades, levied large subsi- dies upon the City, and, in return, granted to the citizens the privilege of electing their own chief magistrate, who was designated "Mayor," a title taken from the JNTorman Maire, The first elected to this high office was Henry Fitz-Alwyn, whose ances- tor, Allwin, cousin of King Edgar, was entitled "Alderman of all England," as before mentioned. Within the City, the Mayor of London has ever been recognized as the King's representative ; " and though elective, this office may be said to be per- petual — for his authority cease th not, neither on the demise or abdication of the King, as that of all com- missioned officers do ; wherefore, in such cases, the Lord Mayor of London is said to be the principal officer of the kingdom, as he appears to have been upon the demise of Queen Elizabeth and the accession of King James I. to the throne."* As early as a.d. 1354, King Edward III., by royal charter, granted permission to the mayor to have gold and silver maces carried before him ; and, in referring to this privilege, Maitland remarks that " this great favour of having gold and silver maces carried before the chief magistrate was peculiar to London, for all the other cities and towns in the kingdom were, by a * Maitland's " History of London," p. 659. 60 THE CITY COMPANIES : royal precept, expressly commanded not to use maces of any other metal than copper" (p. 85, bk. i.). They might be used, moreover, in the absence of the mayor, " and as often as it shall happen any of the said sergeants to be sent to foreign places, and with- out the City, to do their offices, at the command of us, or of the mayor and sheriffs aforesaid, they may lawfully carry, going and coming, publicly, as our own sergeants do carry their maces, any ordinance or commandment made to the contrary notwith- standing."* When the title of "Lord" was first added to that of " Mayor," cannot now be distinctly traced. All charters and history are silent upon the point. Possibly it is merely a complimentary addition from immemorial usage. Maitland, one of our best-in- formed annalists, confesses himself unable to ascer- tain this. He says : " Our historians being silent in respect to the time when the appellation of 'Lord ' was added to that of ' Mayor,' I imagine that no time bids so fair as the present, when the chief magistrate of the city had the honour conferred upon him to have maces, in all respects the same as royal, carried before him. But, as the several charters to the city are likewise silent on this head, the origin thereof may probably be owing to a com- phment instead of a grant" (p. 85, bk. i.). The same doubt exists as to the origin of the title "Right Honourable." The author just quoted places it at this same period. But we do know that, shortly * Royal Chai tor to London, a.d. 1364 ; King Edward III, y THEIR MAYOR. 61 after Jack Cade's rebellion, so pleased was tlie King (Henry YI.) with the conduct of the London alder- men on that occasion, that he called the then Lord Mayor, Godfrey Fielding (a.d, 1452), to be a member of his Privy Council, and consequently to the degree of " Right Honourable." About the same period, an interesting instance occurred, as recorded in Maitland (p. 117), of the scrupulous regard observed by the Lord Mayor in respect to the question of precedence.* It appears that, on a call of new serjeants-at-law, a.d. 1464, a great entertainment was given by them at Ely House, Holborn, to which they invited the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, Sheriffs, and other principal citizens, who, upon entering the place of entertainment, perceived that '^ the Lord High Treasurer (Baron Euthen) had assumed the most honourable seat at table, in derogation of the dignity of the Lord Mayor, who, at all times and on all occasions, as the King's repre- sentative, in honour of his principal and sovereign, assumes the pre-eminence, or most honourable place, of all subjects within the City and liberties. How- ever, the imperious treasurer, though in detraction of his master's honour, kept possession of the place. This misdutiful behaviour was by the mayor and citizens no otlierwise resented than by their withdrawing from the hall and returning to the City, where they were by the mayor entertained in a very * " Hen. Y. gave the seat of horxour to tlie Lord Mayof (Nicolas Watton), 1415, before the Archbishop of Canterbury and the King's brothers." — Bilei/s Memorials of London, p. 603. 62 THE CITY companies: elegant manner, whilst tlie lords of the feast were left to bewail the rude and insolent deportment of their guest, Euthen." The same historian mentions another fact, oc- curring about the same time (a.d. 1467), not quite so creditable to the good taste of the chief actor.. " This year, John Derbyan, an alderman, for oppro- brious language given to the mayor, and his ob- stinacy in refusing to remove, or pay for removing, the noisome carcase of a dog from before his door, was by the Court of Aldermen fined in the sum of fifty pounds.^* THEIE MAYOE. 63 CHAPTEE VI. THEIR. MAYOR, CONTINUED. In NicoU's very able and elaborate '* History of tlie Ironmongers' Company," printed in 1866, for pri- vate circulation, is a minute of the court of tbat Company, dated Dec. 3, 1619, whicb brings to light another privilege pertaining to tlie office of Lord Mayor, with wbicli we remember nowhere else to have met, namely, that of making " tJiree persons free of the cittie,'^ This right seems to have been exercised in this particular case with some eccen- tricity, for " An order of court before the Lord Maior in ye tyme of Sir Sebastian Harvey, dated ye 5 daye of October last, was now read, wherein it was declared that ye Lord Maior, by his prerogative of making three p'sons free of ye cittie, had obtained ye freedome of Mr. Stapleton as ye first of ye said three, and yt he should be admitted into ye freedom of ye company by redemption ; upon wch order ye court being willing to gratify Sir Sebastian Harvey, ye said Stapleton being his gardener, are contended to admit him into this company, soe as he doe once a quarter take care to keep the company's garden in order and repair, and to trym ye same, wch he / 64 THE CITY COMPANIES : very thankfully accepted of, promising to p' forme ye same, and therefore took his oath appertayning, and paid for his oath xijd." (p. 116). A similar entry occurs in 1610, when " it is ordered that Robert Key shall be made free, as the firsb of the three yearly made by the Lord Mayor" (p. 144) ; and in October, 1610, the still more curious claim is made by the Lady Mayoress, who requests Eob Dawkes, '^ her ladishippe's coachman," may be admitted, which re- quest was allowed (p. 146). Curious speculations have been propounded re- specting the origin of the use in procession by the Eight Hon. the Lord Mayor, of the sword and cap^ of maintenance. In the very early times when the sword was always in request, we can easily under- stand that the great earls or aldermen would at all times parade this emblem of authority, especially on occasions of administering justice, but the cap of maintenance is of far more recent origin. Pope Leo X., we read, to pay honour to that dutiful son of the church. King Henry YIIL — as he was at that time — presented, with great form and ceremony, a consecrated sword and cap of maintenance.* The * In Drake's Eboracum (page 181) we read that as early as the year 1393, when King Eichard II. presented Eobert Savage, then Lord Mayor of York, with a gilt mace, ho also gave a cap of main- tenance to the sword-bearer; but this story is entirely traditional, and no authority for it can be found in the archives of that city. Bichard, Duke of Buckingham, informs us that he witnessed at Rome (a.d. 1828) the procession of St. Peter, and that " before the Pope was borne the sword and ducal cap, which, according to annual custom, he had blessed in the morning." He adds that this sword and cap the Pope used in olden time to send, after the mass of the day, to THEIR MAYOE. 65 sword, as an offensive weapon, was to destroy the enemies of the church ; the cap of maintenance was a piece of armour to defend the head in time of con- flict. We remember to have met with no earlier mention of a cap of maintenance in England, and no doubt the King would esteem its presentation by the Pope as a great and distinguished favour ; and being at all times a great benefactor to the trade companies of London, and to the City generally, it is not improbable that he might have conferred upon the metropolis of his kingdom, as Maitland surmises, these further emblems of royalty, and granted the right and privilege to use, in addition to the gold and silver maces, both the sword and cap of maintenance. At a very remote period the honourable dis- tinction was conferred upon the mayor, of his being appointed cup-bearer to the King at the coronation. Among the City records * is still preserved at the town clerk's office a list of the heads of the great Livery Companies, chosen by the Common Council to attend the Mayor of London to West- minster, as cup-bearer at the coronation of Richard III., which privilege has continued to the present time unrepealed. It is evident that marked honour was, and is, connected with this ancient office, some Christian Crusader Prince. " It is now sometimes sent to some Catholic monarch as a mark of the Pope's especial favour. The first instance of this benediction is read in the Councils of Constance, when Pope John XXII. sent it to the Emperor Sigismond." (Diary, vol, iii., p. 50 ; London, 1862.) * Lib. L. fol. 19, a and b., vide Herbert. 5 66 THE CITY companies: from tHe fact tliat so many as twelve eminent citizens, masters of companies, were required to be present at the ceremonies, as attendants upon the chief cup-bearer ; all of whom went in great state, the most prominent places being formerly, if they are not still, awarded to them in the pageants. The mayor, by virtue of this ofl&ce of King's cup- bearer, formerly exercised the prerogative of ap- pointing the coroner for the City, which right, however, was taken from him by the fourth charter to the City of King Edward IV., and conferred upon the Livery Companies. We are not to suppose that because the mayor and aldermen, in many cases, were shopkeepers, and in all cases traders or merchants, they were necessarily unused to feats of arms or country sports and pastimes. The citizens generally were a brave and manly race, and the pursuit of trade seemed in no way opposed to the development of a military spirit. We have shown how even a crusader, one imprisoned in the Holy Land, and redeemed by "Matilda, the fair Saracen," upon his return to London, married his deliverer, and with the '' fair Saracen," opened shop in Cheapside as mercer. How to this Gilbert Becket, and ''Mrs." Becket, was born Thomas, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, the immortal martyr. Mention has also been made of the twelve warlike aldermen, knighted on the field of battle, on the occasion of Thomas Nevil, natural son of Lord Falconbridge, and therefore called the bastard Falconbridge, attempting to force TTHEIE MAYOR. 67 the City ; when, with 17,000 men, lie took possession of Soutliwark, caused 3000 to cross the river while he attacked London Bridge. We read in Maitland that Alderman Basset, the commanding officer at the bridge, sallied out to meet the invader ; Earl Rivers, with a strong force, likewise took the field, but Falconbridge was repulsed " by that gallant citizen, Ralph Joscelin, late Lord Mayor, and pur- sued with great slaughter as far as Redriff (Rother- hithe). The King (Edward lY.) hurried off to the City in pursuit of the rebels, staying no longer than while he knighted the twelve following aldermen for their gallant behaviour on the field :" — Sirs John Stockton, Ralph Yarney, John Young, Will. Taylor, Rich. Lee, Matt. Philips, Geo. Ireland, Will. Stoker, Wm. Hampton, Thomas Stallbrooke, John Crosby (of Crosby Hall), and Bartholomew James.* The entire second charter of King Edward II. is occupied in reciting the military services of the citizens in besieging the Castle of Leeds, in Kent, and in divers other parts of the kingdom, and grants that such military service shall not be drawn into precedent. That they should not go to war out of the City was one of their most ancient privileges* Judge Foster, in his discourse on Crown laws, shows- that the King, in aU cases, had a prerogative riglit to impress. This exemption, therefore, to the citizens in a warlike age must have been felt to have been a great boon, although the real origin of their exemp- tion was, no doubt, that by the condition of their * Fabian and Hall's Chronicles, Maitland, p. 120. 68 THE CITY COMPANIES I tenure, according to the feudal system, tliej were bound only to defend their own walls. Not only have the citizens generally been charac- terized by a warlike spirit, but manly games and rustic pastimes have ever held a prominent place amongst them. 'No doubt the origin of many of these customs is earlier than the Saxon era. An able antiquary (John Bagford) ascribes even our prize-fighting to nothing else but the same sort of exercise practised by Roman Gladiators, '* Our bull and bear-baiting are the remains of the same people, as are our May-games, mumming, morice- dancing, etc., which happened about the same time of the year as they do now amongst us."* We might enumerate many instances of their ^ love of English rural sports. Several Lord Mayors have been so ardent in their love of the chase, that even in their civic pageants they have made reference to them. On the arrival of King Henry YI. at Dover, after being crowned King of France in 1432, '^ the mayor and aldermen rode against him on horse- back ; the aldermen with robes of scarlet with san- guine hoods, the mayor in crimson velvet, with a great velvet hat furred, a girdle of gold about his middle, and a jewel of gold about his neck, trailing down behind him ; he was followed by his three huntsmen on great coursers, in entire suits of red, all spangled with silver. The liverymen brought up the rear clothed in white gowns and scarlet hoods." t * Leland's " Collectanea." f Stow. / THEIR MAYOR. 69 Lydgate has a poem written on the occasion, from which we extract a stanza or two : — " Their clothying was of colour full covenable ; The noble mair clad in red velvet, The Shrieves, the Aldermen, full notable. In furryd clokes, the colour of scarlett ; In stately wyse whaune they were met, Ech one were wel horsyd, and made no delay, But with their maire rood forth on their way. The citizens ech on of the citee, In their entent that they were pure and clene ; Ches them of wliit a ful fair livere In every craft, as it was well sene ; To shewe the trowthe that they dede mene. Toward the King hadde mad them feithfully In sundry devyses embrowdyd richely." The Lord Mayor anciently claimed the privilege of nominating sheriffs * by drinking to persons deemed qualified. Dr. Hughson, in his '' History of London," says that in the month of July, 1.583, Sir Edward Osborne, the then Lord Mayor, ancestor of the present Duke of Leeds, with several of the Aldermen and the Eecorder, dined at the Haber- dashers' Hall ; after the second course had been served, the chief magistrate took the great cup, which being filled with hippocras, he stood up, and in a speech drank to Mr. Alderman Massam, as the sheriflT for the year ensuing. The sword-bearer t thereupon * " The Lord Mayor had the appointment- of aldermen in every case in which the vacancy had not been filled up within 15 days." — Bileys Liber Alius, p. 35. t " He shall have 2 other sergeants at least, and an esquire, a man well bred (one who knows how in all places, in that which unto such service pertains, to support the honour of his lord and of the City) to bear his sword before him." — Bilei/s Liber Albus, p. 44. 70 THE CITY companies: repaired to Grocers' Hall, where the alderman was dining, and acquainted him with his elevation to the shrievalty, upon which he thanked God, " who, through his great goodness, had called him from a very poor and mean degree to this worshipful state. Secondly, he thanked her Majesty for her gracious goodness in allowing to us these great and ample franchises. And thirdly, he thanked my Lord Mayor for having so honourable an opinion of his company of grocers as to make choice of one being a poor member of the same." This right was called in question, but enforced, in the reign of Charles I., by the Mayor, who claimed it as a privilege of three hundred years' standing. From Thomson's " Chronicles of London Bridge," we learn an instance of this ceremony being abused, in 1489, when Su* Henry Colet, the Mayor, father of Dean Colet, drank to his carver, John Percival,* and nominated him sheriff for the year ensuing. The carver not only served the office of sheriff with the celebrated Hugh Clapton, but also became Sir John Percival, Knight, and Lord Mayor 1499. This right, it appears, was strongly opposed in 1682. Bishop Burnet, in the history of his own times, describes the occasion : " When the day came in which the mayor used to drink to one and to mark him out for sheriff, he drank to (Dudley) North, a merchant, that was brother to the chief justice. Upon that, it was pretended that this ceremony was * Sir John Percival was knighted on the field by Henry YII. He was the first Merchant Taylor Lord Mayor. THEIR MATOE. 71 but a bare nomination, wMch tlie Common Hall might receive or refuse, as they had a mind to it." The citizens put up Papillon, but the mayor declared North elected. The former brought an action for false return against the mayor, which was tried before the infamous and execrable Judge Jeffreys, who fined Papillon £10,000 for his "presumption" in opposing the Court candidate. The defeated can- didate and unsuccessful plaintiff escaped to the con- tinent, and thus evaded payment of so heavy a fine. Upon an investigation in 1682 into the usages and practices of the City, in respect to the election of sheriffs, a report was prepared and printed, to the effect that "this privilege of the Lord Mayor, according to the City records, is perfectly conform- able with ancient custom, rules, and ordinances of the City." Since 1748 the appointment of the sheriffs has been exclusively in the hands of the Livery. The mayor, however, had no power to appoint as sheriff the keeper either of a brewery, a bakery, or a tavern. The sheriff was sworn to be obedient to the mayor, and the " Liber Aftus" names one who had to pay to the chief magistrate " ten tuns of wine for disobedience committed towards him." In the same book the sheriffs are styled " the eyes of the mayor."* All charters to the City Companies subject the members to the control of the mayor. It seems but reasonable that, as they had power over their own * Lib. i., part i., chap. 14!. 72 THE CITY COMPANIES I craft, there should be somewhere a sort of visiting jurisdiction over all the trade societies of the metro- polis. This rested with the mayor, who was viewed by all as a most powerful official, whose anger must be appeased, and good opinion courted. In some cases the measures adopted were not the most scru- pulous or proper. Unblushing bribery seems to have been the order of the day. Subjection to this high personage is curiously acknowledged by the Brewers' Company, who, in a very humble petition, dated 1435, address the chief magistrate as their " right worshipfull and gracious lord and sovereign, the maior of London." He is styled in after times '^master of all the companies;" sometimes, the " warden of all the companies." He had power to fine and imprison the wardens of com- panies at pleasure; and they, to propitiate his favour, were not slack in their benevolences. The brewers were especially unfortunate. From their records we learn that, on July 30, 1422, Eobert Chick) ey, the mayor, sent for the master and twelve assistants, and fined them £20 for selling dear ale. Their objections were vain, and they were all sent off to prison until the fine was paid. In 1422-3 occurs a note (in Latin) that ''William Walderne (mayor that year) behaved well to the company until two or three weeks before his retirement from office ;" when, beginning to annoy them, they ''assuaged his displeasure" by pre- senting to him " a boar, price 20s. ; and an ox, price 17s." THEIR MAYOR. 73 Even Whittington himself does not come out mtli quite clean hands, for he is stated to have been bribed through his servants. £7 3s. 4d, is charged for '' ij pipes of red wine to Richard Whetyngton's butler." In a succeeding mayoralty, £13 6s. Sd. is entered ''for gyfts to the lord maior." Other entries show such complimentary gifts to be customary to obtain favour. Thus, in 1423 is an entry of " money given to divers Serjeants of the maior, for to be good friends to our craft ;" or, as it is in another place more carefully expressed, " for thair labour to the profit of the craft." Mention is also made of £16 " given to a tasker of the kings, to suffer our car- penters still in our work." Some of these entries are exceedingly expressive, *' short and sweet." Thus — '' a.d. 1424. A record in praise of John Mitchelle. He was a good man, and meek, and soft to speak with." Upon his inaugura- tion, a present was made to him of " an ox that cost 21s. 2d., and a wild boar, price 30s. Id. ; so that he did no harm to the brewers, and advised them to make good ale, that he might not have any complaint against them." One instance occurs, singularly, of a mayor who was indeed impervious to bribes. An entry for the year 1423, the year preceding John Mitchell's mayor- alty, is thus expressed m Msce verbis : — " William Crowmere, mayor this year, was a good man, and well pleased all the citizens, especially the brewers ; when the masters offered gifts to him, he thanked them, but would not receive any." 74 THE CITY companies: The interesting custom of presenting an offering to the Lord Mayor is still retained by one or two of the Companies, although, of course, instead of a gross bribe to purchase favours, it is now a graceful act of respect for the office of chief magistrate. The " Fruiterers," to the present day, annually present to the Lord Mayor, with great ceremony, a hand- some present of all the choicest and most rare fruits of the season. The continuance of this ancient custom speaks much for the good taste of the court of that Worshipful Company. We are not to suppose that the exercise of the mayor's authority has been always confined to the citizens and the gilds. His authority has been recognized far beyond the limits of the City, or even of the county of Middlesex. A curious instance of his interference occurred in 1440, shortly after Sir Eichard Wick,* Yicar of Hermetsworth, in Essex, was burnt on Tower Hill, for religion, and being by the people reputed a holy and pious man, the Vicar of Barking, a fraudulent and covetous priest, em- braced the opportunity to impose upon the credulous multitude, by mixing ashes with the powder of odo- riferous spices, which he secretly strewed upon the place where the vicar was burnt, and industriously published the pretended miracle of the *' Fragrance of the Ashes," which was no sooner known than it produced the desired effect ; for the people, in great * Clergymen who were literates were entitled " Sir," while gra- duates were designated according to their degree, "Doctor" or "Master." THEIR MATOE. 75 numbers from all parts, hurried to tlie place of exe- cution, where, finding the ashes answerable to the report, they began to arraign the justice of the judges for condemning that holy man ; and by the address and management of that crafty vicar, the people were inadvertently drawn into idolatry, for numbers invoked him as a god, and offered at his shrine large sums of money; in return for which they were plentifully supplied with odoriferous ashes, as sacred relics, which were carefully reinstated before the next morning. This practice continued about a week, when it was opposed by the Lord Mayor, who apprehended the vicar, whereby the imposture was discovered by his own confession.* Neither have his sentences at all times been of the mildest character. Life or death have been not unfrequently at his sole disposal. Some startling instances of absolute authority occur in civic his- tory, such as the case of Hammond Chickwell, or as his name is spelled in the early records and the " Liber Albus," Hamo de Chiggewelle, Mayor 1319 to 1327 (temp. Edward III.), who took Dr. Stapleton (Bishop of Exeter) prisoner, and beheaded him, for demanding the keys of the City gates. So in the mayoralty of Sir Andrew Aubrey, 1339 — 51 (temp, Eicbard 11.) , in a quarrel between the Fishmongers and Skinners, the mayor being assaulted and struck, he, without any hesitation, ordered two persons to be beheaded, a sentence which was carried out with great form in Cheapside. * Maitland, p. 108. 76 THE CITY companies: In Wilson's "Life of King James the First/* a circumstance is recorded of some importance as showing the boldness of a Lord Mayor in that servile period. The King had written a work entitled " The Book of Sports," enforcing the lawfulness of games and sports on the Sabbath-day, which by proclama- tion he ordered to be read in all churches. This w ork gave great offence to the citizens, and the Lord Mayor ventured to stop the King's carriages while travelling through the City during the time of divine service. The hot-tempered King was in great wrath, and sent post haste a warrant to the Lord Mayor, to permit them to pass. The summons was obeyed, his lordship observing that " while he possessed his power he had done his duty; but that being taken away by a higher power, he had done his duty in obey in P- " THEIR MAYOR. 77 CHAPTER YII. On Friday, Nov. 9, 1866, at one of those magnificent banquets given by the Lord Mayor of London with more than regal splendour, the Chancellor of the Exchequer,* in glancing at the advantages conferred upon the nation by the great corporations of this country, gave utterance to this elegant truism : '' Individuals may form communities, but institutions / must found a nation." Our Saxon ancestors evi- dently duly appreciated this truth, and gave a fostering oversight to infant fraternities and gilds of commerce, and planted deep in a good soil the roots from which the great companies of the present day originally sprang. Some few may advocate a life of isolation and asceticism, but the mass of mankind are fully alive to the great fact, that in matters either religious or secular, union is strength,. The mayors of our great cities would be powerless if unsupported by the suffrages of the large corpora- tions they represent ; their influence in the nation will always be found to correspond, in a very great degree, with the numerical strength and wealth of * The Eight Hon. B. Disraeli. 78 THE CITY COMPANIES : tliose who form their constituency. The various sovereigns of this country have seen this, and have ever been forward to confer distinguished honours and benefits upon the chief magistrates of the two metropolitan cities, York in the north, and London in the south, because they were the centres of influence of their respective provinces. Long may this state of things continue, in which the people possess so large a share of self-government, not the liberty of licence, but subject to due control. We can compare, with patriotic pride, our Old York with New York, and boast that we prefer the constitution of the old city to that of the new, and that we can give the honest preference to the principle of local self-government prevailing in the capital of England to the system obtaining in the gay and beautiful capital of France. Before closing our remarks on the Mayor of London, we would wish to add a few notes supple- mental to what has been already stated. By the charter of King John, of May 19th, in the sixteenth year of his reign (1215), " to the City was granted and confirmed the appointment of a Mayor," as follows : — " Know ye that we have granted, and by this our present writing confirm, to our barons of our City of London, that they may choose to themselves every year a Mayor, who to us may be faithfiil, dis- creet, and fit to govern the city, so as, when he shall be chosen, to be presented unto us, or our justices, if we shall not be present, and he shall swear to be faithful to us ; and that it shall be lawful to them, at THEIR MAYOE. 79 the end of tlie year, to remove him, and substitute another, if they will, or the same to remain, so as he be presented to us, or our justices, if we shall not be present." We have supposed that the aldermen were formerly styled barons, but it is quite clear that they are not in this charter so designated, as with them never rested the choice of mayor, but with the Livery. In legal phraseology, haron and femme have ever stood for man and wife. The word baron means, in its original signification, nothing more than man. In the "Liber Albus" we read, that a woman coverte de haron may follow a trade. A note explains this as protected hy a husband,^ The Lord Mayor of London, by charter of Edw. III., anno jprimo, is one of the Judges of Oyer and Terminer and jail-delivery for the jail of JS^ewgate, and is still always placed at the head of the commis- sions which create criminal jurisdiction in London. t During the King's absence in France, we are in- formed by Maitland, the Lord Mayor, together with the aldermen, were commissioned to discover and punish certain rioters, an authority which the mayor exercised with undue severity, having tried in a summary manner and immediately executed two, whom he deemed most culpable. This was con- sidered a stretch of power, and to keep the mayor harmless the King had to grant an indemnity from the consequences. The charters of Eichard II., so liberal to the ancient city of York, were equally favourable to London. By them we learn the con- * Bk. iii., p. 1. f Norton, Commentaries, 351. 80 THE CITY COMPANIES ! sideration in which the citizens were held, from the circumstance that in the famous Poll Tax, which gave rise to the rebellion of Wat Tyler, the Lord Mayor ranked as an earl, and the aldermen as barons.* The wealth of individual aldermen may be surmised from such acts as those of Whittington and Philpot ; the latter, at his own private expense, having fitted out a fleet of ships, containing 1000 men, and him- self sailed with them, for the purpose of attacking some pirates who had long been the scourge of British merchants. This noble alderman returned successful, having destroyed the whole of the enemies' ships. t Sir Eichard Whittington, at a banquet given in 1431 to Henry Y. and his queen, on the successful termination of his campaign in France, is said to have gratified and astonished his royal guests by throwing into the fire bonds for which the king was indebted to the citizens to the amount of £60,000. We extract two or three curious notices from Stow's '' Survey of London," illustrative of the civic worthies. How Fitzwalter did Service as Bannerer, 1303. — ''The said Eobert and his heirs ought to be and are chief bannerers of London, in fee of the Chastilarie which he and his ancestors had by Castle Baynard in the said city," etc. " The said Robert ought to come on horseback, covered with cloth or armour unto the great west door of St. Paul," etc. * Cotton's " Abridgment of the Kecords." t " Thos. Wals. Hist. Angl." TtierR JIAYOG. 81 *' The Mayor, witli liis Aldermen and Slieriffs, armed in tlieir arms, sliall come out of the said church of St. Paul with a bauner in his hand, all on foot, which banner shall be gules with the image of St. Paul, etc. Fitzwalter then salutes the Mayor : — '' Sir Mayor, I am come to do my service which I owe to the city,' and the Mayor and Aldermen shall answer, * We give to you as our bannerer of fee in this city this banner of this city to bear,' " etc. "And the said Robert shall receive the banner in his hands," etc. How Henry Picard, Mayor, Feasted Four Kings, in 1363. — "Henry Picard, Vintner, Mayor 1357, in the year 1363 did in one day sumptuously feast Edward III., King of England, John King of France, David King of Scots, and the King of Cyprus, then all in England," etc. How Thos. Knoles, Mayor, First Builded Guild- hall, 1400.—" Thos. Knoles, Grocer, Mayor, 1400, with his brethren and Aldermen, began to new build the Guildhall in London, and instead of an old little cottage in Aldermanberie-street^ made a fair and goodly house more near unto St. Lawrence church in the Jurie," etc. How William Walworth, Mayor, Slew Wat Tyler, 1381, at the head of 30,000 rebels.—" The Mayor (William Walworth) arrested him (Tyler) on the head with a sound blow, whereupon Wat Tyler furiously strooke the Mayor with his dagger, but hurt him not by reason he was well armed. The Mayor having received his stroke drew Ms hasiliard, and 82 THE CITY COMPANIES : grievously wounded Wat in tlie neck/^ and witlial gave liim a great blow on tlie head/' etc. So fond was King Charles II. of the society of Lord Mayors that no less than nine times he feasted with them at the Guildhall. It was on one of these occasions that the incident occurred so graphically recorded in the Spectator (No. 462j. '' The Lord Mayor was Sir Robert Yiner, who was a very loyal man, and if you will allow the expression, very fond of his sovereign ; but what with the joy he felt at heart for the honour done him by his Prince and through the warmth he was in with continual toast- ing Health to the Eoyal Family, his Lordship grew a little too fond of his majesty and entered into a familiarity, not altogether so graceful in so public a place. The King knew very well how to extricate him- self on all kinds of difficulties, and with an hint to the company to avoid ceremony, stole off, and made towards his Coach which stood ready for him in the Guildhall yard : But the Mayor liked his company so well, and was grown so intimate, that he pursued him hastily; and catching him fast by the hand cried out with a vehement oath and accent, 'Sir, you shall stay and talce f other bottle.' The airy monarch looked kindly at him over his shoulder, and with a smile and graceful air (for I saw him at the time, and I 'do now) repeated this line of the old song, ' He that's (Irunh is as great as a King,' and immediately returned and complied with his landlord."* The first Lord Mayor's Feast given in the present * Yide also Pennant, p. 457. THEIE MAYOR. 83 Guildhall was by Sir John Shaw, Goldsmith, says Pennant, knighted on the field of Bosworth. These gorgeous and extravagant banquets became at length so costly that in the reign of Philip and Mary a sumptuary law was made to restrain the expense both of provisions and liveries ; but the mayors it seems did not regard it, for in 1544 an order of Council was issued to remind the citizens of their relapse into luxury. The Lord Mayor's feast given to the King and Qaeen and Royal Family in 1727 cost no less than £4390. That given in 1761 to George III. and Queon Charlotte cost £6898. Adjacent to Guildhall was formerly Guildhall Chapel, or College, a Gothic building, founded by Peter Fanlove, Adam Francis, and Henry Frowick, citizens, about the year 1299. The establishment was a warden, seven priests, three clerks, and four choristers. Edward YI. granted it to the Mayor and commonalty of the City of London. Here used to be service once a week, and also at the election of the mayor, and before the mayor's feast, to deprecate indigestions and all plethoiic evils. A London paper, recently, after quoting a list of items of expenditure of Sir James Sanderson, Lord Mayor 1792, which shows an outlay during the year of £6055 14s. 7d. out of his own purse beyond the splendid sum allowed by the City, has the following : " A positive expenditure to this extent proves that Sir James Sanderson, however carefully his accounts were kept, spent his own money with a liberal hand — for the pleasure or benefit of his fellow-citizens. 84 TDE CITY COMFANIES : Lord Mayors of a more recent date have been accused of making a profit out of the receipts of office ; and there is no difficulty in believing this. A chief magistrate of a super-economical tendency might be able to do this, by dispensing witli the costly accessories of the mayoralty, giving common dinners instead of princely banquets. During the last twenty- five years there have been raany examples of public- spirited lord mayors, who made their labour and large outlay a delight, and were never so well satisfied as when supporting, by their unbounded munificence and untiring hospitality, tl:e high character of the vast metropolis they represented. Certainly none of these have exceeded the late Alderman Cubitt and the present Alderman Phillips, nor can we soon cease to recollect at the brilliant City ceremonial or gorgeous banquet, those truly noble representatives of the highest qualities and virtues of first-class London merchants." Lord Derby, in a recent speech at the Guildhall, said that he had never witnessed more magnificence by a Lord Mayor than that which had been dis- played by the late Lord Mayor (Phillips), and in a lecture recently delivered by Charles Reed, Esq., r.S.A., on ''The Ward of Farringdon," similar testimony Tvas awarded, when the lecturer concluded by saying : — " The Hfe of a late Alderman, Mr. Kelly, has been written to show what energy and business talent, combined with integrity and piety, might and did achieve. Another history might still be pub- lished, and it would show the career of one, springing THEIR MAYOR. 85 from the people, and from a class once subjected to grievous religious disabilities, who had, by the blessing of Almighty God, by earnestness of purpose, force of character, and great natural abilities, worked his own way from narrow means up to affluence and wealth, realizing the day dream of his early life, and the ambition of riper years, in the unanimous election of his fellow- citizens to the office of chief magistrate. It is great honour to him (Mr. Alderman Phillips) and no small honour to us, that he has been per- mitted to entertain royalty at his private table, and that, in turn, he has been received as a distinguished private guest at the Court of Brussels, and honoured with the highest style of meritorious decoration. It is honour to us that twice during the year the heir-apparent of these realms has visited the Mansion House, on one occasion with the Princess and his Eoyal brother. He leaves for his successor an admirable example, and for himself a noble name." It is a curious coincidence that the cities both of York and London should in the same year each be served by men as first magistrates alike eminently distinguished by all the excellences which should adorn the high office of Lord Mf.yor. From the following royal writ it would appear that in early times the functions of the Lord Mayor were not entirely either civil or military : — 13 Ed. III. 1345, 8th July— "To the Dean, etc., of St. Paul, London, the Mayor, etc." — '' Whereas divers citizens have devised tenements and rents to found divers chantries in your church, and to offer prayers 86 THE CITY COMPANIES : for tlieir souls ; and wliereas when we pass by said cliurch, which we hold to be our Mother Church, we see daily with our own eyes there are but few chaplains to sing, in proportion to the endowments, we pray you, to the honour of God, for the profit of the Church, and salvation of your own souls, that such defects be amended, to the end that the pious may have the greater feeling of devotion."* An ordinance of the thirteenth century, preserved in the Liher Alhus, gives an insight into the sharp practice prevalent among certain City corn mer- chants in those days, adding not a little to the labour of the mayor in administering justice. We quote it in extenso : — ''And whereas some buyers and brokers of corn do buy corn in the City of country folks who bring it to the City to sell, and give, on the bargain being made, a penny or half- penny by way of earnest ; and tell the peasants to take the corn to their house, and that there they shall receive their pa}^. And when they come there and think to have their payment directly, the buyer says that his wife has gone out and has taken the key of the room, so that he cannot get at his money ; but that the other must go away, and come again soon and receive his pay ; And when he comes back a second time, then the buyer is not to be found ; or else, if he is found, he feigns something else, by reason whereof the poor men cannot have their pay, and sometimes while the poor men are waiting for their pay, the buyer causes the corn to be wetted,! * Riley's " Memorials of London." f For malting. . THEIR MAYOR. 87 and then when tliey come to ask for their pay which was agreed upon [they are told] to wait until such a day as the buyer shall choose to name, or else to take off a part of the price ; which, if they will not do, they may take their corn and carry it away, a thing which they cannot do, because it is wetted [and] in another state than it was when they sold it. And by such evil delays on part of the buyer, the poor men lose half of their pay in expenses before they are fully settled with. — It is provided that the persons towards whom such knavishness shall be committed, shall make com- plaint unto the mayor; and if he shall be able to make proof and convict the buyer before the mayor of the wrong so done to him, the buyer shall pay unto the vendor double the value and full damages as well, in case that the mavor shall see that the value aforesaid does not suffice for the damage which he has received ; and, nevertheless, let him be heavily amerced unto the King if he have the means, and if he have not the means of paying, then he shall be put in the pillcr}^, and remain there one hour in (he day at least, a Serjeant of the City standing by the side of the pillory with good hue and cry as to the reason why'^ [he is punished].* This curious item is followed by one concerning butchers: — "And whereas some butchers do buy beasts of country folks, and as soon as they have the beasts in their houses kill them, and then at their own pleasure delay the peasants of their pay ; or else * Eiley, p. 229. 8S THE CITY COMPANIES : tell them that they may take their beasts. — It is provided that the penalty which in such case is as to buyers and brokers of corn ordained, shall be incurred by such butchers, as shall thereof be attainted."-'' From the frequent mention of the bakers in these ancient records, it vfould appear that the mayor had considerable trouble with that indispensable fraternit}^ against whom it is but fair to admit certain severe re- strictions and penalties were enforced. For instance, they were compelled to make 'Hwo loaves for one penny, and four loaves for one penny, and no loaf shall be baked of bran." '' No baker shall be allowed to sell bread before his own oven but only in the market of his lordship the King. And if any one is found selling in his house he shall be amerced in the sum of 40s. ; and that no baker shall buy corn to sell again. "t *' According to ancient manner he .shall give 13 articles of bread for 12.":{: '' That no baker presume to enter upon the calling of a baker unless he have moveable goods to the value of 40s." § '* That he shall bake pies for one half-penny," and charge no more for making paste for a capon than one penny. And lastly, bakers shall not carry a sword or club for making affray." || '' And if any default shall be found in the bread of a baker in the City, the first time let him be drawn upon a hurdle from the Guild- hall to his own house, through the great streets where there may be most people assembled, and through the great parts that are most dirty, with the faulty * Riley, p. 230. f Ibid., p. 231. + Ibid., p. 232. § Ibid., p. 295. jl Ibid., p. Oil. THEIE MAYOR. 89 loaf hanging from his neck. If a second time he shall be found committing the same offence, let him be drawn from the Guildhall through the great Street ofChepe in manner aforesaid, to the pillory; and let him be put upon the pillorj, and remain there at least one hour in the day. And the third [time that such] default shall be found, he shall be drawn, and the oven shall be pulled down, and the baker "-^ [made to] forswear trade within the City for eve The butchers and bakers were not the only trades troublesome to the Mayor, for we find an ordinance (viii. Ed. I.) to the effect that the fish- mongers shall so ordain that the baskets in which they bring their fish from the sea be more convenient and of larger size ; and that from henceforth each basket contain in itself but one manner of fish. And that no one of the fishmongers as aforesaid, or of their partners, be so daring as falsely to dub their baskets, that is to say, to make a show at the top of the basket of desirable fish, and beneath, in such baskets, to put undesirable fish of little value. And if any person be attainted of so doing, such fish is to be forfeited, and the dubber to be imprisoned, and from henceforth let him be held a cheat. f The Mayor was moreover responsible for dogs and their behaviour out of doors : for '' to avoid the noise, damage, and strife, that used to arise there- from, it is forbidden that any person shall keep a dog accustomed to go at large without guard thereof, by day or night within the franchise of the City, * Eiley, p. 232. f Ibid., p. 327. 90 THE CITY COMPANIES I genteel ['gentilx'] dogs excepted, under pain of paying 40d, to the use of the Chamber.* Again, "if any woman shall be found to be a common receiver of courtezans, and if the same shall be attainted, let her be openly brought, with minstrels, from prison imto the thew (pillory), and set thereon for a certain time at the direction of the Mayor, and then let her hair be cut round about the head."t Such were some of the arduous duties of the Lord Mayors in the olden time. * Eiley, p. 389. f Ibid., p. 395. THEIE SHEKIFFS. 91 CHAPTER YIII. THEIR SHEKIEES. " Concerning ministers of justice, tlie high Sheriffs of the Counties have been very ancient in this kingdom." — Bacon. The office of Slieriff, or SMre'Teve, is, with tlie exception of that of Alderman, the most ancient existing in this country. Its origin is coeval with that of counties in the time of Alfred, and conse- quently is far more early than the office of mayor. Fitz-Stephen tells us in his Descrijptio Nobilissimm Givitaiis Londonicv, that London had its annual Sheriffs instead of consuls, with senators and other inferior magistrates. In some counties, from a very distant period, the Shrievalty was hereditary, as Blackstone surmises it to have been in Scotland till the statute of George II. 43, and as it still continues in the county of Westmoreland to this day. No doubt this claim was founded originally upon. a purchase of the office. We know that in 1195, Geoffrey Plantagenet, Archbishop of York, purchased that of York for the enormous sum, paid to the King, Eichard I., of 3000 marks (or £2000)."=^ Sheriffs of counties, * Lei. Coll. vol. ii., p. 210 ; Stow's Chron., p, 157. 92 THE CITY COMPANIES : although now in the election of the Crown, were formerly chosen by the inhabitants. This right is recognized, 28 Edward I. c. 8, which directs that in every shire where the Shrievalty is not of inheritance the people shall elect, etc. The City of London has also the inheritance of the Shrievalty of Middlesex vested in their body by charter (undated) of Henry I., in which they are empowered to hold Middlesex to farm, for £300 (this, according to the value of present money, was £12,000, a rather large sum to be paid yearly for a privilege, which, however, has turned out to be an important and honourable one for London), '^upon accompt to them and their heirs so that the said citizens shall place as Sheriff whom they will of themselves, and shall place whomsoever, or such one as they will of themselves (as Justiciar) for keeping the pleas of the Crown and of the plead- ing of the same." It appears, says Norton (p. 80), by Madox's extracts in the Firma Burgi, p. 165, that notwithstanding this charter, both Stephen and Henry 11. appointed the Sheriffs quite at their own will and pleasure, sometimes three, four, and five at a time. The term ''to hold Middlesex to farm," means \ that the citizens are to exercise their custody and power over^ Middlesex, and to have the collection of the King's demesne revenues arising within it, but this right is not to be confounded with the tenure by which the City held their private landed possessions in the county. That it was anciently very remuner- ative, as well as honourable, is certain from the fact THEIR SHERIFFS. 93 that tlie records speak of large sums having been paid by persons for tlie office of custos or farmer. The franchise bestowed on the citizens of farming the Sheriffwick of the county of Middlesex, at a stipulated rent, must therefore be considered as a very dis- tinguished mark of the Eoyal favour, and to have obtained it, no doubt the citizens had at a certain period greatly assisted the Crown. In enumerating the many privileges granted to the citizens by his predecessors, no mention is made of the Sheriffwick. Thus it would appear that both Stephen and Henry 11. had usurped the appointment to that office, and Eichard was not disposed to restore it. John's first Charter makes no mention of it, but his second granted expressly for that purpose confirms the Charter of Henry I., and further states that the "ferm" rent of £300 of "blank sterling money" (silver melted down or blanched in order to ascertain its goodness) is to be paid twice a-year into the Exchequer, £150 at Easter, and £150 at Michaelmas. This is the first dated Charter recognizing or granting to the City the county of Middlesex, and in the body of the Charter itself, it is expressly stated, that the citizens are granted it "because it was in ancient times fermed (to them) for £300." Henry III. by his Charter, dated February 18tli, 1227, fully con- firmed all the former grants respecting the Sheriff- wick of London and Middlesex, and Liher Alius states that no Sheriff is to let to farm the county of Middlesex, for it is to remain alone in their keeping, " so that the people in the said county may be treated 94 THE CITY companies: and governed in due manner as tlie law demands, without extortion committed to any one.* The livery, it would seem, were not at all times particular enough as to the status of the favoured ones whom, they appointed to the high office, for in the Liher Alhiis, lib. iii., p. 2, Edward I., it is thus recorded : — *^ Also, it is forbidden that the Mayor, Sheriffs, Aldermen, or their clerks, Serjeants, or bedels shall from henceforth brew, themselves or by others, for sale, or shall keep oven or wine tavern or shall trade in any other thing to which a low estimate is attached. And he who shall contravene this ordinance shall be ousted from his office." The duty of the Sheriffs of counties is to preside at elections of knights of the shire and for the city, and at the elections of Lord Mayor. As the keeper of the King's peace, both by common law and special commission, he is the first man in the county and superior in rank to any nobleman therein for his year of office. He is bound ex-officio to pursue all traitors and misdoers. He is to defend his county against all enemies, and may raise the ^osse comitatus. In the City of London proper, some of these duties devolve upon the Mayor, to whom alone the Sheriff yields precedence. In olden times all the freeholders of the county, of every rank, were obliged to give their personal attendance to add to the magnificence of his train, so that his retinue must almost have equalled that of his Sovereign. At the coronation of Charles II. the procession is said to have exceeded * Lib. 1, pt. 1, cap. 17. THEIR SHERIFFS. 95 in splendour any wliicli liad previously been seen in this country. Maitland, in Ms description of tlie pageant, says-— ''Then came tlie Sheriffs' men in red cloaks richly laced with silver to the number of fourscore, then followed 600 of the several Companies of London on horseback, in black velvet coats and gold chains, each Company having footmen in liveries, etc. Then his Majesty's Lifeguard and the various City officers ; then the two Sheriffs and all the Aldermen, with footmen in liveries, red coats laid with silver and clothof gold ; the heralds and maces in rich coats ; then the Lord Ma^^or, carrying the sword bare, with his Excellency (the General) and the Duke of Buckingham, bare also ; and then as the lustre to all this splendid triumph rode the King himself between his royal brothers, the Dukes of York and Gloucester." We jDcrceive from this account that the Sheriffs made a brilliant display with their fourscore footmen in their splendid liveries ; in- deed, from the records of the City we learn that at all times they have made a very magnificent appearance. In the learned ''Account of the Carpenters' Company," by E. B. Jupp, we have some interesting particulars of the ancient civic custom of setting out the midsummer watch,, compiled from Stow, in which we read that the Mayor himself came well mounted, with his sword-bearer in fair armour on horseback, preceded by the minstrels and the Mayor's officers in liveries. The Sheriffs' watches came one after the other in like order but not so numerous ; for the Mayor had besides his giant three pageants, whereas 96 THE CITY companies: the Sheriffs had only two besides their giants, each with their morris- dancer and one henchman. King Henry YIII., says Stow, came privily in this the first year of his reign to view the setting of the watch, "being clothed in one of the coats of his guard;" and with the next muster, ''The King and Qaeen came roially riding to the signe of the King's Head, in Cheape, and there beheld the watch of the cities which was set with divers goodly shows as had been accustomed." The Sheriffs here seem not to have been behind even the Lord Mayor, for Vi^hile he had three pageants, and they had but two, they had two giants and the Mayor but one ; and Mr. Jupp quotes the account merely to confirm its accuracy by extracts from the books of the Company, from which it appears they sent archers and arrows to take part in the pageant. Giants in those days were rather formidable monsters. In his " Sports and Pastimes," Strutt quotes from the Harl. MSS. particulars relative to setting the watch at Chester, a.d. 1564, when it was ordained that the pageant, '' according to ancient custome," should consist of four giants, one unicorn, one dromedary, one luce, one camel, one ass, one dragon, six hobby-horses, and sixteen naked boys." He calculates the large cost incurred in reviving these pageants at the Restoration, all things having to be made new ''by reason the ould modells were all broken." The materials of each giant at the least would be five pounds, and four men to carry them, two shillings and sixpence each. The THEIR SHERIFFS. 97 items for tlie constitution of a giant are curious, " hoops of various magnitudes, deal boards, nails, pasteboards, scaleboards, buckram, size, clotli, old sheets for their bodies, sleeves, and shirts." The last particular is ludicrously significant, it is " for arsnick to put into the paste to save the giants from being eaten by the rats."* The Sheriffs were some- times attended in state by the various companies, for in the year 1460, 39th Henry YI., the Carpenters '^Payde for the hyre of the Barge to Westminster with the Shrieves, iiij's."t The present regulations of London require that henceforth the two Sheriffs J should be elected by the Livery only; that the election be held on June 24th, but if that falls on a Sunday, then the day following ; that the sheriffs shall be sworn in on the vigil of St. Michael the Archangel next ensuing, for one year ; that all the Alder- men who have not already served the office " shall be publicly put in nomination, according to their seniority, before any Commoner;" that the Lord Mayor, between April 14th and June 14th, may nominate in the Court of Aldermen any number * Herbert, vol. i. p. 198. t Jupp's " Carpenters' Company," p. 31. ;|; The following legal fact is curious : — " The Lord Mayor and citizens of London have the shrievalty of London and Middlesex in fee by charter, and two Sheriffs are annually elected by them, for whom they have to be answerable. If one of these Sheriffs die, the other cannot act till another is made, and there must be two Sheriffs of London, which is a City and County ; though together they make hut one Sheriff of Middlesex, they are several as to plaints in their respective courts." — 3 Ee]j. 72. Shoiv Re;p. 289. 7 98 THE CITY COMPANIES : of persons, " not exceeding nine/' being free of tHe City, to be put in nomination for tlie office, to the Livery, in open hallmote ; and that if any so nomi- nated, within six days after notice thereof, pay £400 to the Chamberlain, and 20 marks (£13 6s, 8cl.) for the prison ministers, together with the usual fees, he shall be exempt from the office so long as he does not become Alderman. That no freeman shall be sworn in if he swears himself worth less than £20,000, the same assertion to be attested by six witnesses. That every person so elected shall at the next Court of Aldermen give £1000 to the Chamber- lain, that he will take upon himself the office on September 29th next, and that if he does not give a bond he shall, if an Alderman or Commoner of the City of the Lord Mayor's nomination, forfeit and pay £600; but if nominated otherwise, he shall pay £400. The fines paid within the present century we believe to have amounted to a very large sum. At the present time it is usual for the duties of Sheriff to be per- formed chiefly by the Under- Sheriff, who, in return for his services, receives all the fees of office, amount- ing to about £1500 per annum, for which he holds the Sheriff harmless against any actions which may arise against the Sheriff. The expenses to the Sheriff range from £3000 to £4000 for the year. The duties are not in every case now the same as formerly. In 1188, Henry de Cornhille, the Sheriff, was commanded to provide the King with a certain number of military accoutrements, and ten years after the Sheriffs were ordered to provide weights THEIR SHERIFFS. . 99 and measures for standards for tlie several counties. Madox tells us that Henry III. descended so low as to make the Sheriffs provide a muzzle, iron chain, and cord for the white bear in the Tower, while Edward II. ordered them to pay the leopard keeper 6d, a day for the sustenance of them. In 1254 the Sheriffs were imprisoned for the non-payment of '' aurum regince,^' or queen's gold, a tax levied on them; while in 1262 the Exchequer Court decided that the Sheriffs of London might distrain anywhere in "Westminster, even to the Abbey Gates. On September 1st, 1439, a prisoner was seized from a Sheriff's ofl&cer, and conveyed for safety into St. Martin' s-le- Grand College. The Sheriffs thereupon entered the college, seized the prisoner and his rescuers, and chained them all up together in JSTewgate. In 1478 Sheriff Byfield was fined £50 for resenting the Lord Mayor's rebuke of his kneeling too close to him while before St. Erken- wald's* shrine. Old St. Paul's. When Lord Stafford was condemned to the block for his supposed share in the Titus Oates plot, the King thinking that property ought to mitigate the penalty from hang- ing to beheading, the Sheriffs sent to Parliament to inquire by what right the King showed his power of * Ethelbert, King of Kent, the first Christian monarch of the Saxon race, at the instance of St. Augustine, appointed Mellitus the first Bishop of London. Erkenwald, the son of King Offa, fourth in succession from Mellitus, ornamented the cathedral (St. Paul's), and improved the revenues with his own patrimony. "He was most deservedly canonized, the very litter in which he was carried in his last illness," says Pennant, humorously, " continued many centuries, to cure fevers by the touch ; and the very chips carried to the sick restored them to health." (Pennant's London, p. 357.) 100 THE CITY companies: mitigation, wlien the Commons returned answer tliat they " would be content with his head in whatever way the sentence was carried out." The most disagreeable duty which the Sheriffs have to perform is to attend the execution of a criminal at the Old Bailey. It has been generally admitted that if an executioner cannot be found to perform the duty which Calcraft has now to carry out, one of the Sheriffs must do it. It is stated that during the shrievalty of Sir Eichard Phillips, 1808, there was no execution in London, but, when some culprits were ordered to be whipped, Jack Ketch told the Sheriff to do it himself. The reason of this appears to have been a difference as to wages, which Sir Eichard agreed to raise from a guinea to a guinea and a half per week. In a former chapter, we showed from the " Liber Albus" how a Sheriff was fined by the Mayor "ten tuns of wine for disobedience committed towards him." In the same book (lib. i. part 11. chap, xii.) we read — " Also as concerning the Sheriffs and Aldermen, pro- vision must be made as follows : — The Sheriffs are to have their Serjeants and the Aldermen their bedels becomingly and fairly arrayed and shod, prompt and ready to obey the commands of the Mayor. And, if perchance any of them should be an aged man, weak or infirm, or have sore eyes, then another person must be substituted in his place to perform such duties." By tampering with the privileges of the citizens not of London only, but of other ancient corporations of this country, the Stuarts lost their throne. The THEIR SHERIFFS. 101 celebrated Qwo Warranto was one of tlie worst blunders ever monarch made. Evelyn, in Ms Diary, tells us tbat through it Sir George Treby, the Eecorder, was displaced, " eight of the richest and chiefe aldermen were removed, and all the rest made only justices of the peace, and no more wearing of gownes or chains of golde, the Lord Mayor and two Sheriffs holding their places by new grants as Custodes, at the King's pleasure." Evelyn thus sighingly exclaims, " The pompeand grandeur of the most august city in the worlde thus changed face in a moment, which gave greate occasion for discourse and thoughts of hearts, what all this would end in. Prudent men were for the old foundations." So in our days " prudent men are for the old foundations," and in these times of unquiet, restless seeking after change, we look back upon the time- honoured institutions of our forefathers and rejoice that we have not yet been deprived of all our cherished " old foundations." It was necessary that the Sheriffs should be men of substance, as the ofl&ce involved great responsi- bility. For every fatal accident the King demanded a heavy fine, and the Sheriffs were held answerable for its recovery. Thus we read in the " Liber Albus," 13th Henry III., a.d. 1229—" It happened that a certain boy, Adam de Norfolk by name, fell fi:*om a horse into the Thames, being dragged in by another horse, which he was holding by the hand while watering it, and was drownd. No one was held suspected therein. Judgment, ' Misadventure.' The X 102 THE CITY COMPANIES: value of the liorses was four marks, for wliicli sum the Sheriffs were to make answer; who afterwards answered for the same" (to the King).* The Common Serjeant-at-Arms of the City, other- wise called the Common Crier, also had certain heavy claims upon the Sheriffs, for we read in the '* Early Ordinances — '' He shall further receive from the Sheriffs twelve pence for every cry that he makes throughout the City ; to enable him to do which, they shall find him a sufficient horse for the honour of the City."t They had also to summon the Aldermen to the hustings in great state, for it was ordained " that they (the Aldermen) ought, by usage of the said City, to be summoned by an officer of the Sheriff, mounted upon a horse of the value of one hundred shillings at least." J Neither must they keep taverns, for in Riley's " Liber Albus" is the following : — "Also, it was for- bidden that the Mayor, Sheriffs, or Aldermen, shall brew or keep for sale, or keep oven or wine tavern, or shall trade in any other thing to which a low estimate is attached."^ To meet the numerous fines and penalties for which the Sheriffs were liable, they had certain emoluments, some of which appear curious. 'For instance, in the Charter of King Edward III. we read — '' Also, that the Sheriffs of London shall have wholly the forfeitures of victuals, and of other articles * Eiley, p. 79. + Ibid., p. 170. t Ibid., p. 43. «[[ Ibid., p. 237. THEIR SHERIFFS. 103 and mercliandise, according to the tenor of the charters," * etc. All kinds of spurious manufactures were to be seized by the Sheriffs, entries occurring in the records of various items, such as *' false breeches and purses" seized, '^ putrid meat," " stinking capons," " a stinking rabbit," " malt and corn sold in secret," " putrid pigeon," '' a peck of stinking eels," '' hides forfeited for being badly tanned," '' shoes of Basil t sold as tawed J leather," "a stinking pig," "false dice," "stinking partridge," "rotten fish called conger," "rotten and stinking pike and eel," and the like. Some were of a less disagreeable character, such as a " penalty upon an Alderman because his mantle, or cloak, was single, and not trimmed with fur." Also, seizure of dorsers [baskets] of fish not of a size. " Burning of the dorsers and forfeiture of the fish." The Sheriffs, moreover, took toll of fish, viz., from each dorser one lamprey. We thus find that whatever the responsibilities of office, they were sweetened by the daily participa- tion in the fines, good and bad, inflicted by the Sheriffs upon their erring fellow-citizens. * Eiley, p. 131. t Prepared sheep-skin. X Tanned leather. Tawyer, currier; white tawyer, dresser of white leather with alum. 104j the city companies CHAPTER IX. THEIR NAME LIVEEY. "On Sfc Dunstan's Eve all the hoole Companye of the Lyverye shall assemble at the Hall in their second lyverye, and shall have iiij Chapelynes to waybe and goo before them to PawU's" (St Paul's). — Goldsmith's Warden's Accounts, 1 Edward lY. It was once wittily said of a late Bishop of London tliat in bestowing his preferment "he cared more for the cut of a man's coat than for his degree." This of course was a joke, but it was not without a basis of truth. There can be no doubt that in making selection from his clergy for appointments to town livings, that learned prelate did consider as a very important matter the question of dress and address, and invariably, other things — the candidate's moral and religious character — ^being equal, thought more of his bearing and deportment than of his former University distinction. This he did in deference to the popular taste. The motto of mankind, he well knew, is not always " Mentem hominis spectato, non frontem,'' nor was he ignorant that " Optima scepe despedaJ^ We may justly ridicule the Turvey drops of the age, but there can be but one opinion upon the point that deportment and address are of the greatest value to an aspirant for public favour of any kind, and it is as unwise, as the world goes, to sneer at THEIR NAME LIVERY. 105 these qualities because they are sometimes possessed by a Turveydrop, as it would be] for a barrister or clergyman to despise oratory because it is occa- sionally to be met with in a Robespierre or a John Bright. Many great men have been overlooked by the age from the mere accident that they were not presentable : while others, to use a commercial phrase, have done a large amount of business with a remark- ably small capital. In studying the ancient historic records, it is curious to remark at how very early a date we may discover evidence of the fact that our forefathers were even greater believers than we are in the importance of dress and appearance. Indeed, to such an extent had the love of dress progressed in the reign of Elizabeth, not a little encouraged by her own royal example (for we are told by Pennant so fond was she of her attire that three thousand different habits were found in her wardrobe after her death), that sumptuary laws were enforced, some of them greatly ridiculous, against vulgar wenches and persons of low degree. The Queen required the masters of the Companies to read her proclamations respecting the " caps, gownes, kirtles, and petti- coates," Avhich were to be unmingled with silk ; and the Ironmongers' books, as quoted by Malcolm, inform us that " two members of that Company were in 1579 chosen to attend, with two men free of the Grocers, at Bishopsgate, from seven o'clock in the morning till six in the afternoon, who were to examine the habits of all persons passing through the gate." In all ancient mandates to the mayors and gover- 106 THE CITY COMPANIES : nors to provide a given number of horsemen and foot- men to meet and escort the Sovereign in his pageants and progresses, mention is always made that they shall be "proper" and "presentable" persons. In 1559, the Ironmongers were required to send to Greenwich, to meet Queen Elizabeth, " 28 hanssome m.en well and handsomely arrayed." The Grocers were re- quired to send " 190 joersonnes, apte and picked men, for the slievje at Greenwich." From this it would seem that the Queen had a higher opinion of the good looks of the Grocers than of the Ironmongers, 28 hanssome men only being hoped for of the latter, while 190 " picked men were expected from the for- mer." Very especial regard too is to be had to their uniformity in dress. Indeed, this clearly has been a - national feeling from a very early period. The original ordinances of the several London Companies specify that on all occasions of their members attend- ance at the hall, whether at feasts, obits, funerals, or otherwise, they shall come suitably attired. . So ceremonious were the rulers of the City of London that even the horses upon which the Sheriffs' officers rode were to be of a certain value. In the " Liber Albus," compiled in a.d. 1419, amongst the ancient orders stands the following. " Item : the Aldermen of London shall be summoned to come to the hustings ; and they ought by usage of the said City, to be summoned by an officer of the Sheriff, mounted upon a horse of the value of one hundred shillings at least."* Great care also was taken, * Lib. iii. p. 1, " Of the Aldermen." THEIR NAME LIVERY. 107 where fhe dress was altered every year, that no official should wear a second-hand costume : each gar- ment was to be made new for its wearer. In " Liber Albus"* it is thus recorded — " Also the Mayor, Sheriffs, and Aldermen were all accustomed to array themselves in a Hke suite on two occasions in the year ; when the Mayor rode to have the oath administered at Westminster on the morrow of the Apostles Simon and Jude ; such vestments being trimmed with proper furs." Again, it was the usage for them to be arrayed in a like suit against the feast of Pentecost, the linings being then of silk. Hence it was that the Monday next after the feast of our Lord's Epiphany, in the thirty-first year of the reign of Edward III. (a.d. 1358), an ordinance was made by the Mayor and Aldermen that " whenever it should so happen that the Mayor and Aldermen should be arrayed in such like suit, no one of them should give or part with his robe witliin that year, under pain of forfeiting one hundred shillings. And if it should so happen that any one of them shall depart this life within that year, his executors, under the penalties aforesaid, were not to alienate or give to any one such robe within that year." In the same book (cap. xviii.) we read that the " Common Serjeant-at-Arms shall (besides his salary) receive from each of the Aldermen for his fee the entire robes or cloaks in which they are sworn upon the day on which they receive charge of their office." In the final ordinance confirmed by King Charles * Lib. i. p. 1, cap. x. 108 THE CITY COMPANIES: I. to the Leatliersellers' Company, in which are recapitulated various former charters granted to that Company from " 21 Eich. II. and long before," it is declared that upon the master's summons to the feasts, the livery shall attend in a " sad suit," and not "in russet boots." From Jupp's historical account of the Carpenters' Company, (pp. 139-140), we learn that the same scrupulous [attention to dress prevailed amongst that honourable craft. We extract the following entries : — 1556. " Rsd of John gryfFen a fyne for that he came to the hall in his coote and his lether aprone - - vjd. " Rsd of Richard hutton a fyne for comyng wyth - oute his hode to wayte apone my lorde mayer on all allon daye, at powlls (St. Paul's) - - - - xijd. " Rsd of John gryffen a fyne for pullyng of his gowne at dynner at the beryall of John snelling and for yll wordes geven to the wardyns - - - - iij's." It would appear that the said John Gryffen was unusually careless of the observances which he had sworn to maintain. There could be no possible harm in his wearing his coat and leather apron on suitable occasions — ^but to appear in them at the hall was, to say the least, out of taste. He deserved, we doubt not, the fine inflicted on him then, and also at the subsequent funeral of John Snelling, when his conduct must have been exceedingly bad for a fine of three shillings to have been inflicted. However, stern discipline answered in his case ; at any rate his name does not again occur amongsb the offenders. In 1567 (p. 141) the wardens "received of Thomas Harper for comyng in a wronge lyverie gowne at the THEIR NAME LIVERY. 109 buryallof Mr. Trull, xiid." It is possible tbis might have been a mere oversight, but the law must be maintained, and the fine accordingly was paid. From the same source (p. 142) we discover a lack of obser- vance creeping into the court itself; for under the date of " 1603, Septemr 12th," we read— ^' It is this daje ordered yf anye one of the assistaunts shall come to sitt in this courte without a capp, or any the assistaunts or lyverie to come at anye solempnitye without a capp, to doe his attendance, for everye tyme so offending he shall foreit xijd." Before closing this curious volume we extract one entry (p. 208), which indicates the great appreciation of this worshipful court of the niceties of costume even in the person of an official : "1668, 1 Sept.: Item paid wch was given and allowed to Will Levett, Cooke of this Company, for a laissed capp with the Companies armes, to be worn and vsed by him vpon all pubhque dinners of the said Companie xls." The Companies have ever been scrupulous in the \ observance of the laws of heraldry in their cere- monies, pageants, and funerals. Each fraternity possessed costly hearse-cloths of cloth of gold and of exquisite workmanship, to be used at the funerals of the livery, the designs for the devices of which were executed under the direction of the Lancaster Herald. The cost of one of these palls is entered in the Carpenters' records, date 1513, 5 Hen. YIII., at £15 12.9. 9d. One item is as follows : " Pd. to the brotherar [embroiderer] for hyss workmanschyppe viii£, spent apon mastyr 110 THE CITT COMPANIES: lankestyr the herrad at armys for tlie oversyglit of your cloth 2s. viiid."** This particularity in dress in the olden time, and study of uniformity, must not be supposed to have arisen from the mere love of show. The nobility and large proprietors from the time of the Conquest, claimed by universal usage the privilege of assuming liveries or distinctive dresses to their followers and dependants. The providing them for the households of the King, for his judges, officers, servants, and retainers, was a usual subject of the rent of farmers of demesnes and cities and the farm of sheriffs. The nobility and the most powerful subjects used to clothe so many of their followers about the time of Richard II., for the purpose of maintaining their state and their quarrels, that they began then to be denounced by statute under the name of maintenances, f As the citizens of London ever held the highest rank amongst territorial lords, the privileges which the nobles enjoyed of course were claimed by themselves, and liveries were granted by the Mayor and Aldermen to the great gilds of the City. As civil feuds were of frequent occurrence, it was necessary that the retainers of each nobleman should be easily recognized from those of another by some distinguishing badge, and thus a particular dress or livery was introduced. In the hope of appeasing these frequent feuds a petition was forwarded to Parliament in the 13th of Richard II., " that no * Jupp, p. 21. t Vide Anderson's " Hist. Com." vol. i. p. 365 ; vol. ii. p. 17. THEIR NAME LIVERY. Ill spiritual or temporal Lord or other of less estate should give livery except to liis household or relatives." In the same reign, it was ordained that no '' varlets, called yeomen, nor none other of less estate than esquire, shall use or bear any sign of livery, called livery of company, of any Lord within the realm, unless he be menial, and familiar or continual ofiicer of the said Lord." JSTichoU, in his history of the Ironmongers' Company, says that '^ in every act for the suppression of liveries, from 1 Eichard 11. to the 12 Edward IV., whenever mention is made of the gilds, a special clause of exemption is made." Stow, who is a great authority on all such matters, informs us that in 1270, on the marriage of Edward I., at Canterbury, with his second Queen, Margaret, the fraternities rode, to the number of 600, '' in one livery of red and white, with the connuzances of their mysteries embroidered on their sleeves."* In Fabian's Chronicles, under the year 1446, in the account given of the reception of Queen Margaret in London, the dress of the livery is thus described : — " She was met with the may re, aldermen, and sherifes of the cytee, and the craftes of the same, in blewe, with browderyd slevys ; that is to meane, everye mysterye or crafte wyth conysaunce of his mysterye, and rede hodes upon eyther of their heddes." Herbert, t states that the earliest dress of the gilds consisted of an upper and under garment, called a '' coat and surcote," the cloak or gown, and the hood, being reserved for cere- * Strype's Stow, 1247. t Yol. i. p. 69. 112 THE CITY COMPANIES I monials, and completing wliat was termed " the full siiUr There was also an undress, or part dress, called ^^ the hooding,^' perhaps allowed to freemen, who were not esteemed '' full brothers," like the livery, and who ranked as yeomen only, and not as esquires, as the livery. As far as we can learn the fashion of the livery gowns has not altered since the reign of Henry VI. From a choice design in the illuminated charter, granted by that monarch to the Leathersellers' Com- pany, we discover that the robe and hood were precisely the same then as those worn to this day on occasions of ceremony and in attendance at divine worship. Stow mentions the hood (evidently copied from the monk's cowl, and somewhat like the uni- versity hood) as an indispensable appendage to the ancient civic liveries. He says the coverture of men's heads in these times was hoods, for neither hat nor cap is spoken of, except in the case of John Wells, mayor ; and he refers to the hveries of Thomas of Lancaster, in the reign of Edward II., who allowed to every garment of his liveries fur, to fur their hoods; and to the pictures of Aldermen in the reigns of Henry lY. and Henry YI., who wore scarlet gowns on their backs, and hoods on their heads. He con- siders square caps, afterwards used, to have had their rise not earlier than Henry YII. He sneers at Sir John White, amongst the " young aldermen," as the first that wore the flat round cap. He speaks also of the Spanish felt hats just then coming in, but adds, " in London, amongst the graver sort, I mean the livery THEIR NAME LIVERY. 113 of Companies, remaineth a memory of tlie hoods of old, worn by their predecessors." " These hoods were worn, the roundlet upon their heads, the skirts to hang behind in their necks, the tippet to be on the shoulder or about their necks." We must not suppose that it is any special beauty of design or pattern which has caused the companies to cling so tenaciously to the ancient style in the fashion of their costume. It possesses to them the charm of anti- quity, the sanction of many monarchs who have been the firmest friends of the mysteries, and who them- selves have been pleased, as livery-men-kings, to wear the same ; and, above all, it is the identical livery to wear which the various charters have conferred a royal licence. Although, as we have shown, the gilds at a very early period had their distinctive dress or livery, it was not until the reign of Edward III. that these great and numerous companies obtained a royal warrant granting to the brotherhoods this privilege, and thus henceforth they were known by the designa- tion of the Livery Companies. They were no longer in their subsequent charters called gilds, but crafts and mysteries ; their Alderman no longer bore that name, but was called '' Master," or " Prince Warden." The heads of the several wards were alone termed Aldermen. The King at the same time confirmed by royal charter all their privileges, which had been held in some cases only by sufferance or by permissive sanction. King Edward, however, did not grant them such powers as later monarchs have yielded to 114 THE CITY companies: them. He gave no grant of a common seal, nor did be generally empower tliem to purchase or accept lands, neither did he confer various other liberties necessary to establish them in their present greatness. He was fully aware of the vast influence upon com- merce of these trading communities in a trading city like London, and to foster their growth and to aug- ment their power, he became himself a member of a craft which he deemed specially valuable to the State, the Linen Armourers, since better known as the Mer- chant Taylors, celebrated at that time for their large im- portations of woollen cloth, which he desired to make the staple manufacture of England. He was the first ^ livery-man-king. Eichard II. became a brother of the same company. The nobility and clergy imitated such examples, and henceforward the chief companies of the City presented at their banquets a most imposing array of affluence and beauty. The vast wealth they possessed in plate, attracting as it did the cupidity of future monarchs in the hour of need, was not the result of purchase so much as complimentary pres.entations from the royal and noble members. In the lists of great and eminent brethren of the Merchant Taylors' Company, in the reign of Eichard II., are the names of no less than four royal dukes, ten earls, ten barons, and ^yq bishops. The Mercers and Skinners were at this time the next in favour with the great, and each presented a splendid display of distinguished and noble names upon its roll. After so many descriptions of pageantry, parade, and self-adornment, it may be asked, if for such pur- THEIE NAME LIVEEY. 115 poses man lias been sent into this world? Is it prudent or wise to waste life's brief moments in the practice of " that outward adorning of wearing of gold, or putting on of apparel ?" We say that if these are the only adornments of a man, he must indeed be ill furnished for a future life. But to him are permitted pleasures, as well as duties ; life is not all toil, " Otiare, quo labor es " has been truly said. We are to have the sweets with the bitters. *' There is a time to work, and a time to laugh." .ISTeither is there anything culpable in a careful study of the proprieties of dress, so that, with all the advantages of grace and dignity, a man possesses what is of still higher value, ''the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of Grod of great price." Let us not attempt to sit in judgment upon a past generation, neither upon the present. A day is ap- proaching when this shall be done for us and upon us ; in which of each individual it may be said, in the beautiful and modest language inscribed on the tomb of a great man in Westminster Abbey, '' Qualis erat, iste dies indicahit.'^ Our next chapter, on the " Ee- ligious observances of our forefathers," will tend to show that they were no mere idlers on the stage of existence, but earnest-minded men, working with a \ will both works of charity and devotion, being not in name only, but in reality. Christian men. 116 THE CITY COMPANIES CHAPTER X. THEIE EELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. " He that is void of fear may soon, be just ; . - And no religion binds men to be traitors." — Ben Jonson. That there was mncli superstition prevalent amongst the Anglo-Saxon Christians, and indeed their suc- cessors also up to the time of the Eeformation, there can be no doubt, but that there was a deep current of sound religious feehng beneath it all, especially in the early ages, is equally credible. Our forefathers had no tendency to that species of un- belief which so characterizes the present age — the habit of doubting and even denying the truth and inspiration of the sacred writings, and of treating lightly the mysteries of our holy religion. They were not merely nominal Christians, but they had a jB.rm faith in the Founder of Christianity, or as He is so beautifully designated in their earliest form of institution to office, "Him Crucified."* * " The Feast of the Apostles Simon and Jude being now come, about the tenth hour by the clock {de camyana, properly by the bell, the hours in these times being announced by bells), it was the custom for the Mayor and all the Aldermen— arrayed in cloaks of violet — to meet at the Guildhall. Silence and attention being then enjoined by the Common Crier, in other words the Sergeant-at-Arms, the Ke- corder, seated at the right hand of the Mayor, announced to the THEIR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 117 These simple Christians believed in the sacred books of the old dispensation, and in those also of the new, which record the sayings and teachings, the miracles and sufferings, of Him who was born of the Virgin. It is true there was much of darkness in those days, but there was the " true light " shining amidst the gloom. They were child-like, earnest, willing to learn, desirous to be taught. Though citizens here, they remembered that they were but pilgrims journeying to that '' land which is very far off." Thus it was that a sense of their dependence upon a good Providence, and the knowledge that no object could permanently succeed without the blessing of God, pervaded all their doings. Especially was the religious principle of these early merchants mani- fested in the rules which bound them in their trade fraternities. They looked beyond the present, and neither prosperity nor adversity moved them from the right. Their motto seems to have been '' In secundis time, in adversis spera,^^ or, notwithstand- ing their love of show and parade, '^ Frudu non fbliis, arhorem oestima,'^ The secret of the abiding character of these civic gilds has been already indi- cated as lying in the deep religious principle avowed in all their regulations, and the social element equally people that he who was to be Mayor for the then ensuing year was to take the oath. This done, the out-going Mayor vacated his seat, and the Mayor-elect took his place ; the past Mayor, however, sitting next to him, on his left hand. Then the Common Sergeant-at-Arms, holding before him the book (the Gospels), with the efl&gy of Him crucified on the outside thereof, and he placing his hand upon the book," etc.— (Riley's " Liber Albus," p. 21.) 118 THE CITY COMPANIES : prominent in their foundation. JSTo thing was ever done, no work entered upon by them, without prayer and feasting. No distinct records are extant of the rules of any of the Anglo-Saxon trade gilds, but those of a similar fraternity for mutual protection in case of loss by fire or death remain, and no doubt they were similar to those adopted by the others. We quote the following from *' A Treatise on Friendly Societies," by Chas. Ansell, F.E.S., who obtained it from Dr. Hicks' s " Dissertatio Epistolaris De Ling. Vett. Septentrional, usu," pp. 21, 22.* These rules are translated from the Saxon : — " Society at Exeter. — This meeting is held in the city of Exeter for the sake of God and our own souls, that we may make such ordinances as tend to our welfare and security as well in this life as in that future state we wish to enjoy in the presence of God our Judge. Three stated meetings to be held every year, — at each meeting every member to contribute two sextaria of barley meal, and every knight (cnut, young man) one, together with his quota of honey. At each of these meetings a priest shall sing two masses (the one for the living, the other for the departed members). Every one shall, moreover, in his turn, procure six masses and six psalms to be sung at his own proper expense. That when any member is about to go abroad, each of his fellow- members shall contribute 5d. ; and if any member's house shall have been burnt. Id." Another is taken from the rules of a society at * Thesaurus, iii. THEIR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 119 Cambridge. '' When any member shall die, he shall be carried by the whole society to whatever place of interment he shall have chosen ; and whoever shall not come to assist in bearing him shall forfeit a sex- tarium of honey, the society making up the rest of the expense and furnishing each his quota towards the funeral entertainment." In a former paper mention was made of the great antiquity of the Steelyard Merchants and also of that of the Gilda Sellariorum., or saddlers, both undoubtedly of Anglo-Saxon origin. The Tellarii, or woollen cloth weavers, are spoken of by Madox as possessing a charter as early as Henry II., in which all their liberties and customs are confirmed as having been enjoyed by them in the reign of Henry I. The fact also is established of some of the gilds having been chartered long before Edward I., and possessing immunities immediately after the Conquest. In the Quo Warranto, quoted by Madox, the weavers are' required to show by what authority they claimed to have their gild in the City, and after the specifying of several other privileges, which they had claimed, occurs the passage which has occasioned in this place a reference to the proceeding, viz., " And lastly, why none {i.e., workmen) were allowed to work between Christmas and the Purification, or at night by candle- light at other times proscribed."* The defence of the weavers was based upon their charter from Edward I., confirming the charter of '' The Lord Henry, of good memory, our progenitor, late King of * Firma Burgi, pp. 283, 284. 120 . THE CITY companies: England," made to the weavers of London, etc., dated at London, April 8th, 27 Edward L (a.d. 1300). The strictness with which the Christmas festival was observed by this ancient brotherhood will be the more apparent when we bear in mind that Christmas- day falls on December 25th, and the Feast of the Purification on February 2nd5 giving a period of forty days of cessation from labour. Other instances of a regard for the observances of religion frequently occur. It has been truly observed that '' the maintenance of their * arts and mysteries' during so many ages was blended with so many religious customs and obser- vances that it was not till the times subsequent to the Eeformation that the fraternities could be regarded as strictly secular." The ordinances of nearly all the companies con- tain directions for the brethren on stated seasons assembling in their liveries on election and quarter days, and proceeding en masse to church. Especially formal was the attendance on the anniversary of their patron saint. In 1346 the Grocers are said to have agreed by " Com' on assente, yat everie man of the brotherhood, hee being yn the cytie the daie of St. Antoyne, yn the monyth of Maye, shall comen to the cherche of St. Antoyne aforesaid, yf they bee in London, for to here the High Masse, and there to abyde from the begynnyne unto the endyng of the masse, and echo of them shall offre a peny in the worshype of God, his blessed moder Marye, Saint Antoyne, and All Seyntes."* The Fishmongers * Quoted by Herbert, vol. i. p. 67, THEIE, EELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 121 in 1426, direct that every year on the festival of St. Peter, " Alle the brethren and snstern of the same fraternite shall come in their new lyvre to the chirche of Seint Peter, and there here a solemyne masse in the worshippe of God and Seint Peter, and offir atte offering tyme of the same masse what at is her devocion." * Stow gives a glowing description of the proces- sion of the Skinners' Company on Corpus Christi day. They were accompanied by the religious orders in their rich costumes, bearing wax torches, and sing- ing. There were " borne before them more than 200 priests in surplices and copes, singing, and then the torches of wax burning bright, and above 200 clerks • and skinners in their best liveries." At this distance of time we know very little of the internal history of the various gilds, although we do know that they existed in large numbers, and were greatly prosperous. None of the present companies possess records anterior to the reign / of Edward III., but from that time to the present unbroken records exist. Many of the fraternities date to that reign their re-formation. Interesting particulars are extant respecting the re-estabHsh- ment of the Grocers' Company; and as the account may be quoted as a fair specimen of what occurred on the establishment of all the companies, a few extracts are subjoined from Heath's unpublished "Account of the Grocers' Company," 8vo, 1830, from which we learn that the books of that Company * Herbert, vol. i. p. 68. 122 THE CITY companies: present an unbroken series of minutes of proceedings from the beginning of the reign of Edward III. to the present time. On the occasion of refounding their society, we are told that twenty-two persons, carry- ing on business as pepperers, in Sopers' Lane, Cheap- side, agree to meet together at dinner, at the Abbot of Bury's, St, Mary Axe. There they elect after dinner two wardens or governors, and appoint a priest or chaplain to celebrate masses daily, and perform the other pious duties devolving upon his office. Every member paid twelve pence to the common fund. It was resolved that the brotherhood should adopt a livery, for which each was to pay "even on the day of the feast;" that the priest should begin his duty by singing and praying on the festival of St. John, or Midsummer-day, then next ensuing, for the same brotherhood, and for all Christian people ; and to the support of the said priest, every one was to pay at the rate of one penny per week in advance of the ensuing year, or four shillings and fourpence each one's share. Then follow the names of eighteen persons, who then and there paid down one year's share of the priest's wages, making £3 18s. towards the same. The date of the curious entry is '' xij dale of Juyn, in the yere of owre Lord Jhu' m.llecccxlv., and in the xix yere of Kyng Edward the thredde."* More than two centuries and a half after the circumstances above recorded transpired, the first man of his day as an architect of genius, Inigo Jones, * Heath, p. 46. THEIR EELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 123 received from James I., as surveyor of the works done about the king's houses (Whitehall and else- where) no more than 8s. 4d. per diem, and £46 per annum for a house.* We, therefore, must not deem these '* Pepperers" penurious in fixing their priest's stipend at the sum named. It was a liberal payment considering the value of money at the time. The chaplains selected by the craft, in addition to all other qualifications, were to be " able of cunnyng, that is to say, redying and syngyng and of covenable understandyng (not soft) and honest of convrsation." These twenty Pepperers, founders of the present powerful and wealthy Grocers' Company, must have been undoubtedly men of enterprise and riches, or so great results could not have followed, " Hand facile emergunt, quorum virtutibus obstat Ees angusta domi." And again, " Quantum quisque sua nummorum servat in area, Tantum habet et fidei." It appears from Heath's " Account" that in 1401 the Grocers raised the chaplain's salary; for this entry occurs — '' Sir Eoger, the chaplain, his salary from Easter to Easter £6 13s. M., beside his yearly charge for bread and wine and candle, for singing mass, 2s." The religious character of these corporations is not only exhibited in the mode of their foundation, in appointing chaplains to pray for each member by name, to sing mass daily, and to say grace at feasts, * Pennant, p. 105. 124 THE CITY COMPANIES : but also in choosing patron saints, and founding altars to such saints in the churches, the advowsons of which they held. We know of no trade company of the kind which was not at its origin ranged under the protection of some patron saint. The Drapers claimed the Virgin Mary, mother of the " Holy liamb," and worshipped at St. Mary Bethlem Church, Bishopsgate ; the Fishmongers adopted St. Peter (who was himself a fisherman), and attended at St. Peter's Church ; the Goldsmiths' patron saint was St. Dunstan, supposed to have been a brother of the craft. ^^ The Merchant Taylors, a branch of the Drapers, chose St. John the Baptist, the harbinger of the Holy Lamb, so adopted by the Drapers ; the Leathersellers claimed the Holy Virgin, and the figure of the mother of our Lord formed the company's common seal until the Reformation, when, the emblem being deemed Papistical, the seal was de- stroyed, and a new one, still in use, was executed with the device of the arms of the said company. In some case the gilds were called after the name of their patron saint, as the Grocers, who designated themselves '*the fraternity of St. Anthony," and had their altar in St. Anthony Church ; the Fruiterers, " the fraternity of St. Martin," their altar being at * The legends of the Eomish Church ascribe to St. Dunstan the invention of the ^olian harp, and for this he was represented to King Athelstan as a conjuror. He worked cunningly in gold, silver, and brass. Tradition, moreover, affirms, that once, when employed at his forge, Satan visited him in a female form, but knowing the tempter, he seized him by the nose with the red-hot tongs till he roared again. THEIE EELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 125 St. Martin's Churcli ; and tlie Salters and tlie Skin- ners, both " Societies of Corpus Christi," from assembling at the altar of churches bearing that name, situate in Laurence Pountney Lane and Bread Street. 126 THE CITY COMPANIES : CHAPTER XL THEIK EELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES, CONTINUED. The veneration paid by the early merchants to the memory of their patron saints was not only superstitious but idolatrous. In admiring their reverence for the good, we must not shut our eyes to their errors, nor may we visit their observances with a severity of criticism, remembering that the puerilities of their worship, and the sensuous character of their rites, were characteristic of the age, and not a peculiarity exclusively their own. When the leaders of the Eeformation propounded great truths, and maintained the necessity of the religious observances of men being such as men, and not children, might approve, they received no opposition from the mercantile community ; and when the alterations proposed became law, these great companies were the first to comply with the rubrics of the Reformed and Protestant Church of England, in their adherence to which they have ever continued staunch and consistent. In taking an historical glance at these ancient gilds, their reverence for their patrons, appears to us remarkable. The Goldsmiths paid to St. Dunstan's THEIR EELIGIOUS OBSEEVANCES. 127 memory honours without end. Their gorgeous hall was adorned with his image of silver gilt, set with gems and precious stones of fabulous price; much of their plate bore his effigy ; they had their " St. Dunstan light" in St. John Zachary's Church, the cost of maintaining which formed an annual item in their warden's accounts. In 1369 (42 Edward HI.) an agreement, still extant, was entered into between them and the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, for maintaining a chantry in the chapel of St. Dunstan, in that cathedral, for the soul of John Hyltoft, goldsmith of London, in which the Dean and Chapter allow that such chantry shall be kept in "the Chapel of St. Dunstan, in the south part of the new work in St. Paul's Cathedral, next to the Chapel of the glorious Virgin Mary." The date at which the Goldsmiths founded this chapel in the cathedral we know not, but that they maintained its altar in great splendour is evident from mention in the accounts of items of expenditure connected there- with, such as that of 1 Edward lY., as following : — " Memorandum. — Payed for a Piddel and scowing of the Blew Buckram for the Tabernacle and Ymage of St. Dunstan at St. Paul's, £6 16s. lOtZ." ^- In the Ordinances of the Company we read — '' That on Seynt Dunston's eve, all ways hytherto the Aldermen of thys Felly shipp hath bene used to assemble in theyr vyellett gownes and cloakys ; and all the hoole companye of the lyvery to assemble at the hall in their second lyverye, and to have iiij chapelynes to * Warden's Accounts. 128 THE CITY COMPANIES : wayte and goo before tliem to PawU's." Tlience after service to St. Jolin Zachary, and attend service there. The next day services were to be similarly attended at St. Paul's and St. John's, and after dinner at '' Seynt Maryelebowe," also their "almesmen, beadel, and other officers to accompany them." In addition to all this certain services were held in their own private chapel at the hall (2 Henry YIII.). On its being debated whether St. Dunstan's day should be kept by shutting up their shops, the com- pany agreed that they should '^ shut their shops and keep holiday." He is even designated in their books '' Seynt Dunstan, our blessed patron, protector, and founder," and on particular occasions, if not at all their feasts, they drank to his memory from a great and costly cup, called " St. Dunstan's cup." That the good saint had been a brother of their craft they had no doubt. Indeed, some of his works were extant in 1280, for in the wardrobe accounts of Edward I. is an item of '' a gold ring with a sapphire of the workmanship of St. Dunstan" (de fahrica Sti Duns tarn) . Goldsmith or no goldsmith, however, all this hero worship ceased at the Eeformation. Alas for the vanity of human applause ! Under the date 1550, " the company change their election day (and the accompanying rehgious observances and festivities) from the feast of St. Dunstan to that of the Holy Trinity." Still more cruel to the memory of the sainted goldsmith who had never turned his back upon the brethren, was their treatment of his THEIR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 129 effigy at an earlier date, for in their minutes it is thus recorded : — 1547. October 4. " At the as- sembly on this day, Mr. Wardens desired to know the pleasure of the assystents for the Ymage of Seynt Dunstan, bycause of the Injunctyons." And they agreed that '' Mr. Alderman Bowes (Sir Martin) and the wardens, with iiij other, soche as they sholde appoynte, should take the same ymage and broke yt, and to turn yt to the moste profett of the house. Also that the gret standyingcup with St. Danston on the topp, sholde be lykewyse by thym broken and turned into other plate." " tempora ! mores ! " From the records of the various companies we learn that it was usual with the fraternity to pay particular attention to their religious observances on the occasion of elections, funerals, and obits of deceased members. The obit was the anniversary of the death of an individual ; and to observe such a day with prayer, alms-giving, or other commemora- tions, was '' keeping an obit." When the common belief was in favour of prayers for the dead, these services were highly prized, and large sums were left by the rich in order that their obits should be kept with becoming splendour. For the same reason mural tablets and other monumental works were originally introduced into the churches, not so much from a vain desire that the deceased should be re- membered by future generations, as from the hope that all who beheld them might offer a silent prayer on behalf of the departed, and thus shorten the period of 130 THE CITY COMPANIES : their purgatorial probation. These futile hopes have now vanished ; faith in the efficacy of prayers for the dead has almost ceased amongst us, nor may endow- ments any longer be made for the celebration of obits, or for prayers for the dead. Herbert extracts from the accounts of the Drapers' Company the fol- lowing ordinances :* — At elections it was ordained that every year on Lady-day " the whole body of the feljschip in their newest livry" should go to Bow Church there to hear the Lady Mass, " abide till it was done," offer a silver penny on the altar, and attend again in hke manner at '* even song," to hear the dirge for deceased mem- bers. They were to repeat their attendance on the following day to hear the mass of requiem, and were to offer another silver penny ; and on the same day, or another day, as the wardens might assign, were to walk two-and-two in their livery to the place *' ordained for the feast." From the next extract we discover that the custom still prevailing in many parts of the north of England, and especially in the Bast Riding of Yorkshire, of the most honoured friends carrying the deceased at funerals, prevailed in the gilds ; " funeral of Mrs. Peke, August- 14th, 1518, buried this day, Mrs. Elizabeth Peke, widow. There were named to bere her unto St. Michael's Church — Mr. Cornhill, Mr. Burton, Mr. Carter, Mr. Eudston, Mr. Gerard, alias Brereter, Mr. Brothers, and Mr. Perpoint : and upon the morrow there dined all our Aldermen ; and of the company twelve persons, and * Yol. i. p. 441. THEIR EELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 131 our two chaplains and tlie clerk. Slie had our best beryall clothe (very costly, the gift of Sir John Milborn), and every of the yj berers had a sylvr spoone for his labor." Four of the names mentioned as bearers of Mrs. Peke became very distinguished. Mr. Eudston, who was son of the Lord of the Manor of Hayton, near York, became Sheriff in 1522, and Lord Mayor in 1528, having been knighted by King Henry VIII. In 1522 an entry occurs in the Drapers' books, that the King of Denmark being here, it was agreed that Mr. Rudston, the Sheriff, should have two pageants at Midsummer, namely, one of the assumption and one of St. Ursula, '' but to be no precedent hereafter." Some of the charges are as follows : — '^ Child's eldest daughter for Saynt Ursula, and the vj virgen, wth hyrr bothe nyghts ;" together with "xiiij porters that bare the assompcion," 16s. 8d. ; two harpers and two Inters, in Albes, with wings and crowns, 5s. 4d, ; wax-lights, 30s. 4d, The bill concludes with the following ludicrous items : — " For mending of the apparell of all the virgens, ijd. ; for a fyn smok of Gaily' s daughter, that was hurt by the cresset light, viijd."* Sir John Hudston died 1531, and founded a "yerlye obit," to be kept by the drapers of London, of which company ho was a member, at the church of St. Michael, Cornhill, where he was buried. To the master was to be paid for ever, 3s. M. ; each warden, 20d. ; the clerk, 12d. ; the renter, 12d. ; for potations at Drapers' Hall, lOd, ; besides almes to poor. * Herbert, p. 456. 132 THE CITY COMPANIES : The historian, Pennant, in speaking of the antiquity of the church of St. Michael, says that before the fire of London, " This church had its pulpit-cross, like that of St. Paul's, built by Sir John Eudston, mayor, in 1528, who was interred in a vault beneath in 1531."* In the year 1642, Walter Eudston, a descendant of Sir John, entertained King Charles I. with great hospitality at Hayton Hall, and for his loyalty was that year created a baronet. We regret to say that sometimes, no doubt, evidence creeps into light which would lead one to think that the appearance was manifested of bargain- ing for the prayers of the faithful, and if it were not uncharitable to say so, we might express a fear that too often those most anxious to found masses for their soul's salvation, were not most careful to live as if in preparation for a future world. At any rate, the belief in the efficacy of such intercessions evidences want of acquaintance with Holy Scripture, and must tend to the encouragement of a careless life. That negociations of a rather commercial character sometimes occurred, may be proved from the records of the Companies. Those of the Gold- smiths contain this enfcry, under the date 1 Henry YIII., January 16th (1509) : '' At this meeting was shewed Mrs. Jonys's offer, which was, that she offered to geve to the feliship, for to have a preste founde for euer to syng for Eobert Johnson's soule, her late husband ; and for her sowle ; and also to have an obite kept yerely for euer of xxjs, viijd, cccc * " History of London," p. 426. THEIR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 133 markes. To the wliich tlie c'mpany would not agree, but said tliat she should pay vc (500) marks and no lesse. And if she would nofc do so, then she to be spoken withall, to bring in to Mr. Wardens c marks, which her husband did bequeth vnto the feliship ; or els ther shold none of the lyurey come to the obite of her late husband." The Drapers' books contain the following : — " 1514. 15th August. It was repre- sented to the Court of the Company that Sir William Capell had sent in a bill of divers parcels of lande, and other things, which he was minded to give to the fraternite, for them to cause certain services to be done for his soul for ever, and wishing to know what ready money they would demand therefore, in case they refused such lande." The Court on debate answered *' that they would accept the trust offered for 1000 marks immediate payment, and £14 yearly, and would add any other services he might wish further at that rate." They further stipulated that the chantry priests to be provided should, when re- quired, ''wait on the company at divine service for the worship of the same," and threw out the follow- ing not very delicate hint : — '' Moreover, we trust to have a specyall and a kynde brotherlye tokyn of remembraunce of plate — as basins, potts, cuppis, or other things of pleasure for a dailye memorye when yt shal be sene, to the intent that his soule may be thereafter remembered and prayed for, which we submytt unto that honourable lady his wife and to his worshipful executors." Sir William departed this life at Capel Court, 134 THE CITY COMPARES : Bartholomew Lane, almost immediately upon tlie settlement of these affairs, and was interred in great state by the Livery at, St. Bartholomew's, Royal Exchange. This good citizen, highly honoured by his generation, was Lord Mayor from 1503 to 1509, and was knighted by King Henry YII. His de- scendant, the first Lord Capel, for supporting the royal cause, was beheaded; but his heir, at the Eestoration, was raised to the rank of Earl of Essex, the line of the Devereuxs having become extinct. These obits, so prudently purchased and liberally provided for by the dying knight, continued to be scrupulously and religiously kept and observed until the Reformation, when they and all others were declared illegal, and the endowments for the same seized by the King. All the Companies, rather than separate themselves from the endowments and trusts imposed upon them by their deceased members, came to terms with the King, and purchased the whole at the rate of twenty years' purchase. Much of their present charity funds flows from these sources, and, as land chiefly formed the legacies, in consequence of the vast increase in the value of real property, the increase in many cases has been more than a hundred- fold. These obits were invariably observed with religious strictness, as all other trusts are to this day by the Livery Companies. The Goldsmiths kept no fewer than twenty-five obits on twenty-five different days in each year. The utmost regard to honourable and upright conduct may be said to have THEIR EELIGIOTJS OBSERVANCES. 135 been ever a distinguisliing cliaracteristic, not only of the rulers of these gilds, but of British merchants everywhere. To show the attention paid to the dying injunctions of their brethren, we would add that the " keeping of obits" became so frequent, and the duty so burdensome, that it was impossible for many of the Livery to give their attendance at them all, and in process of time much of this labour was deputed to the almsmen and women of the Com- panies, and at length, even they wearied in their work, as may be seen in a curious entry in the books of the Goldsmiths : — '' Memorandum. — That Adam Shadewell, in contempt of St, Dunstan and of all the good folk of the Goldsmiths of London assembled, refused the alms of St. Dunstan, and did the same in the time of the last wardens." The reason of Adam refusing to become an almsman is not stated, but Herbert surmises that it arose from a dislike to the constant attendance which the almspeople were obliged to give at obits and other mortuary ser- vices, and which, *' in the Goldsmiths' Company," he adds, " was exacted with much strictness." In addition to these numerous religious observances maintained by the several companies, there were many others of a more general character in which they took part. In " Liber Albus " it is stated that on the Feast of All Saints (1st November) the Mayor and his household and the Aldermen were to meet at the church of St. Thomas, the substantial men of the several mysteries arrayed in their respective suits, and thence proceed to the church of St, Paul, and 136 THE CITY COMPANIES : there hear vespers. In hke manner, also, upon the day of our Lord's nativity, they should proceed to St. Paul's, where the Mayor and Aldermen would stand on the right side of the choir, the former in the stall next to that of the Dean, while vespers and comp- lines (the last two of the canonical services) were read. The same to be observed upon St. Stephen's Day (26th December), as also upon the day of St. John the Evangelist (6th May). Again, upon the Feast of the Innocents (or Childermas • Day, 28th December), when they were wont to hear vespers in the church of St. Thomas de Aeon, and on the mor- row to hear mass there and vespers as well. The former ceremony was observed also upon the Feast of the Circumcision (1st January), the Feast of the Epiphany (6th January), and the Feast of the Purification (2nd February). In addition to all this, they, with vast multitudes of the city people, went in grand array '' to the Hospital of the Blessed Mary without Bysshopesgate on Easter Monday, Tuesday,' and Wednesday to hear a sermon."* The Eeformation made little difference to the Livery Companies beyond the alteration in the re- ligious services, but here the change was great indeed. The chaplain now had comparatively few duties to perform. The liturgy and sermons took the place of daily mass, biit these occasions of divine service were not so numerous as under the old system. We must not, however, suppose that re- ligion was set aside. The services, though less. * Lib. i., pt. i., ca. viii. THEIR EELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 137 frequent, were more intelligible. On public days, tlie chaplain's duty was to pray for the prosperity of the fraternity. In some companies a very solemn custom prevailed of calling over the names of the members one by one, and praying for each indi- vidually, and by name. In 1645 the Merchant Taylors' books have this entry : — " The names of the Livery being called over, according to ancient custom, after which, in reverent manner, prayer was made by the chaplain ; then some of the ordinances of the hall being openly read, preparation was made for dinner." His duty was also to preach before the Company at their various churches, in each of which special pews were set apart ; as we find to have been the case at St. Martin's Church, where a gallery was expressly erected for themselves. In like manner the Fishmongers had an aisle reserved for themselves in the church of St. Michael, Crooked Lane. Besides these occasions of public worship, prayers were said in the Common Hall, as we learn from an entry in 1566 of '' Common Prayer on Court days, according to the laudable custom of this lande." Herbert gives a copy of this prayer, the conclusion of which, for its excellence, we subjoin : — " Good Lord, keep this noble city of London, and defend it from grievous plagues and contagious sickness, that we may often in brotherly and true love assemble and meet together, to Thy glory and our mutual comfort in Christ Jesus ; and. Merciful Father, bless this society and brotherhood, and be present with us in all our assemblies and councils, that we may use them 138 THE CITY COMPANIES : to Thy glory and tlie discharge of our duties. Bless and direct by thy Holy Spirit all our actions and endeavours, and give us grace faithfully and honestly to discharge the trust reposed in us, as well for our good friends and brethren deceased, as any other way belonging to us, to the glory of thy Holy name, and peaceful comforts of our own souls, and good example and incitement of others."* Even the plate belonging to the Companies was frequently executed in '' accordance with their eccle- siastical character, being ornamented," as Mr. Jupp remarks of the Carpenters' plate, " with the figure of a saint, or some other religious device." The same writer adds : " In the early part of Henry YIII.'s reign, we find in an inventory of plate the follovvdng articles enumerated: — 'ij. great massers, with I. H. S. yn the bosses ; a masser of Wyllyam preste, wt. a ymagge of sent thomas yn the bosse ; John Eud- dockk gave a masser of sylvr. gylte, wt. a picture of Jhus ; Rs. of Rychard togoode, a syllvr. spone wt. peter ; Es. of Eoger Coke a sellwer spon wt. powU (Paul) ;' and many others, embracing nearly all the Apostles."t * Herbert, vol. i. p. 192, from Merchant Taylors' Eecords, A.D. 1566. t " Carpenters' Company," p. 25. THEIR EELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 139 CHAPTEE XII. THEIR EELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES, CONTINUED. How Mglily the Englisli monarclis in tlie early days have valued the prayers of the faithful, and especially those of the good London citizens, may be surmised fi«bm the fact, that in some cases valuable privileges have been conferred by charter upon the '* Myste- ries," upon the condition that the members of the said crafts or mysteries should pray for the souls of their sovereign and his relatives, whether living or dead ; and we think that this fact, and the number of endowments bequeathed by the wealthy in order to found obits in the various companies, tend to show that the merchant princes and traders, of whom they were composed, had merited, or, at any rate, had secured, the respect and reverence of their gene- ration. To illustrate this, we quote from King Edward lY.'s charter to the Drapers' Company, or " The Master, Wardens, Brethren, and Sisters of the Gild or Fraternity of the Blessed Mary the Virgin, of the Mystery of Drapers," whereby many privileges are conferred, for which in return the " company engage to establish and maintain two chaplains to pray for y 140 THE CITY COMPANIES : the good estate of the said King Edward and Eliza- beth his Queen, for the wholesome government of the said fraternity of drapers, and the brothers and sisters thereof, whilst living, and for their souls when dead ; as also for the souls of the King's late father, Eichard Duke of York; Edward Earl of Rutland, brother to the said King Edward ; the Earl of Sahs- bury, the King's kinsman; and Sir Jno. JSTeville, Knight, son of the said earl." This same Company of Drapers, not only founded several churches, and had their own chapel and altar at various of them, but in common with nearly all the gilds, had also we believe their own private chapel at their hal!. In addition to these religious works, they founded, early in the reign of Edward III., the fraternity of St. Mary Bethlem, or Bethlem Hospital. We sub- join a description of its character from the beautiful preamble of the deed : — " To the honor of our Lord Jhu Crist, and his swete moder, Seint Marie, our Ladie of Bethlem, in which most holie place, our seid Lord Jhu Crist was chosen to be born in hys salvacion of al his people, in which place of Bethlem the starre appeared to the shepherds, and gave and shewed lyght to the Kyngs of Coleyne, who offered in the same place of Beth- lem their gyftes, golde, myrrh e, and insense ; one fraternite is begone for the same honor, in amend- ment of their lives, by the assent of the fryar, Wil- liam Tytte, fryar of the Hospital of our Ladie of Bethlem, and for other good people, drapers of Corn- hill, and other good men and women, which will be THEIR EELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 141 broders and sisters, and maintain tlie same fraternite for tlie term of their lives and the points that follow."* This institute exists to the present day, under the altered name and character of Bethlem (or Bedlam) Hospital. They also maintained priests and altars, and observed anniversaries at St. Michaers, Cornhill, St. Thomas of Aeon (where they had a chapel), Austin Friars, and the Priory of St. Bar- tholomew. Amongst the Lord Mayors belonging to the company, no fewer than seven, at their individual charges, have been founders of churches. This, by no means the wealthiest of the gilds, is introduced as affording a specimen of the religious works which the City companies have performed in the olden times, and to the continuation and upholding of which good works, a large proportion of their pre- sent revenues is still religiously devoted. The Skinners' Company, at their incorporation as a brotherhood, a.d. 1327, 1 Edward III., are quaintly designated as the '' Master and Wardens, brothers and sisters, of the gild or fraternity of the skinners of London, to the honour of God, and the precious body of our Lord Jesus Christ, "t They were, moreover, under the patronage of the Virgin Mary ; and have enrolled amongst their numbers six kings, five queens, one prince, nine dukes, two earls, and a baron. Their motto being "To God only be all glory." The Haberdashers were enrolled as a brother- * Strype's Stow, i. p. 460. f Ibid, ii. p. 273. 142 THE CITY COMPANIES: hood, A.D. 1447, by letters patent, by tlie style of ** The fraternity of St. Catlierine, the Virgin, of the Haberdashers of the City of London." Possibly the blessed Catherine had been a zealous devotee at the stalls of this brotherhood, and thus obtained the honour for ever of being recognized as the haber- dashers' patron saint. The motto to their arms is most excellent, *' Serve and obey," suitable alike for haberdashers and all men, in this and in every age. The Ironmongers' Company seems to be almost the only one of the great gilds not under saintly patronage, nor do the kings appear to have asked for the prayers of these workers in iron. Possibly blacksmiths, and all other successors of Vulcan, have had the character of hard-heartedness : nevertheless, the Ironmongers have conducted their vast affairs as a company with consummate ability, probity, and success, and have been throughout their lengthened career, no doubt. God-fearing men, notwithstanding that they have professed but little of saintship, even in days when such professions were almost universal. Their motto is as good as it could be : " God is our strength." People are apt to attribute to the Puritans the first introduction of the custom of doing all things in the name of God, and of making even our daily concerns a matter of prayer and thanksgiving. It is quite possible on public occasions to overdo this, and to make sacred subjects common, and to use the Great Name irreverently ; but it is also possible to THEIE RELIGIOUS OBSEEVANCES. 143 forget God altogether, and not to have Him in all our thoughts. To show how early this religious element was observable even on occasions of pageantry, we would refer to a scarce and curious tract in the Bodleian Library, entitled, " The Passage of our Most Dred Sovereign Lady Queene Elizabeth, through the Citie of London to Westminster, the day before her Coro- nation, anno 1558-9. Imprinted at London, in Flete Street, within Temple Barre, at the sign of the Hand and Starre, by Eichard Follett, the xxiii. day of January ; cum privilegioJ' This pamphlet describes in quaint terms the pro- cession and its accessories, and shows how ably Queen Elizabeth (young as she was) had read the character of her people, and how peculiarly she adapted herself to the national mind. Saturday, January 14th, 1558, at two o'clock in the afternoon, we learn that the " most noble Christian Princess, our most dred Sovereigne, marched from the Tower, richly furnished and accompanied with barons, nobles, and a notable train of beautiful ladies. Entering the City, she was marvellously received with prayers, wishes, welcomings, cryes, tender words, and all other signs, which argue a wonderful earnest of love, and her Grace, by holding up her hands and merrie face to such as were afar oflP, and by tender language to those that stood nigh, showed herself thankful for the people's goodwill ; when they said * God save your Grace,' she answered agayne, * God save you all.' " 144 THE CITY COMPANIES : So there was nothing but gladness and comfort. The people were ravished with her earnest expres- sions of love, and they conceived a wonderful hope as to her worthy government. Even when the baser sort offered her flowers, or other signification of good- will, or had any suit to her, she most gently stopped her chariot, and heard their requests. Thus, passing from the Tower, she came to Fenchurch Street ; and when a child, speaking in a pageant, said — " Welcome, therefore, Queene, as much as heart can think ; Welcome agayne, Queene, as much as tongue can tell ; Welcome to joyous tongues, and hearts that will not shrink, God thee preserve, we pray, and wish thee ever well." there was a wonderful shout from the whole people, and her G-race thanked them in most touching, friendly terms, " which drew tears from many." A pageant in ^'Gracious Street'* represented all her Majesty's ancestors. Kings and Queens of England, personated by certain children, who all pronounced a blessing upon her; orations were delivered, as part of the ceremony, at each pageant, and they were very numerous ; and Elizabeth made answer to them all (in Latin, when that language was used). At Soper Lane was a Scripture pageant, '' The eight beatitudes, expressed in the 5th chapter of St. Matthew, apply ed to our Soveraigne Lady, Queene Elizabeth." When at the Standard, in Chepe, her Grace was told that there was placed Tyme. ** Tyme," quoth she, " and Tyme hath brought me hither 1" THEIE RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 145 Then the Holy Bible, in English, was presented to her, and she said, '* she should ofttimes reade over that book." Then Mr. Recorder gave unto her 1000 golden marks, in a beautiful purse, which she took with both hands, and made answer, thus : — " I thank my Lord Mayor, his bretlu'en, and you all. You aske that I should continue your good Ladye and Queene. Be ye ensured that I will be as good unto you as ever Queene was to her people. No will in me can lack ; neither doe I trust shall ther lacke any power. Persuade yourselues that for the safetie and quietness of you all, I will not spare, if need be, to spend my blood. God thank you all." The journey to Westminster occupied several hours, for there was a fresh pageant at every avail- able corner, and all the speeches, some of them very long, were in Latin, or rhymed stanzas, which now have a strangely prosaic sound. According to the pamphlet, before Elizabeth quitted the Tower, on entering her chariot, she raised her eyes heavenward, and said : — '' Lord, Almighty and Everlasting God, I give Thee most hearty thanks that Thou hast been so mercifull as to spare me to beholde this joyfuU day. And I ac- knowledge that Thou hast dealt as wonderfully and as mercifully with me as Thou didst with thy true servant Daniel, the prophet, whom Thou dehveredst out of the denne from the cruelty of the gredy and raging lyons; even so I was overwhelmed, and only by Thee delivered. To Thee, therefore, 10 146 . THE OITY COMPANIES : onely be tliankes, honour, and prayse, for ever. Amen." Well liad this great monarch studied human nature. She was naturally haughty, vain, overbear- ing, and tyrannical, but, in this instance, she forgot not the motto, " Humanitas et gratior et tutior.^^ At the time of the Reformation, all " Papistical emblems " were ordered to be destroyed ; and such were the narrow views and the ignorant zeal of the times, that some of the finest works of art possessed by this or any other country, fell a sacrifice to puritanical fanaticism. Many specimens of painted glass, such as modern times have never surpassed, if they have equalled, were destroyed. Sculptures of priceless worth were dashed to pieces ; pictures of surpassing excellence were cut with knives and committed to the flames ; and all this Yandalism in the name of religion and of Christianity ! whilst, in some instances, even pagan deities were set up in preference to the Virgin or Apostles. ^ London was peculiarly rich in all the gems of art, and consequently lost the more in this crusade. Pennant informs us that in the middle of Cheapside stood a beautiful cross, placed there in pious memory of Elinor, his Queen, by Edward I., on the spot on which her body rested in its way to its place of burial in 1290. This ancient relic having fallen into decay, was rebuilt in 1441 by John Hatherby, mayor, by public subscription. It was ornamented with various images, such as that illustrative of the Ee- THEIR EELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 147 surrection, of the Virgin, of Edward the Confessor, and the Hke. It was kept in exquisite order, being regilt on all occasions of public entry. After the Reformation, these images gave great offence ; they were mutilated and then pulled down, and instead of the effigy of the Virgin was put up that of Diana. Queen Elizabeth objected to these acts of the fanatics, and offered a reward to discover the offenders, and directed a plain cross to be placed on the summit and gilt. In 1643, however. Parlia- ment voted the taking down of all crosses and the demolishing of all Popish paintings, and to Sir Robert Harlow they entrusted the work of destruc- tion of this cross. Accompanied by a troop of horse and two companies of foot, the enlightened knight commenced his work. " This most pious and religious noble knight," adds Pennant ironically, " did also attack and demolish *the abominable and most blasphemous crucifix' in Christ's Hospital, and broke it into a thousand pieces" (p. 400). In 1645 the Parliament came to the following resolutions respecting the King's collection in York House : — *' Ordered, that all such pictures there as have the representation of the second Person in Trinity upon them shall be forthwith burnt. " Ordered, that all such pictures there as have the representation of the Virgin upon them shall be forthwith burnt."* ^~ " Anecdotes of Painting," vii. p. 106. 148 THE OITY COMPANIES : The City halls, so rich in works of art, and especially those connected with religion, felt the full force of the Puritans' dislike to them, and as early as 1643 many of them had been compelled to dismantle their venerable edifices, and strip them of relics which to the members of the gilds were invaluable. The Merchant Taylors possessed some tapestry hangings, most choice and rare, containing incidents in the life of St. John the Baptist, their patron saint. In their minutes, under the head of July 3, 1643, a complaint is stated to have been made, " that in the Company's hangings for the hall there 'are offensive and superstitious pictures." The court desired the master and wardens to " view the same, and to take order for reform, if there was any excess ;" but they either would not see, or were loath to alter, for another order occurs nearly a twelve- month afterwards as "to defacing some of the super- stitious pictures in the hangings in the upper end of the hall, and such other things as concern the same." They were eventually noticed as being " defaced."* * Herbert, i. p. 180. THEIE RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 149 CHAPTER XIII. THEIR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES, CONTINUED. The Perfect Diurnall for June 7tb., 1649, affords us an insight into the changes which the revolution had produced in reference to the rehgious observances on occasions of festivity : " This day, according to an invitation from the Lord Mayor and City of London, the Speaker of the House of Commons, with the representative members now sitting in Parliament, his Excellency (Fairfax) and the officers of the army now in town above the degree of lieut.enant, the Lord President and Counsel of State, after hearing two sermons at Christ's Church preached by the reverend divines Mr. Goodwin and Dr. Owen, went to Grocers' Hall, where a sumptuous feast was prepared for them. Mr. Speaker, the lord general, the lord president. Earl of Pembroke, Earl of Salisbury, Lieut. -General Cromwell, and other members of the Parliament and Council of State, sat at the upper board ; the other members of the house at two tables on each side of the hall. Major-General Lambert and other officers at the middle table. The Lords Cheefe Justices and Lords Cheefe Barons, and other judges of both Benches, dined in a spacious room over the parlour, and the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, 150 THE CITY COMPANIES : and Coimcilmen at another table in the same roome. No drinking of healths nor other uncivil concomi- tants, nor any other music but of the drum and trumpet. A feast, indeed, of Christians and cheefe- tains, whereas others were rather of Ohretians and Cormorants J ^ The same paper of the next day adds that '' Sir John WooUaston and other aldermen came to his Excellency the Lord General Fairfax, at his house in Queen Street, and in the name of the City presented him with a large and weighty basin and ewer of beaten gold, and sent to General Cromwell a great present of plate, value £300, and 200 pieces in gold." The sermons of these two reverend divines are well known to this generation, and if Dr. Owen and Mr. Goodwin preached at the same length on this occasion as was usual with them, the day's business must have involved considerable fatigue to all the notorious individuals for whose benefit they were delivered. It is observable that singing formed no part of the festival. In this, as in other things, the Parlia- ment men knew no middle course. Is it wise, if one be ill, to say he shall be killed, not cured ? If music and singing sometimes were abused to purposes of licentiousness, they required amending, not abolish- ing. Nothing was more hkely than that during the enjoyment so richly provided for the guests at these festive boards, an occasion might arise in which a song should be heard neither virtuous nor moral ; but the whole brotherhood should not suffer for one brother's error ; more stringent rules should have THEIR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 151 been enforced and the evil remedied. It is clear, however, that the leading spirits in those days of blood had no better ear for music than they had taste for high art. How much more wise the proceedings of the Company of Ironmongers only nine years after the event above recorded. From their records we learn that strong disapproval had been expressed at certain unhandsome songs at a feast, and the Court, in haste, determined to have no more music at their entertainments, but upon time for reflection at the following Court appears as follows : — " 1658, it is recited that at a Court on the 3rd July, it was ordered that, * the choice of master and wardens, with the ceremony thereunto belonging, should be performed in future without musicke, by reason of some unhandsome songs which were sung in the Hall that day, which did give distaste unto several strangers and members of this Company.' This Court having taken the same into consideration, and considering that the musick in itself was not badd, ordered that musick should be provided for this election day and others that should follow, with a charge unto the present wardens and their suc- cessors that they take an espetiall care to give notice unto the musitioners that they sing noe offensive, wicked, unhandsome songs before the company that day, and if any member of ye company shall call for any songs which shall be adjudged by the next Court to be unhandsome he shall pay for a fine for the use of the poor of this Company tenn shillings for every such song called for by him."* * Nichol's "Ironmongers' Company," p. 273. 152 THE CITY COMPANIES : From a careful perusal of tlie records of the several companies it is beyond all doubt that as a rule no profane language from a member was tolerated. The books of the Drapers' Company contain an entry that in ''1482, William Spark owyth for a fyn for vngodly language spoken to Richard Stakeley." The Carpenters have similar entries, two or three of which may be selected as examples : — '' 1549, 3rd Edward 6th, Lycens was geven to edmond lugg to have home his prnyts tyll he can speke better eynglys.'* In other words, he was sent home until his English was that to which a moral person could listen. From the next extract we discover that two of the brethren had rather troublesome wives. '' 1556, Eeceived of francs steleerag a fyne for yll words yt his wyffe gave to John dorantij's." " Eeceived of John dorant a fyne for yll words yt he gave to mystris francs, xvj'd.'* " Eeceived of Wyllm mortymr a fyne for calling of mystris francs beste ij's.* Had William Mortimer called Master Franks a beast, such conduct would have been unworthy of a Livery member, and deserving of a fine ; but to call Mistress Franks by such a name was utterly inex- cusable. We do not learn what particular kind of beast he designated her, but it must have been one to which woman most strongly objects to be likened, by the Court inflicting so heavy a fine as that of ij's. John Dorant was fined xvj'd (see the next entry above) * Jupp, p. 139. THEIE RELIGIOItg OBSERVANCES. 153 for ill words given to the same lady ; of what those ill words consisted we, at so great a distance of time, cannot tell ; but that they were not so intensely offensive as the words of Mortimer, we doubt not, by the fine being of less severity. It would seem from the records that the use of profane oaths was not a common vice in the early period, nor indeed until the Restoration. Such wicked language would not have passed unpunished ; but few such entries occur. From the same sources we find that very rarely are the apprentices charged with the crime of un chastity. The only one instance with which we have met is narrated by Herbert,* in which a most severe punishment is inflicted upon John Rolls, apprentice of John Hends, draper, for this crime (an offence which the Drapers' Company viewed as of a very heinous character) '* to the entent that all other apprentices that heard thereof, and of his said unthrifty deeds, should take ensample by him, and should be afraid to fall into like unthrifti- ness for fear of the like or worse punishments." That great regard to morality has been ever manifested by the livery may be deduced from the fines inflicted upon the least infringement of decorum. They were not a lawless people. The fishmongers had a rule that " members falsely withdrawing them- selves from their creditors, or going into Sanctuary or keeping-house for debt, are to be ineligible to be called to any court, council, or assembly, unless they can find security for their paying and better conduct in future." For perjury, instant expulsion was the rule * Yol. i. pp. 423, 424, note. 154 THE CITY companies: of all. Any man of the craft brawling or fighting openly in the street was to forfeit 6s, 8d, For un- seemly words there was no palliation. " Quid enim non excitet vox hlanda et nequam T' Severe, too, was the fine against all who neglected when summoned to attend '^ dirge, anniversary, or masse burying of a brother." The minutes of the Merchant Taylors' Company contain some interesting entries, indicating the terms of amity upon which they conducted their pro- ceedings, and may be quoted as illustrative of the spirit of all the gilds. Under date 1583 is the following : — "This day a court was held, at which it was ordained that George Sotherton and Howell S other- ton, two loving brethren and assistants of this com- pany, should talk with the King of Harolds (Heralds) concerning the crest of the Company's arms, for the altering of the same, as may stand in good form of heraldry." The result of which was the granting, December 19th, 1586, a royal warrant of supporters and the other alteration desired. The next extract reflects great credit upon the court : — " 1610, May 23. — John Churchman, an ancient brother and had served master fifteen years before, but now brought to decay, became suitor for a vacant almshouse. Whereupon, by ' gene- ral consent he was elected an almsman, and over and above his pension, an annuity which had been formerly granted him of £20 per an- THEIR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 156 num was continued ;' and, with praiseworthy delicacy, they agreed that his gown should be made without conusance [badge], and that he need not attend at the hall with the other alms- men but at his own pleasure. All that was asked of him was that he should attend divine service at the church, and pray for the prosperity of the company, which he readily promised to do." " 1638, May 29.— The sum of £10 and half a tun of Erench wine were voted to Thomas Gardiner, Esq.," Recorder of London and Counsellor to this Company, to keep his reading at the Inner Temple, to which he was appointed Reader. * The £10 as a token of their love, and for his pains in the company's affairs,' and the wine ' as an extraordinary love to him.' " A vote creditable alike to Counsellor and Court. These were the kind of men to rule a great cor- poration, and such has been the opinion entertained of the Merchant Taylors by the nobles of the land that they have numbered upon their rolls as loving brethren 10 kings, 3 princes, 27 bishops, 26 dukes, 47 earls, 81 lords, and 16 lord mayors. May their shadow never be less ! The strictness with which the rules of the crafts were enforced may be'seen from the following entries in the Merchant Taylors' Records, as quoted in the ''History of the Merchant Taylors' School " :— " John Swinnerton (afterwards Sir John Swinnerton, Lord Mayor 1613) committed to prison by order of the Court for ' impertinence' to them. 156 THE CITY COMPANIES : and not liberated till due submission had been made."* " 1562. William Kimpton brought great trouble upon himself for having, contrary to the ordi- nances, called Stephen Misney, a * brother of this mystery, a crafty hoy,'' For this misdemeanour he was fined 40s., and, not having so much with him, he leaves a gold ring with the master in pawn as security for the amount." t '' 1563. William Hector was similarly fingd 405. for calhng Thomas Wylford * a ^prating hoy,'' and he, not being prepared to pay, delivers a ring of gold in pledge for the same."| The next is taken from the records of the Gold- smiths, from which we learn that they enforced their discipline with Roman severity. '' 1529-30, February 14.— This day, John Carsewell, which for working of salts wars (worse) than strlyng som vi. oz., was by Mr. Wardens sent to the Compter, the vth day of this monyth, and this day brought before them to the Goldsmiths* Hall, at viii. of the cloke in the mornyng, and then sette opynly in the stocks, and ther rested tyll after dynner ; and then browght into the parlor before Mr. Wardens, the assystents, and all the lyurey, and examyned how many such salts he had made. Whervpon he confessed that he had made a dozen such salts ; and it was de- mandyd of hym what reco'pence he coulde make to the p'rties that had bowght the said sailts. * Page 190, note. f Ibid. % Ibid. THEIR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 157 He answered that lie had not wherwth to reco'- pence them. Whervpon Mr. Wardens, by the advise of all the fell' ship, co'mandyd that he shodd be had to Newgate — which was done, there to remayne till his acts were better ex- amyned — and there he dyedJ' No doubt of shame and a broken heart. It may appear to some that the fees paid for religious purposes, especially those to the chaplains, were but small in amount. We must not, however, forget that even so distinguished a person as the Archbishop of St. Andrews, when prisoner at Win- chester, A.D. 1307, was allowed but a shilling a day for himself and servants, in the following propor- tions : — For the Archbishop's own expense .... 6 One man-servant to attend him 3 One boy to attend him likewise li A chaplain to say daily mass to him . . . lii 10 When the queen of Robert Bruce was a prisoner in England, in 1314, her allowance was 20s. per week for herself and household.* The crafts or mysteries desired if possible in all things to have the sanction of religion. Their * The magnificent post of Ambassador to Paris was offered by Queen Elizabeth, on the resignation of Walsingham, to Dr. Dale, the Master of her Court of Bequests, with the stipend of 205. a day. Dale pretended to be overwhelmed with gratitude. He could not spend, he said, above 19s. daily, and he should bo able to send home the remaining shilling for the support of his wife and family ! (Duke of Manchester's *' Court and Society from Elizabeth to Anne," vol. i. p. 251). 158 THE CITY COMPANIES : pictures were usually of a scriptural character. Their trade was traced as far back as possible to Old Testa- ment times. Some singularly characteristic pictures were discovered in 1845 accidentally by a workman employed in the restoration of the Carpenters' Hall. Upon the walls in the large hall were found to be a series of four ancient pictures, three feet in height and twenty-three in length, divided into four com- partments. To show the antiquity of carpentering, No. I. represents Noah building the arlc ; his three sons are hard at work upon the boat, but Noah is kneeling, hat in hand, receiving instructions from the Almighty. No. II. represents King Josiah ordering the repair of the temple, selected from 2 Kings xxii., on account of the complimentary manner in which *' the carpenters and builders," are mentioned, for "there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully," a circumstance recorded in a black letter inscription above. No. III. represents an incident in the early life of our Saviour. Joseph is engaged at work as a carpenter, the Saviour is engaged in collecting chips in a large basket. The Holy Virgin is seated spinning with the distaff. No. IV. represents the Saviour in his youth teaching in the synagogue. The inscription " Is not thijs that Garpynter's (son) ?" is only partially visible. These remarkable works, which have been much talked of, are supposed to have been by the celebrated John Bossam, and to have been executed in the latter part of the reign of King Henry VIII. The costumes of the figures are of this period, and in the account of THEIR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. 159 the Carpenters' Company, by E. B. Jupp, it is shown that these works of art which have been hidden probably for more than two centuries, were certainly in existence 250 years ago, from letters among the Cottonian MSS. in the British Museum, in which reference is made to them. It is a question of much interest when and for what purpose these able and masterly productions were hidden from the light ? Mr. Jupp has no doubt of the reasons which induced the court to secure them. It was done, he says, doubtless to escape notice in times when Puritanical zeal condemned as superstitious, and waged exter- minating war against all paintings or other repre- sentations of either Person of the Trinity, or of the Virgin. "It will be borne in mind that all the subjects of the paintings are scriptural, and that three of the series contain figures which would have received the condemnation of the ruling party."* We have thus shown that in modern times re- ligious services, although still, on given occasions, united with the secular, are of not so frequent occurrence as during the early existence of the gild, but we are not aware of any one out of sixty compa- nies still in being, in which all such observances have been abolished. No doubt, in some instances, in days of poverty or reverses, or of national darkness, one or another of the fraternities may have thrown off the avowal of their Christianity, but it has been only for a time, and in better days better thoughts have swayed the brotherhood, and they have returned to * Page 242. 160 THE CITY COMPANIES : their due allegiance. A curious instance of this temporary defalcation occurs in the minutes of the Leathersellers' Company, dated 4th August, 1795, thus entered : — " Present, — " Eesolved and ordered that there be no Church Service performed this day." That these worthy Leathersellers had a conscience is manifest, for they were ashamed of recording their names, and this is the only minute we have met with in which a blank occurs instead of the names of those present. The next entry, however, displays a charit- able feeling, for we read, — *' That on account of the present want and scarcity, five guineas each be paid to the Beadle and the Hall-keeper," The next year the laudable custom of attendance at church was revived. The clergyman invited to preach the sermon on the occasion being the great and good Romaine, of St. Ann's, Blackfriars, and this now most wealthy and flourishing corporation is amongst the first in London for charity and encouragement of learning, and numbers amongst its Court and Livery some of the greatest and most benevolent of our merchant princes. From the minutes of this Company we also extract the following entry as an indication of the sacrifice which these traders voluntarily made where their own gratification could only be obtained at the expense of the poor and needy : — 1795, July 23rd. Resolved and ordered— " That, on account of the present scarcity and high THEIR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. IGl price of provisions, the next confirmation din- ner be wliolly omitted and laid aside for tliis year, and that the clerk do advertise the same accordingly in the Times, Morning Chronicle, and Daily Advertiser J ^ The resolution next following, passed at the same court, stands nobly forth, and could not have been placed in a better position to show the generous hearts possessed by these v\^orthy Leathersellers : — ■ Resolved and ordered — ^' That the Renter "War- den do pay and apply the sum of 50 guineas for the benefit and relief of the poor of the Company and of the ward of Bishopsgate : 20 guineas to the poor of the ward, and 30 guineas to the poor of the com- pany." A corporation thus conducted was likely to pros- per, and such has been the success of this ancient and worshipful company that at the present time they distribute in charity, pensions, gratuities, hospitality, and education, several thousand pounds per annum. In the commencement of this work we as- cribed the continuance of these gilds through so many successive centuries to the religious and social element forming so essential an ingredient in their constitution. In the last four chapters we have con- sidered their religious observances, and the influence which religion has exercised upon their acts. We shall, in future chapters, consider the social element — their banquets and hospitalities. 11 162 . TnE CITY COMPANIES CHAPTER XIV. THEIR APPEENTICESHIP. " All inhabitants within these walls are not properly citizens, but only such as are called freemen." — Raleigh. Some of George Cruikshank's sketclies of the Drun- kard's Career are very graphic, and no doubt of much value in deterring from the crime of drunken- ness ; but of all pictorial works of art, Hogarth's inimitable series of scenes in the career of the City Apprentices ; the one devoted to the good appren- tice who rises to affluence and dignity, the other to the idle one who after wasting his youth and health in riotous living, and squandering "his substance with harlots," sinks into infamy and early death ; are undoubtedly the most masterly and valuable produc- tions of any of our moral teachers' pencils. Some years ago, being desirous to witness the process of " binding apprentice," through the kind offices of a mutual friend we obtained an introduction to the then Chamberlain of London, the late Sir James Shaw, in whose province it was to perform all func- tions in respect to binding or loosing, and admitting to the freedom of the City. Although the age of ^^^ fourteen is an interesting age, and the act of select- THEIK APPRENTICESHIP. 1G3 ing one's occupation for life an important one, any person of common mind might easily pass through the frequent form of effecting this seven years' com- pact in a merely perfunctory manner, deeming it a business matter, and passing on the routine to some of the subalterns in the office. Not so thought Sir James Shaw. No youth was ever ushered into the presence of this pious and dignified official, without feeling respect and reverence ; and the mode of con- ducting the ceremony, the fatherly and loving spirit in which he addressed the candidate, the serious tone in which he spoke of the importance, in this life, and the next, of the selection made either of virtue or vice, industry or idleness, in commencing life, left an indelible impression upon the mind, and showed observers the value of such a ceremony when well and religiously conducted. After a loving address to the lad, the venerable Chamberlain ushered him to the side of the ancient hall, on the walls of which were suspended a noble series of Hogarth's plates, probably having hung there from the day they were first issued from the engraver's hands ; and with the most marked sim- plicity and condescension, and singular talent, ex- plained each scene, and in many instances, we have heard, he has melted the youth into tears. What good intentions and noble aspirations were on these occasions first implanted, culminating in after years and producing good results, only the last day can unfold ; but many of the distinguished merchantmen of the present day can testify to the great benefit they 164 THE CITY COMPANIES : in tlieir youtli derived from tlie advice and blessing of this good baronet. In leaving the hall our friend made the obser- vation — ''The emoluments of this oflS.ce of Cham- berlain are under £4000 per annum, but if the City were to oflfer £40,000 instead of £4000, and to search the world, they could never improve upon the present worthy possessor of the office. His superior does not exist." A life-size and life-like portrait of this ofl&cer, taken as he always appeared in his ofl&ce in his official robes, is to be seen in the Chamber- lain's office, one of the ablest works of one of our first and greatest female artists, Mrs. Charles Pear- son, whose only child is the wife of Sir Thomas Gabriel, Bart., Lord Mayor 1866-7. To become on the livery a man must first be / free. The present mode of admission to the freedom is threefold, by servitude, patrimony, or purchase, A stranger may become free without any claim beyond the payment of the necessary fees ; this is obtaining the freedom by purchase : the son of a freeman, though never apprenticed, may claim his freedom by patrimony upon the payment of a fee much less than that paid by a stranger : and he who has served an apprenticeship becomes fi:'ee upon a mere nominal fine ; this is by servitude. Having thus become free of the City, he may become free of any company he chooses, if he has friends to nominate him, and being free of a company, may then be pro- posed for the livery, and after a month's delay is balloted for by the court. The fees vary in diflferent THEIE APPEENTICESHIP. 165 companies^ from £25 to £100 for the livery fine, which in addition to all other expenses will not exceed fi:'om £50 to £200. The highesfc livery fine we have heard of is that of the Leathersellers. which is 100 guineas. Originally apprenticeship was the only entrance into the gilds. The origin of the system of apprenticeship is no doubt of a very great antiquity. Sir Francis Palgrave is of opinion that it owes its origin to the customs of the College of "Workmen in the Eoman empire. After a due term of probation and initiation the admission into the gild was an attestation that the individual had conducted himself with due attention, dihgence, and morality. The good resulting from the system must be manifest. Gratitude towards a kind master, who had instructed him in all the mysteries of the craft, emulation, good example, and the unions which the fraternity afforded, " rendered these gilds a continual scene of moral renovation to the commonwealth.""^^' For a long period subsequent to the Conquest, the City of London, as we have shown, maintained all the peculiarities of the old Saxon system, the same legal polity and usages as belonged to a Saxon county. It was, in fact, a county in itself, being a concentration of leet jurisdictions, each comprising a ward, or, as it was termed, a gild, and the whole governed by one chief magistrate. The only diffe- rence between it and a county was that it contained no villeins or slaves, but all its inhabitants were^ as * Palgrave's " Merchant and Friar.'* / N 166 THE CITY companies: designated in their charters, free men or " Iaiv» worthy, ^^ As in the counties, the districts over which the owners possessed a leet jurisdiction were called soJces Or socs, so in the City the various gilds over which each alderman (or master) held leet jurisdiction was called his soJce. The charter of Henry I. provides '' that the barons (aldermen or masters) and citizens should have their sokes in peace, and that guests tarrying within any of these soJces should pay custom to those to whom the solce belonged." There can be no doubt that the origin of the city and county soJces was the same and that their government was alike. Norton observes that the tenants in free socage of the counties, and the burghers or tenants in free burgage were of the same quality ; for the tenure of free burgage was no other than a species of free socage. He considers, too, that the proprietary title of the alderman to his solce in London (after the title became territorial) was of short duration and never universal throughout the City. "When the Saxon invaders took possession of the \ soil of Britain, it is probable that they reduced the original inhabitants to a state of dependence or slavery. Prior to the ISTorman conquest,, however, the tenants had, by gradual progress, settled into three distinct classes. The lowest type of indivi- duals remained in their original bondage, oppressed and trodden down, the personal and proprietary serfs or slaves of the lord. The next order were some- what less degraded, the villeins (or rustic labourers) THEIR APPRENTICESHIP. 167 who in return for their vassalage and labour had a small portion of land allotted to them. This was, however, a grant only at will, the occupier could not leave the soc, and he was still the personal property of their lord. Occasionally, it is true, by the favour of the proprietor, and from great desert, individuals did arise to a state of freedom and independence, and this gave rise to the third class, viz., the freemen or free tenants, still owing duties for their possessions. They were sometimes termed Goleberti and Badmen, and were known by the common appellation of sock- men or solcemenJ^ Thus we discover how conformably with the imperceptible gradations towards civil free- dom in this country the socage tenant advances into the independent freeholder; the villein grows up under the name of copyholder into the true socage tenant ; while the miserable bondman or slave dis- appears altogether from off the land ; so that Queen Elizabeth boasted that in her day not one could be found throughout the realm. We recognize the same principle existing in the City as in the county, except that no bondsmen were admitted within the walls, nor was any one of the order of villein eligible for apprenticeship to a craft. The '' Liber Albus " states that *' from of old no one was made apprentice, unless] [he was known to be of free condition ; and even if, after he had received the freedom, it became known that he was a person of servile condition, through that same fact he lost the freedom of the City \ a thing that was the case * Vide Turner's Hist. Ang. Sax. 4th ed., vol. iii. p. 181. 168 THE CITY COMPANIES : with Thomas le Bedelle and others, who, in the mayoralty of John le Blount (Mayor 1301 to 1307) lost their freedom in consequence of having acknow- ledged that they held land in villenage of the Bishop of London, and so remained debarred of the freedom of the City."* Great precautions were observed in regard to the admission of strangers within the City ; jealousy of their participation in the advantages of their trade, no doubt, had much to do with this ex- clusiveness, but the system of Frankpledge was the basis of it, and the legal system for the repression and detection of violence, for mutual protection and responsibility, founded under the ancient Saxon polity, prevailed in great force in the City. No stranger was allowed to remain for more than forty days with- out being enrolled in Erankpledge. No inmates, lodgers, persons under age, or villeins, possessed any civic rights. It is true in one sense a residence of a year and a day within the walls conferred an exemp- tion from villenage or slavery, and so high was the privilege of residence within any free city deemed, that by the award of their charter, and by the ancient Saxon custom, whatever slave had fled from his master's soke, and should have remained unre- claimed for a year and day within the walls of a free borough, he thereby effected his effranchisement.f In London inhabitancy constituted full burghership, but as no one was permitted to become a house- holder unless free of the City and of a craft, and as * Lib. i., pt. 1, cap. X. t Vide Madox's Firma Burgi, p. 271. ^ / THEIR APPRENTICESHIP. 169 no one could become free of a craft wifcliout having first served liis seven years of apprenticesliip, we thus perceive that in order to full citizenship in the early days this apprenticeship was essential in all cases. Some writers are of opinion that the system of apprenticeship did not exist prior to the reign of Eichard I. (a.d. 1190), because no earlier entry exists among the records of any*^ mercantile distinctions, corporate freeman's oath, nor corporate admission to freedom, prior to that date. It was during the absence of that monarch in the Holy Land that the community of London, as one body politic, took its formal origin. It became a member of the national council, and was endued with a pohtical locality and rank. It was necessary that a new form of admis- sion into this fellowship should be adopted, and that the civic freedom should take a new character from that of the ancient Saxon freedom of the leet. A3 no special mercantile qualification seems at this time to have been recorded, it is supposed therefore that none was required, and as the earliest mention of enrolment amongst the freemen by apprenticeship occurs in the 3rd Edward II. (a.d. 1310), some suggest that at this period we must fix its origin. But as the system of apprenticeship is of great antiquity and the natural one, we think that the absence of positive evidence of its earlier existence is no proof that it was not earlier practised. That it was of a far earlier time, however, is put beyond doubt by an entry in the '' Liber Albus," under the 170 .THE CITY COMPANIES : date of Edward I,, wLicli we have ,met with since penning the last sentence, and it finally settles the question. In the reign of Edward I. an ordinance of the City declared '^ that no apprentice after his term fully served shall follow his trade in the City before he shall have been sworn of the freedom, and there- upon enrolled. And that none shall be received for a less term than seven years, according to the ancient and established itsage,"^^ Herbert considers that *' it is probable that ap- prenticeship service came into general use during the reign of Henry III., for apprentices both to the trades and law are noticed in records in the reign of Edward L" All incorporations were anciently termed univeV' sities, whether of trade, learning, or otherwise. When our great institutions of learning were en- rolled, the term of years required to be devoted to study, in order to obtain the degree of Master of Arts, was evidently borrowed from the term of apprenticeship in trades. As to have wrought seven years nnder a master properly qualified was required in trade before one became a master and able to receive apprentices, so to have studied under a master properly qualified was necessary, in order that he should become master, teacher, or doctor (words anciently synonymous) in the learned arts, and to have scholars or apprentices, also synonymous (from ajpprendre to learn), to study under him. Anciently, benchers in the Inns of Court were called * ." Liber Albus," lib. iii., p. 2, A.p. 1274. y THEIB ArPEENTICESHIP. 171 apprentices of the law, " apprentici juris nohiliores ;" and so tlie learned Plowden writes himself. Sir Henry Finch styles himself, in his " Nomotechnia," " apprentice de ley ; " Sir Edward Coke, in his " Institutes," says, " apprentici legis are called homines consiliarii et in lege periti ;" and elsewhere he speaks of apprentices and other counsellors of law. Properly an apprentice at law is a barrister of under sixteen years' standing, and under the degree of Serjeant. 172 THE CITY COMPANIES CHAPTER XV. THEIR APPRENTICE SHIP, CONTINUED. The records of tlie various gilds afford ample evidence that tlie regulations of apprenticeships con- stituted a very important article in the early ordi- nances of the companies. It was necessary to their standing orders that, for admission to the livery, not only shall the candidate have " served his time,'* but he must be '^ of good name." During the period of his pupilage he had the most fatherly care bestowed upon him, and the rules of the gilds were strictly enforced, should occasion require. It may throw some light upon the olden customs, if we extract two or three entries from the books of the companies respecting the treatment of their appren- tices. The first is from the Goldsmiths', written in very solemn style ; a change of dynasty could hardly have been entered in more emphatic phraseology. We modernize the orthography. A.D. 1430. '^ It is to remember how that, in the beginning of April, the third year of King Henry VI., John Hille, citizen and goldsmith of Lotidon, had one John Richard to his apprentice ; the which apprentice THEIR APPRENTICESHIP. 173 for divers great offences and trespasses that lie liad done to his master, the same John Hille would have chastised him, as reason and the company's usage is of apprentices to be chastised of their masters ; the which apprentice seeing his master would have chastised him, as reason would, of very malice and cursed as an obstinate apprentice to his master, went up forth withon a stair out of the shoppe, bearing with him a short spear, the which he hid in the kitchen ' imagining to kill his maister ;' the which spear served to open and to shut the windows of the shop. And when he had so done he came down again, and in the midst of the stairs he reviled his master full despiteously and ungodly, and said to him, ' Come on now, for it is my time, and I have ordained for thee; and as I mote be saved thou shalt never come into my chamber.' And his master considering that time his cursedness, and how he was purposed to kill him, for to eschew all manner of peril of both sides, fair and soft loent out of his house, and ordained so that the same apprentice was anon wrested and brought unto the Compter, where he was unto the time that the wardens of the craft of Goldsmith appointed to correct the defaults done within the same craft, sent for him to know the matter and rule it to an end, for the said John Hille had complained to them of his apprentice, and told them all the matter above said; and the said apprentice could not say that his master put upon him, but openly acknowledged that he bore the said weapon into the kitchen ready to defend him with 174 THE CITY companies: against his master as well as he could. Upon which the said wardens said that the same apprentice was found deficient, and asked him how he would make amends ; and he said he had no goods. And the next day he made the same reply. And then the said wardens, considering the ungratefulness, rebellion, and cursedness of the said apprentice, the which might turn to the undoing of many others, asked him if he would forswear the craft and the town. And at last by his own will and proper assent he * chose to forswear the craft and the town.' '' In 1456, William Bowden was charged before the wardens of the same company, for that he had «« irreverently, shamefully, and of frowwinesse," beaten his mistress. His punishment was that he shall be " had into y kitchen of the hall," and there stripped naked, and by the hands of his master beaten until such time as he raised blood upon his body, in likewise as he did upon his mistress, and that he should then ask his master and mistress " of grace and mercy nakyd as he was betyn," which he did upon his knees.* Very stringent rules were enforced against ap- prentices " wearing weapons within the city," and against ^' unseemly dress." A curious entry occurs in the Merchant Taylors' books, to the effect that no apprentice of the mystery shall wear any weapon *' invasive or defensive within the citie," without reasonable cause, " or els being going forth of the * Herbert, vol. ii. p. 170. , ^ ^_ THEIR APPRENTICESHIP. 175 citie into tlio countrie witli liis maistor, or with other honest companie." Also a rule was that " every apprentice was to be presented to the master and wardens at the Common Hall," in order that they might be enabled to [ascertain whether he was free by birth, not challenged for a bondsman. Even the length of the hair was a subject not too unimportant to obtain a regulation respecting it. The Ironmongers have the following : — *' They were to dress them in soche wise that it be no dishonistye to the companie, but that they be apparalide reyson- able and honest, that is to say — For the holy dayes, hose, throwts, shearts, dubblets, cotes, gownes or clokes, with other necessaries, soche as maye be convenyently honest and cleane;" and on the " workyng dayes such as may be honest and profit- able to kepe them jfrom cold and wete; and they shall not suffer their hare to groio to longed The books of the same company have the following curious minute : — A.D. 1638. ^' Becausse . many young men doe take imto themselves a liberty in their apprenti- shippe, by their mr. his conivence, to wear their hayre unseemly overlong, more like to ruffians then citizen's apprentizes, and, after their terme of their service ended, come to demand their freedome of the company in that disguised manner ; for remedy thereof, it is now ordered that hereafter, if any master shall make free any of his servants before he have orderly cutt and barbed his hayre to the liking 176 THE CITY companies: of the mr. and wardens of the company for the tyme being, the mr. of the apprentice shall pay to the company for every suche neglect xxs. for a line.''* We have no doubt that the rulers of the gilds, as well as the masters of the apprentices, had at times great difficulty in directing and governing these young heroes ; but, on the other hand, we can easily conceive that the young people were at times sorely tried by the tyranny of laws which detailed such minutiae as the wearing of the hair and tying a shoe- string. When monarchs could stoop, as Queen Elizabeth and her successor, James I., did, to give laws as to the stockings, caps, and petticoats to be worn by servant girls, and the cloth with which the apprentices were to be clothed, probably the smaller monarchs, the masters of the gilds, amplified and improved upon these laws, and became weari- some to those they governed. We have already referred to the sumptuary laws of Queen Elizabeth. Those of James were, if pos- sible, still more foolish. ^' The abuse growing by excesse and strange fashions of apparell, used by many apprentices, and by the inordinate pryde of mayde servaunts and women servaunts in their ex- cesse of apparell and foUie in varietie of newe fashions,'' induced that monarch, in the year 1611, to direct the mayor to issue precepts to the masters of the various gilds, enjoining them to convene and to harangue their fraternities on this grievous sin» * Nichiors " History of Ironmongers' Company," p. 228. THEIB APPEENTICESHIP. 177 Tn the Grocers' Company, " Mr. Warden Burrell/' on reading tlie precept, " made sundrye godlye and charitable exhortacions to each to see reformacion made in his own family according to the meaning of the same/' probably hinting that with more finery was less honesty. *' Hie ultra vires habitus nitor : hie aliquid plus Quam satis est ; interdum aliena sumitur area. Commune id vitium est."* Apprentices were to wear no " hats," the facing whereof should exceed three inches in breadth in the head, which with the band and trimming should cost above 55. ; the band was to be destitute of lace, made of linen not exceeding 5s. the ell, and to have no other work or ornament than a plain hem and one stitch ; and if the apprentice should wear a ruff' hand, it was not to exceed three inches in height before it was gathered and set into the stock, nor more than two inches in depth before the setting into the same stock. The collar of the doublet was to have neither " poynte, whalebone, nor plaits," but to be made close and comely, and, as well as the breeches, was to be made only of " cloth, kersey, sackcloth, canvasse, Enghsh leather, or English stuflfe," and of not more than 2^'. 6a. the yard ; his stockings were to be of woollen yarn or kersey; he was not to wear "Spanish shoes with polonia heels ;" or have his hair with any " tufte or lock, but cut short in decent and comely manner" {a la Jaclc She^pard), The poor servant girl wcs, if * Juvenal, Sat. III. 12 178 THE CITY companies: possible, even more despitefully treated. She was to wear, alas ! " no lawn, kambrick, tiffany, velvet lawns, or white wires on tlie head or about the kerchief, koyfe, crest cloth, or shadow," but only linen, and that not to exceed 55. the ell. Her ruff was on no account to be of more than four yards in length before the gathering or setting of it in, nor was she to "wear sldj far ding al at all great or little, nor any body or sleeves of wire, whalebone, or other stifl&ng^ saving canvass or buckram only."* What Chartist apprentice of our own day — after all this — does not repine and mourn over the departed ^* good old times '' of our ancestors ? Nevertheless, a season of trial and restraint is necessary to man. Bishop Butler says that this life is a scene of probation, and Bossuet eloquently remarks that ^^ Life is an apprenticeship) for death J' St. Paul deemed it a great honour to be a citizen of Eome, having been born in Tarsus, a free city, when he said, '^ I am a citizen of no mean city,*^ And on another occasion, as if to show that there was even a still higher freedom to be obtained than that of any earthly community, he adds, " our citizenship is in heaven." We doubt not that much of the en- durance and courage under difficulties, so character- istic of the English traders in former times, were owing to the seven long years of strict disciphne involved under the system of apprenticeship. The great shrewdness of the early citizens is especially manifested in their strict refusal to allow * Grocers* Company, p. 88. THEIE APPEENTlCESHir. 179 apprentices, or even the members of tlie gilds, ^' to go to the lawe." The verj earhest accounts of these gilds, whether those of Norwich, Chester, or London, afford ample evidence of the great care taken by the founders to prevent litigation amongst their members. All disputes between master and apprentices, or between brethren, as well as claims of debt, were to be arranged by the authority of the master and wardens. " If any debate is between any of the fraternite, or askyng of dette or any other thynges, then anon the party playntiff shall come to the master, and tell his grievaunce, and the master shall make an ende thereof."* If it proved beyond the power of the master to arrange, as appeared to be the case occasionally in later times, permission from the court had to be obtained, and then the plaintiff might sue at law. Thus, in 1568, the Merchant Taylors' minutes state that "license was granted to one Elston, a member, to arrest Brackshaw;" and in the same year the master granted leave to " Edward Baker to take the lawe of J. Garrett." The Leather sellers have an entry under date January, 1633, granting similar "permission to go to law." In the reign of George I., a curious point of law was determined by Chief-Justice Sir John Pratt, respecting the suspension of a woman's settlement, owing to her marriage with a City apprentice whose settlement was questioned. The Chief-Justice ruled that a settlement might be absolutely suspended * Grocers* Ordinances, a.d. 1463. 180 THE CITY companies: during marriage ; as in this case, in whicli a woman having a settlement marries a man having no settle- ment, the principle was, that as the husband could not be sent to the place of the wife's settlement, so neither could the wife, because the husband and wife being, as it were, but one person, could not be parted. This decision caused much stir at the time, and gave rise to the following Catch. A woman having a settlement Married a man with none ; The question was, " He being dead, If that she had was gone ?" Quoth Sir John Pratt, " Her settlement Suspended did remain Living the husband ; but him dead, It doth revive again." Chorus of Puisne Judges. " Living the husband ; but him dead, It doth revive again." Sound law as this would appear, it nevertheless was overruled in the 28th George II., in a case in which the parish of St. Botolph, Bishopsgate, were the respondents, and that of St. John's, Wapping, appellants. The court were unanimously of opinion that the woman, whose maiden settlement was in Bishopsgate, although she married a man who had no settlement, did not lose her maiden settlement until she had acquired a new one, but that it was merely suspended during the time she continued under the protection of her husband, and was main- tained by him ; and that as she was not maintained THEIR APPRENTICESHIP. 181 by Mm, slie should be supported by tlie parish in which she had gained her maiden settlement. The Chamberlain of London, as presiding officer in binding apprentices and admitting freemen, should be, if not a lawyer, a man of considerable skill and judgment, as questions of great nicety may occa- sionally come before him for his decision. He should at least be familiar with the ruling of the judges in cases affecting the question of legitimacy, for when a man is made free by patrimony it is necessary that he should prove that his father was free. But many men find it impossible to discover their father. This, of course, proves an insuperable difficulty to one desirous of being admitted to the freedom by patrimony ; but the possibility may occur of a man having more than one father from whom to select, either of whom would secure his legitimacy. He may have two to choose from, and if one be a freeman and the other a non-freeman, he would naturally, in such a case, prefer the former. The case, as laid down by the authorities, is as follows : — " In re, Bastaedy. Chiefly a bastard is one bom out of lawful matrimony. The most distinguished cases are — That a child bom of an unmarried woman is illegitimate. So is a child bom so long after the death of the husband, that, by course of nature, it could not be his ; but a case may occur in which a child may choose which of two men it will have for its father ; as if a widow marry so soon after the death of her first husband, that a child born during the second marriage may be the child of either husband; such child is not only legitimate, but may, on obtaining the age of twenty-one, elect which of its mother's husbands it will have for its father." 182 THE CITY COMIPAjS'IES i While we sliould ever commiserate those of our fellow- creatures who have had no father, yet, for the credit of society and of the female sex, it is to be hoped that instances of a man possessing two fathers to select from, although possible, are of the most rare occurrence ; and that while our present system of apprenticeship continues, no Chamberlain of London shall be called upon to give a decision in any case in which a candidate for the freedom shall be possessed of such affluence of choice as to his paternity as that above indicated. THEm LEASTS. 183 CHAPTER XVI. THEIR FEASTS. " Yon cannot have a perfect palace, except yon have two sides : a side for the banquet, and a side for the household ; the one for feasts and triumphs, and the other for dwelling." — Bacon. In former papers we have laid special emphasis upon tlie fact that our Saxon ancestors had a high appre- ciation of the value of sociality and feasting. Was a thing to be done ? — then it must be done well 1 To be done well, it must be accompanied with feasting and good cheer ! They were wise men in their day and generation ; they knew full well that associations can exist only so long as union of sentiment as well as unity of purpose continue ; that man is naturally a self-willed — and, if you please, a quarrelsome animal ; that when societies break up it is usually owing to the want of this union — to the existence of unbrotherly feelings amongst the members. To meet this, the invariable expedient of banqueting was hit upon and of '^ drynhying togedre^ They knew that men were never so forgiving and so amiable as when enjoying good cheer, for then the little asperities engendered in their hours of business, which, but for the warmth of the feast, would fester 184 THE CITY companies: into animosity, melt like tlie snow before the sun. That these trade institutions should have con- tinued to exist through so many ages is a matter of great interest, and the inquiry into the " reasons why " must be one of serious importance, especially^ to philanthropists and statesmen. We think, there- fore, that in any historical sketch of these " crafts " or " mysteries," it is time well spent, having dis- covered and particularized the great cause of their continuity, to examine into their modus oj^erandi and to ascertain the details of the system in order that our generation may learn from the example of genera- tions preceding. Perhaps there are no assemblages less brotherly to be met with in England than Boards of Guardians, and parish vestries, and we know of no deliberative bodies of men, whose meetings, when reported, dis- play more of the qualities of bitterness, anger, and personality. Certain leading orators go of set pur- pose for a " scene." Some hard words uttered at a former meeting have been allowed to rankle for a week, and revenge must be taken. Had these worthies dined over their former meeting, hard words would have been forgotten. A farthing rate, it is true, has been saved by the ratepayer, but we doubt if it is wise economy. Men who serve the public merit some complimentary return. In our first paper we showed that, as early as the seventh century, the Frithgilds were essentially a social institution. That even the ecclesiastical gilds THEIR FEASTS. 185 of that date were formed for festivity as well as for religion. To this day, not far from York, is retained and maintained a still more ancient system founded by our Saxon ancestors. Before us is lying a notice, placed a few weeks since on the church door in the parish in which we reside, as follows : — ** Manor of " Notice is hereby given that the Court Leet view of Frankpledge and Court Baron of the Worshipful Lords of the said Manor will be h olden on Tuesday, 13th day of November instant, at twelve o'clock at noon, and all persons that do owe any suit or service at the said Court are required to attend." « (Signed) « Steward." We may add that the ancient accessory of a feast forms not the least important element in this said Court Leet on November 13. This custom of frankpledge is the most ancient on record in this kingdom. It was known also by the name of friborg or free jpledge, and the assembly was called Court Leet, from the Saxon word to assemble, and met in each hundred of a county, convened by the reeve by whom the criminal law was administered. In Wilkin's " Saxon Laws" we read that the law was that every freeman of fourteen years should find sureties to keep the peace, certain neighbours being his sureties, and bound to each other to produce him who committed an ofience, or to make satisfaction to the injured. To do this the better they formed a common fund, from which all such losses were paid, and by which at stated intervals a common table was provided where they "ate and drank together." 186 THE CITY COMPANIES : This assembly in tlie seventh century was called the GeheorscipGy literally beer-drinJcing, From these Frithgilds and their social feastings succeeded the trade gilds and gilds ecclesiastical. That joviality became at times too prominent seems certain, for Ina made a law to prevent turbulent proceedings at such meetings. It is curious that in a rural district in the Bast Eiding this system of frankpledge should have con- tinued, as we know the Normans abolished it where they could, and it was only such powerful cities as London and York, by their charters specially ex- empted from the Norman code, which were permitted to retain intact the old Saxon institutions under which they had prospered. Of the intervening centuries between the seventh • and the fourteenth, few details remain concerning the festivities of the gilds ; but from that period to the present numerous records occur of the sumptuous banquets prepared for the brotherhoods on all occa- sions of religious ceremonial or business. The earliest entry of the kind is in the books of the "Grossers" erst "Pepperers," the most prominent of whose ordinances was, that " on St. Anthony's day, or on any day within the octave thereof, that should be assigned by the wardens, all who were in London should assemble in ' a house ' and commune and dine together, and be served according to the ordinances of the wardens.'* The cost of this feast to those who attended was 5s. 6d,, to those who did not attend 2s. 6d,, which sums went to the joint THEIE FEASTS. 187 expense of tlie dinner and tlie maintenance of tlie priest. "Persons not in tlie livery, and who Icept shops,' ^ were only to pay 12d, ; and as a dinner was supposed to be insufficient after so much business as they usually performed, a supper crowned the day, and '' every man being a brother of the felliship, and in the clothyng of the same, that did not come to the dynner or soper that should be made for the elecion of the wardens " yearly, should forfeit 5s. *' to the use and behoof of the felliship." Prom this it will be seen that the custom of pos- sessing magnificent halls had not at this period become general. It was not till the early part of the fifteenth century, the reign of Henry IV., that the Companies acquired a local habitation as well as a name. As feasts on a large scale could only be given in commodious rooms, halls in the style of the refectories of the religious houses were soon erected ; and should our readers desire to know the style of the room, we can refer them to the halls at Trinity, and St. John's, Cambridge, and other similar halls at Oxford, to the Guildhall, York, and for one on a grand scale we would refer them to the Guildhall of London, capable of feasting from one to two thousand guests. We can find no records earlier than the fourteenth century of the Companies being possessed of such edifices. At that period such a building became the usual property of the gilds. Many of the Gothic palaces of the nobility still preserved may be men" tioned, in addition to those just named, as fair speci- 188 THE CITY COMPANIES ! mens of tlie City halls, from wliicli, however, the latter differed in certain peculiarities, upon which we may remark. The chief room was the hall, open-roofed and' lofty, with the Companies' banners, standards, and other heraldic devices, used at tournaments, or in war, suspended aloft. Hanging platforms or galleries were also erected for the use of the " mnsitioners and mynstryllsJ' The lofty Gothic windows were richly coloured with the arms of the Company's benefactors, and with incidents in the life of their patron saint. Nor should we omit to specify the elevated dais or liaut jpas, for the high table ; the Teredos, which traversed the apartment, and the noble buffets for the plate. Passages convenient of access led to the wine and ale cellars, the "bachelors'" chamber, the buttery, bakehouse, and brewery ; the entrance to the kitchen being guarded by a spiked hatch, while that inter- esting chamber was replete with '^spittes," "rakkes," and implements capable of tossing round the '* wild- boar," " whole sheep," and possibly '' entire oxen." About the time of the Eeformation many noble- men's houses were purchased by various gilds. The Drapers' obtained Lord Cornwall's, and to this day retain and keep up his beautiful gardens. The Grocers' bought Lord Fitzwilliam's town mansion. The Slaters' secured the residence of the Earl of Oxford. On the suppression of the religious houses many THEIE FEASTS. 189 of tlie conventual buildings were purchased by tbe Companies. The Leathersellers' obtained the ancient priory of St. Helen, and turned the refectory, a very noble and gorgeous specimen of Gothic archi- tecture, into their common hall, a. d. 1537. The Pinners, in like manner, removed to the monastery of the Austin Friars ; and the Barber- Surgeons to the hermitag^e of St. James' -in-the- Wall. The halls of the larger Companies, then as now, were frequently visited on festive occasions by the monarch of the day, or the royal princes, as well as by the great representative men of the nation. During periods of revolution the party in power not unfrequently made them the great central seat of government; and in Cromwell's time many were seized upon to be used as conventicles. In times prior to the erection of an official residence for the Lord Mayor they were, in many instances, selected as temporary mansion-houses by the successive chief magistrates. Many of the more ancient halls possessed, in addition to the principal room and those enumerated above, "the great parlour," ''the dining parlour," for the Court dinners, " the chekker chamber," "the ladies' chamber," " the King's chamber," "the long gallery " for the portraits of the benefactors, besides the private chapel in which the priest said daily mass. The various smaller apartments were usually hung with tapestry ; the Drapers' books of 1494 contain many entries of items paid to "a tapster-man that amended the liangings of the parlours J' At that period 190 THE CITY companies: the ^^ cliekker cliamber" of this Company was laid with mats, which the other apartments did not boast of. That their hall was spacious is certain, for their livery numbered, at this time 114, the "bachelors" 60, and the invited guests usually 60 or 70 more. They occasionally permitted the ladies to dine alone in the ** ladies' chamber." Here none but the mar- ried ladies and guests of the highest rank are re- corded as being entertained. The "maydens" at these seasons held their festivities in " the chekker chamber." Usually, however, unless a large acces- sion of guests was expected, " the susterne," both wives and maidens, as we shall presently show, joined " the brethren " in the hall. TUEIR FEASTS. 191 CHAPTER XVII. THEIR FEASTS,' CONTINUED. " The courteous citizen bad me to his feast, ***** I went : then saw and found the great expense, The fare and fashion of our citizens. Oh, Cleopatricall ! what wanteth there Tor curious cost, and wondrous choice of cheere." Bp. Hall. The feast was always welcome to the brethren, and, no doubt, to the sisters also, for they had their seats at the board, whether given in a temporary hostel, or, in later times, in their hall, as described in the last chapter. Each brother and sister, some days before, had been summoned to appear on a given day and hour, and "^0 come in their best liverie/^ The place oi meeting was named, from which in due procession, headed by their bedell, minstrels, and officiating priests, the master, wardens, and brethren marched, with all state and dignity, to one of their own churches, to attend a '' solemne masse,*' and offer upon the altar each a silver penny. Thus was their feasting preceded with prayer and alms-doing. The return to the hall was in the same order, and 192 THE CITY companies: with the same observance of precedency. The old records of the Companies throw light upon the cus- toms of those ages — even to the minute particular of their ^'washing before sitting down to meat^ That particular attention was paid to all ceremony, etiquette, and the rules of pohshed life, is evident, from the custom prevailing then as now, of each person occupying a given position at table according to his rank and degree. The Merchant Taylors have the following entry, under date 1578, March 24 : " One Jordan, an ofl&cer of the King's Artillery, a loving brother, is ordered to have his place in all meetings next to our loving brother, Ealph Hope." No scrambling for the best places — no forward, un- known person, occupying a place above his betters. As the laws of heraldry were strictly observed on occasions of pageantry and ceremonial, and at the obsequies of their members, so at their feasts the strictest attention was given to the observance of the rules of precedency. The order of arrangement at table was not deemed a matter beneath the most exact definition. The ordinances of the Drapers' Company, 6 Henry IV., contain a distinct article, entitled " A rule ordeyned for the sytting in ye halle." " That from this day forward, at every general feast or dinner, all those that have been masters and wardens shall * sitte at the + tabyll,' and none else, unless by the advice and the assignment of the master and wardens, ' to sitte at the hygh tabyll, upon payne of ijs.' No brother of the fraternity to THEIR FEASTS. 193 presume to sit at any table in the liall till "the master and the states have ivaslied and be sett at the hygh tabyll, on payne of iijs. iiijd." It was customary to wait personally on distin- guished persons to invite them to the feasts. In 1496 the charge is made of iiijd. " for bote hire to desyre my lorde tresorer to our feste." This, it will be found, was William Paulet, first Marqnis of Winchester. Great ceremony was used in inviting visitors of rank. Preparatory to a banquet at which King James I. attended, the Merchant Taylors made the following order :—'' 1607, July 7, Two Earls to invite the King — the Committee to invite the Prince — and the Queen's Lord Chamberlain to invite her Majesty.'* In those days, however, the favourite and most frequent guests were the mitred abbots, the priors, and masters of the religious houses, names, and titles, which look strange to our eyes as we glance ovjer the ancient records. We meet with the frequent mention of the grand master of St. John of Clerkenwell, the prior of St. Mary, Ovory, of Christ Church, of St. Bartholomew's, the master of St. Thomas of Aeon, and of St. Lawrence, Poulteney, and a long list of dignified and conventual clergy. In the year 1519, at the election feast of the Drapers, amongst the guests we find '* my Lord Bishop of Carlisle, the master of St. Thomas of Akers, the prior of Crychurch (Holy Trinity, Aid- gate), the prior of Seynt Bartholomew's, the pryn- ceyall of freres Austin, the prior of the same place, the prior of St. Mighell's (Michael's), the sherifi*s, etc." 13 194 THE-. CITY COMPANIES : The minutes of the same company contain the order observed at the table in 1521, on a Hke occasion : — " The prior of Christ Church chief. Sir John Milborn at his left. My lady Fenkyll at his right. My lady Milborn and my lady Bayley chief before." " At the first side table in the hall Mr. Sadler began the bench, and Mr. Bowyer before him on the forme, and so down. Men of the bench, and women before them. Master Dale and Master Praed began the other side table in the hall," etc. In 1515 the list of guests and order at table, with the particulars of plate, napery, etc., occupy four folio pages. The guests of rank numbered seventy- eight persons, forty- four men and thirty-four women. Among the number are many above-named, with the '* lady wardenesses," and the antiquarian author of the "Collectanea" — Mr. Leland. Having followed the company to their hall and seen them seated at the board " according to degree," before describing their ceremonial observances we must say a few words respecting the " meats " and the " drinks " provided for the occasion. It may be interesting to know the kind of meats most in request among our ancestors, and the wines in which they most delighted. This fortunately is easily ascertained, for exact copies of the early bills of fare remain on the companies' records to this day. To modern tastes we should think the banquets in the fifteenth century were more substantial than elegant, more gross than choice. That our ancestors had good digestions, or as they termed it '' good stomachs," is clear from the amount of "grease" and other coarse ingredients so copiously used in THEIR FEASTS. 195 their cuisine. ''Brawn," ''sea-hog," "fat swan," " conger," and even " porpoise," were amongst the delicacies at the " high table," or above " the salt J' That our readers may not imagine that we are draw- ing upon our fancy in this list, we subjoin verbatim et literatim a bill of fare for a dinner, temjp. Henry V., A.D. 1419, on the occasion of the election of wardens, in the Brewers' Company.'^'' " First Course. — Brawn with mustard ; cabbage to the pottage ; swan standard ; capons roasted ; great custards. " Second Course. — Venison in broth, with white mottrews ; cony standard ; partridges with cocks roasted ; leche-Lombard ; doucetts with little parneux. . "Third Course.— Pears in syrop; great birds with little ones together ; fritters payn pufF, with a cold bake meat." Standard means entire and erect, so that a " sican standard " must have been a very m.agni- ficent dish. For the particulars of the same dinner we sub- join the following : — *' 5 Sep., U19, 7 Hen. Y. 2 necks of mutton, 3 breasts, 1 quart of honey with a new pot 12 marrow bones Divers spicery G swans 1 pottle of fresh grease 12 conies 4 doz. pigeons 200 eggs 100 pears 2 gals, of frumenty 11 gals, red wine 2 gals, of cream 4 gals, milk Hire of 2 doz. earthen pots Half bushel flour 2 doz. white cups 1 kilderkin of good ale." At a later dinner, given by the Brewers, in the year of grace 1425, we find the following : — * Vide Herbert, vol. i. p. 77, 19G THE CITY COMPANIES I "Fish. Porpeys, salmon, 5 pykes, 800 herrings, etc. POULTEY. 21 swans, at 3s. 9d. 12 woodcocks, at 4cZ. 2 geese, at Sd. 12| doz. sm. birds, at 6d. 40 capons, at 6d. 3 doz. plovers, at 3s. 40 conies, at 3d. 18 larks, at 4(2. 48 partridges, at M, 6 doz. little birds, at lid!. BOCHERY. 2 boars 3i gal. fresh grease, at 16c?. per 2 rounds of beef gal." * 40 marrowbones with marrow The wliole cost of this dinner amounted to £38 4s. 2d, — a very large sum in that day. Consi- dering that these banquets were usually preceded by a sumptuous breakfast, these worthy liverymen could not be said to be placed on " short commons." Frequently the minutes of the companies afford such entries as the following : — " 7 Hen. VI. The expenses at hreahfast on day of account of the masters, consisting of koo courses, viz. : — " FmsT Course. — Grewel ferse a la pottage and pestell de porke, ove vertawes. " Second Course. — Capons and lambes rested, and doucettes for the bake meat." Should it be thought desirable to know the meaning of ''leche-Lombard," '' mottrews," etc., the explanation is easy. Eandle Holme informs us that leche-Lombard was a jelly, made of cream, isin- glass, sugar, and almonds, with moreover pork pounded in a mortar with egg, raisins, dates, sugar, salt, pepper, spices, milk, and red wine, the whole boiled in a bladder. Not bad meat, we imagine, and * Herbert, vol. i. p. 79. THEIR FEASTS. 197 we should think infinitely superior to any species of modern German sausage. We should like to have heard Soyer's opinion upon it ! But what is the next mys- terious article, mottrews ? This, say the learned lexicographers in the " Archseologia," consists '' of a rich stew or soup made of pork and poultry pow- dered in a mortar and strained." We know not what reward Gunter, or Eing and Brymer, or other great successors of the great cooks of ancient days, may feel inclined to bestow upon us for this most erudite recipe, but for their good, and for the good of mankind, we bring it forth into daylight, and wish all who taste of a viand so choice and rare, the best of digestions. We give them at the same time the following equally rare recipe : — " For to make a most choice paste of games to be eaten at tlio Feast of Chiystemasse." (17 Eichard II., a.d. 1394). " Take pheasant, hare, chicken, of each one, with two partridges, two pigeons, and two conyngys (rabbits), and smite them in pieces, and pick clean away therefrom all the boonys (bones) that ye may, and therewith do them unto a paste of good paste, made craftily in the likeness of a bird's body without the livers and hearts, two kidneys of sheep, and seasoning of eggs, made into balls. Cast thereto ponder of pepper, salt, spyce, vinegar, and mushrooms pickled ; and then take the bones and let them seeth in a pot to make a good broth for it, and put it into the paste and close * hit uppe faste,' and bake it well, and so serve it forth ; with the head of one of the birds stuck at the one end of the paste and a great tail at the other, and divers of his long feathers * sette ynne cunnynglye alle about him.' " The Salters' cook in 1830 made trial of the above recipe, and found it most excellent, as we are informed. 198 THE CITY C0MPA]SfI]2S *. Althoiigli, as we liave remarked, some of this feeding seems gross to our tastes, it is quite evident that our ancestors were not unacquainted with many luxuries indicating a certain amount of refinement. They used costly aromatic woods and spices at their banquets to perfume with sweet scents their apart- ments, and the Ironmongers, in 1541, have the heavy charge of Sd, for " roses, lavender, and sweet holy- toater ;^^ the Salters, in 1506, enter '^ perfume 2d, ;" and in 1559, the Carpenters are so profuse as to expend on *'a quart of rosewater xiid." *' This was a present at the time worthy of a king," as says Mr. Jupp, for in the Privy Purse expenses of Henry VIII., 1530, we read: — '' Item paid to a man in reward for bringing a glass of rosewater from Guildford to Windsor, 5s.'* The Carpenters' Company would seem to have taken the lead in luxury, for as early as the reign of Elizabeth we meet with the following entry : — " 1560, paid for a table cloth for the 'hy-tabyll' of dyaper, and for iij. dozen of ' naphjns of dyaper' £4 35. uy When we bear in mind that the use of forks did not become general till long after this period, it will be evident that table napkins must have been a necessary article at all feasts ; and it is singular that we have not met with their mention in any of the inventories of linen in the other companies, unless where the Ironmongers specify '* one doz. diaper cloths." Finger-glasses being unknown, washing THEIR FEASTS. 199 after dinner, as well as before, was usual, in imita- tion of tlie Romans, who in their later and luxurious days had water handed to them by servants as they reclined at table. " Stratoque super discumbitur ostro ; Dant manibus famuli lymphas." — Virg. JEn. 1, 705. "With such provision and the best of cheer, hap- piness reigned supreme. Care was driven from the scene. Thus our gay ancestors surrounded the festive board ! How they fared — how the " minstrels^' sang — how the " London clerics " performed the lioly Idlay — how the master and wardens were " crowned ivith garlands " — how the hall re-echoed with the sound of mirth and good fellowship — how the frag- ments of these mighty feasts were distributed to the needy, who ever found a welcome under these hospi- table roofs, — cannot now be told. We must defer that pleasant duty to a future page. 200 THE CITY COMPAISIES : CHAPTER XVIII. THEIR FEASTS, CONTINUED. ' THE CKOWNIKG WITH GARLANDS. "This day (September 21, 1671) I din'd in the city, at iho Fraternity Feast, in Yronmongers' Hall, where the four stewards chose their successors for the next year, with a solemn procession, garlands about their heads, and music playing before them; so coming up to the upper tables they drank to the new stewards." — Evelyn's JDiary. Aeter the grand feast of the year, that on election day, the most interesting incident to all the brethren was, immediately upon the removal of the cloth, the crowning with garlands the new master and wardens. In the Drapers' books, under date 1522, we read that dinner being finished, the old master rose and went into the parlour, having a garland on his head and his cup-bearer before him, and so he went straight to the upper end of the high board, with- out any minstrels, and " then chewsed Mr. Eudston, being then sheriff, for our new master, and sat down again." Then the master and wardens went into the parlour and took their four cup-bearers before them, without minstrels, and then crossed the great parlour, entering the hall, and so they went about till they came to the upper end of the liicjli hoards THETB FEASTS. 201 and there tlie chief warden delivered his garland to Sir Laurence Aylmer, as the eldest alderman, be- cause Mr. Brewer was absent. In Malcolm's " History of the Ironmongers' Com- pany" is a detailed account of the election ceremonies in 1565 (more than a century earlier than that at which good John Evelyn attended), when it is agreed that the two wardens at the dinner shall rise to go out, and then shall come in with garlands for the master only in the chief warden's hands, with the minstrels before them and the bedell, and, making their obeisance to the master, shall dehver him the same garland; and there shall remain and attend the master till the master hath assayed the garland upon the heads of such of the most worshipful as he shall think meet. And then the master to receive it again and set it on his own head. And the wardens to depart, the garland remaining still on the old master's head. And immediately the wardens to come in again, with the bedell and minstrels before them, either of them having his garland upon his head, and one to bear a cup before the chief warden, and to go once about the house, and after obeisance made, the chief warden to take the cup and to deliver it to the old master. And then the old master to take the garland off his own head and put it on the new master's head. And then the old master to -take the cup and drink to the new master ; and after that the wardens, after due reverence, to depart to assay their garlands; and then to go out, and to come in again, with the 202 THE CITY COMPANIES : minstrels and bedell before them, with their garlands on their heads, and in like manner place their gar- lands on the heads of the new wardens, as if saying, "Let merit crowns, and justice laurels give." Malcolm informs us that the garlands are like the heraldic wreath, except that they are made of red velvet, and have pieces of silver fastened on them engraved with the company's arms. This is pre- cisely the description of garlands still preserved, although not used at elections, by the Leathersellers' Company, except that the silver ornamentations, consisting of their arms, crest, and supporters, are more elaborate and pretentious than those described by Malcolm. Oa2:)s of maintenance (or, perhaps, more correctly, caps of lionour) are to this day used by the Skinners, instead of garlands, with just the same ceremonies as those above described, but which caps mysteriously happen to fit only those who have been selected as new master and wardens, and when they are found to fit, loud and prolonged acclamations ring through the hall, the drinking-cups are brought in by a pro- cession of certain blue-coat boys, the almsmen, livery, and trumpeters, all of whom must ** be clothed in their best." The earliest description of this ceremony is that of the Grocers, whose '* wardens were to come with garlondes on their hedes;" after the feast or " man- gerie" was finished, and they were to be chosen wardens for the year, , " upon whom the forseid garlondes shuUen be sette." The Carpenters' Com- THEIR rHASTS. 203 pany have an entry under the date August 11, 1657, to the effect that " after dinner the said election was openly published in the hall, and their election caps and garlands particularly presented to them that were present according to ancient custom. But for- asmuch as Mr. Hawkins, the youngest warden elect, was now absent, his garland was presented at the upper end of the table where his usual place hath been, and he was drunk to and openly published."* The custom of crowning prevails to this day also in this ancient company, the same caps of honour being used which were in use three hundred years ago. The master's is described as being of velvet, embroidered with gold and silver, bearing date 1561, and those of the three wardens very similar. Should any corporate body, jprojprio motu, intro- duce or institute such a ceremony in our day, we should look upon the whole proceeding with con- tempt ; and persons not acquainted with the origin of this custom and its vast antiquity, may approve of the taste displayed by such of the city gilds as have permitted it to fall into abeyance. Eor our- selves we think more highly of the rulers of those gilds which continue to observe these and similar usages of their ancestors, as the discontinuance of any of them indicates rather an ignorance of their meaning and deep significance. Just as unwise and imprudent would it be to abolish the ceremony observed at the universities in conferring upon the doctors their degree ; or, at Westminster^ upon the * Jupp, p. 210. 204 THE CITY companies: sovereign assuming his crown, for the nation to cease the practices usual at coronations. From the earliest historic period, crowns or wreaths have been held in high estimation. What would the Greeks have cared for their Pythian, Isthmian, Nemean, and Olympic games, with all their exciting pageantry, attracting people to witness them, not only from all Greece but from the whole civilized world, if it were not for the highest cere- mony of the whole, the crowning of the victors ? The intrinsic value of these garlands was nothing ; it was the honourable significance of the rite which made it beyond all price. At Delphi, a garland of apple rewarded the victor; at Corinth, a wreath of pine; and at Olympia, a laurel wreath. Such, then, was the crown awarded to the successful competitors at these celebrated games, and yet Cicero says that a victory at the Olympic games was not much less honourable than a triumph at Eome. Though a mere contest of skill, strength, or prowess, success indicated not only great natural gifts, but the possession of un- daunted spirit and resolution, and the victor was deserving of honour. *' Qui studet optatam cursu contingere mefcam Multa tulit fecitque puer ; sudavit, et alsifc, Abstinuit Yenere et Bacclio." — De Arte Toet. Although the Eomans, equally with the Greeks, made use of the corona in cases of success and eminence, their rite was. usually reserved for the encouragement and honouring of valour and industry. THEIR FEASTS. 205 The soldier who saved the life of a Roman citizen in an engagement, received with all honour and pomp the corona civica, the most valued of all their wreaths, composed of oaken boughs. Virgil designates it " civilis querciisJ^ However humble in rank other- wise the possessor of this wreath might be, yet, if he visited any public show, the whole assembly, senators as well as people, rose en masse to receive him, and, escorting him to the seats of honour, placed him with the senators.* He who first scaled the walls of a city in a general assault received a corona muralis ; he who first forced the enemy's entrenchments had as reward the corona castrensis ; and the successful sea captain was crowned with the corona navalis, " Cui belli insigne superbum Tempora navali fulgent rostrata corona." Virg. JEn. viii., 684. Besides these was the corona obsidionalis, given by the soldiers to their general after a victorious siege ; the corona triumpJialis, made of laurel wreaths, but afterwards changed to gold, as was also the cas- trensis, the mural, and the naval. The ceremony of crowning these heroes was very imposing, and termed a Triumph ; but another similar rite was called an Ovation (not from shouting Evion ! as some say, but from ovis, a sheep, which was usually offered in the procession), Plutarch considers that the Triumph was for conquerors; the Ovation for those who, without force, by benevolence and civil behaviour, had secured peace, t * Plin., lib. 16, cap. 4. f Plut. in Marcell. 206 THE CITY companies: Thus, then, the masters of the trade gilds were received not with a conqueror's triumph, but an ovation was awarded them, for cultivating by civil behaviour and benevolence the arts of peace, and endeavouring to maintain peaceable relations with their fellow-men. But, it may be argued, why should the ancient English traders imitate such customs of the Greek and Romans ? Such a borrowing is as unmeaning as if themselves had first instituted them ! No doubt of it, if unsanctioned by authority of their sovereign ; and we hesitate not to venture the opinion that no item of pageantry, no device or symbol of heraldry, no civic ceremonial similar in character to those observed by sovereigns in the investiture of the orders of nobility, has ever been adopted or used by these gilds unless in every instance, and to the most minute detail, the King of Arms and the sovereign prince had first in due form conferred upon them the right. The early occupants of England, both the Anglo-Saxons and Normans, with all their love of pomp and ceremonial in matters religious, mili- tary, and civil, had no vain, unmeaning customs. Some deep significance was in every symbol and in every rite. This is especially observable in more recent times, when the symbols of heraldry became a science. So in the forms observed on the creation of a peer of the realm. The crowning of the wardens of the gilds with garlands or caps is ex- ceedingly significant. Patrouillet says that the giving of the cap to the students in the Universities was to THEIR FEASTS. 207 denote that they had acquired full liberty, and were no longer subject to the rod of their superiors, in imitation of the ancient Komans, who gave the 'pileuSy or cap, to their slaves in the ceremony of making them free ; whence the proverb vocare servos ad jpileum. Hence also on medals the cap is the symbol of liberty, whom they represent holding a cap in her right hand by the point. In the year 1362, when King Edward III. created his son John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster, he in- vested him with a sword, and also himself put upon him a caj^ of fur under a coronet of gold set with precious stones. The first introduction of this order of the peerage into this country was in the eleventh of this reign (a.d. 1337), when the eldest son of the King, commonly called the Black Prince, was created Duke of Cornwall. Heralds assure us that the only ceremony at his investiture was girding him with a sword. The cap was used, however, in 1362, and continued in use on all investitures of dukes until the custom obtained of creation by patent, when these forms ceased. The cap of the marquis, earl, viscount, and baron is of crimson velvet, lined with ermine, having a gold tassel at the top. The crest of the city of London is a cap of far similar to that of the duke, and also to that for many centuries worn by the city swordbearer. In former chapters we have shown that the City gilds were most careful to observe the strict rules of heraldry and of precedency ; that their arms and other honourable grants, such as supporters, earls' 208 THE ciTT companies: helmets, etc., were amongst the first conferred in this country; that their gorgeous palls, adorned with heraldic devices, were manufactured under the supervision of the Lancaster herald ; and that even to the details of the cut and colour of their livery, they deemed it incumbent upon them to obtain the royal sanction. We think, therefore, that although we can find no commencement of the custom at their feasts of crowning with garlands or caps of honour, nor have we been enabled at present to meet with any records of authority for the usage, still, from our knowledge of the spirit which actuated these ancient traders, from their minute correctness in all details of courtesy and ritualism, from the intimate relations which they have held in all ages with the various monarchs and royal princes, many of whom themselves, be it noted, have witnessed this crowning, and some themselves submitted to the rite, we hesitate not to say that this, like all their other usages, is not only suggestive and valuable, but honourable, as having been one of the most ancient of all their royal grants and privileges. Since writing the above lines, by the favour of the learned author we have been enabled to peruse a most valuable pamphlet printed in York foi' private circulation the 9th of November, 1865, on " the York Cap of Maintenance ;" and although some of the points just named in this chapter do not come under consideration in that able essay, the tendency of the whole is most fully to corroborate the views here enunciated ; and other matters are there referred THEIK FEASTS. 209. to whicli indicate great research, and in a manner contributing mucli to enhance the value of that addition to our antiquarian literature. A reference to the other proceedings of these splendid ancient feasts — the '' songs of the min- strels " — the acting of the "holy play" by the London clerks" — the pledging of each other in the '* loving cup," and the like, must be deferred to future chapters. 14 210 THE CITY COMPANIES I CHAPTEE XIX. THEIR FEASTS, CONTINUED. THE MINSTEELS. " Hark how the minstrels 'gin to shrill aloud Their merry musick that resounds from far ; The pipe, the tabor, and the trembling croud (fiddle), That well agree withouten breach or jar." Spenser, E^pith. As the master of the company was in all cavalcades preceded by his bedell in his scarlet suit, and by his minstrels in their golden chains and gay attire, all on horseback, so was he also attended by the same at all the most sumptuous feasts. During the time of dinner the minstrels were bountifully provided for with *' meats and wines of the best," probably in an adjoining chamber. At the election feasts, as we have just seen, their services were required in the hall, to attend the master with the garlands. After the ancient ceremony of crowning, and the passing of the '' loving cup," followed the time-honoured custom of " toasting " and of '' wine drinking," the latter accompanied by the varied performances of the minstrels. Little is now known of this singular class of men, and less of the songs they sang at these festive THEIR FEASTS. 211 meetings. In ancient days we know they tuned tlieir voices to their harps, and perhaps they con- tinued so to do to the end. Mean as our present estimate of these men may be, they once held an honourable rank; they were, undoubtedly, most able singers, players, and composers, in their most prosperous days. In times of universal ignorance, these gifted men were held in the highest estimation by all classes ; they were the companions of kings, and received the highest honours and rewards. In the days of King Alfred, each prince or monarch had a minstrel as one of his most eminent officers, and kings themselves deemed the occupation of minstrelsy not beneath them. When the Saxons first invaded Britain, Colgrin, son of Ella, who succeeded Hengist, was closely besieged at York by Arthur and the British. Bal- dulph, his brother, we read, desiring to tell him of a reinforcement, dressed himself as a minstrel, took his harp in his hand, and thus obtained an entrance into the very citadel of Old York. All chroniclers inform us that the genius of the great King Alfred was first aroused by listening to the stirring strains of the bards, whose poetry fired his soul to effort and endurance, and resulted in his being enabled to read their productions, and himself to equal and excel his teachers. The knowledge of this art saved his kingdom, for when outnumbered by the Danes, and compelled to dismiss his followers, he, disguised as a harper, entered the camp of his enemy, Guthrum ; was there entertained for many days, learned iheir 212 THE CITY companies: tactics, saw their negligence, returned, — ^re-assembled his nobles, expelled the invaders, and peace, and security, and sovereignty resulted from the chanting of this minstrel-king. King Richard I. was equally successful as a bard. After a whole year's imprisonment he obtained his liberty and kingdom owing to his skill in song, for Blondell, his faithful minstrel, from outside the castle in which he was detained, began to sing a song which King Eichard and Blondell had learned together, so that when the King heard the song he knew that it was Blondell that sung it, and when he paused at half the song, the King began the other half and completed it. " Thus Blondell won know- ledge of the King, and returning into England made the barons of the country acquainted where the King was." This happened, adds the chronicler, about the year 1193. This monarch had several minstrels in his pay, one of whom, the celebrated Fouquette, upon the death of Eichard, became a monk, and at length rose to be Archbishop of Toulouse. In the palmy days of minstrelsy, no doubt, the great and royal feasts of the companies would be graced by the presence of such poets as the royal bards, the noble flights of whose genius, and melting strains of whose melodies, would add greatly to the dignity and happiness of the festival. How far superior must have been the soul-stirring rhapsodies of these ancient bards, such as " Chevy Chase " or "Coeur de Leon," to the mediocre, unmeaning, sentimental ballads usually forming the staple com- THEIR FEASTS. 213 modity of our after-dinner singers in tins year of grace one thousand eiglit hundred and sixty-nine ! From the mention made of this ancient order of men in the books of the companies, it would appear that as a class they did not always take the highest rank; and at one time that they had forsaken London altogether, notwithstanding that that mighty city must have been the very centre of their en- gagements. In the year 1401, when Joan, queen of Henry IV., made her entrance into London, the Grrocers, with the other crafts, "met her and brought her into London, where for her were ordeyned sumptuous and costly pageants, and resemblance of divers old histories, to the great comfort of her and of such as came with her," says Stow. On this occasion the Grocers enter a charge of 6s. 8d. paid to Eobert Sterns, their bedell, to ride into Suffolk to furnish minstrels. He was so fortunate as to pro- cure six of them, to whom was paid £4 for riding with the company to Blackheath, and 25. for their dinner and wine. That their appearance should not disgrace so wealthy a company, 10s. 2d, was expended on *'new caps and hoods." The next day 13s. M, is charged for the minstrels' attendance when the Queen passed through Cheapside; for wine while there, 18d. ; and for a horse for the bedell, 12d. The dress of the minstrels at this period was very showy, and they were adorned with chains of gold and silver ; their horses also were richly capa- risoned. At an earlier period they assumed the clerical garb, and ever retained the tonsure. 214 THE CITY COMPANIES : In 1401, the same company expend 40s. for six minstrels, Sd. for their ** chaprons," * 21d. for their dinner and wine by the way, and 4d, for a horse for the bedell. (We learn from this and the former entry that the minstrels found their own horses.) Again, the same year is a charge of 46s. Sd, for seven minstrels to ride with their sheriffs, 8s, lOd, for cloth for their " chaperons," 16d, for their dinner and wine, and 136?. for the " bedell's horse." In 1481, it would appear that the Drapers found horses, for only Is. iijd. is charged for " the myn- strellis for the Mayre Sir Wm. Heriot," and even then the pay is small. In 1486, we read, " Paid to nine mynstrels and their marshall, 66s, 8d, ; twelve crimson hats for the mynstrels, 6s, 8c?." In the reigns of Edward II. and Edward III., the minstrels' profession reached its zenith of popu- larity in England; they were encouraged by the wealthy and applauded by all, but in the succeeding reigns they declined in public favour ; probably they became dissipated and licentious, and unwilling to make advances in education and refinement. A change was gradually taking place throughout the" kingdom; the great were beginning to sanction education ; the Latin classics were becoming their study and delight, and at length the minstrel's song sounded coarse and rude after the flowing periods of Virgil and the Eoman poets. Soon they were no longer to be seen in the ancient halls of the kingly and the noble, but were glad henceforth to amuse * Little escutcheons on tlie horses' foreheads. THEIB FEASTS. 215 the vulgar at tlie tournament, the pageant, or the fair. " A wandering harper, scorned and poor, He begged his bread from door to door. And tuned to please a peasant's ear The harp a king had loved to hear." The noble bearing and manly dignity, for which they were once so famed, gave place to a low and ignoble address; their songs were now, like themselves, licentious and depraved, and they at length became outcasts from all virtuous communities. To such a depth had they fallen, that in Sandys' s paraphrases they are thus mentioned — " I to the vulgar am become a jest, Esteemed as a minstrel at a feast." And Dry den is still more severe in his strictures upon them — " These fellows Were once the minstrels of a country show; Followed the prizes through each paltry town. By trumpet cheeks and bloated faces known." Even as early as the reign of Richard II., many of the profession were engaged in duties very un- fitting the poet or musician. In the '' liiber Albus," we read that punishments were inflicted upon male- factors, by their being openly brought from prison with minstrels unto the thew (pillory for women), where '' their hair was to be cut about their heads." If any woman be a brawler or a scold, let such be taken unto the thew with a distaff dressed with flax 216 THE CITY companies: in her hand, with minstrels, and be set thereon for a certain time, at the Mayor's discretion.* At an early period a powerful set of rivals began to grow up in London, doomed eventually to abolish the whole race of minstrels. This was the parish clerks, a very numerous and respectable class of men, who, as early as the reign of Henry III., had become sufficiently powerful to obtain from that monarch a charter of incorporation, under the title of the Fraternity of Clerks. These were the "London Clerks" so often spoken of by modern* writers as the actors of the " holy plays " at the civic feasts. Within a few months an able writer in one of the magazines, in reference to this, remarks : '^It requires a not- easily-made stretch of modern imagination to picture to ourselves a set of * London Clerks' — say, for instance, the members of Sion College, with their President for prompter — playing some holy play as an adjunct to the festivities of a London Livery dinner, or a Lord Mayor's feast." t Had this well-informed writer searched diligently, he would have found continually in the Companies' records this expression — '' The priests, and London clerics. ^^ We do not dispute that in very early times the monks have themselves acted certain holy plays or mysteries — " Isaac's Wedding," or the " Storie of Sampsone," or " Noah's Mood," but we main- tain that whenever we meet in the Companies' re- cords mention of the "London clerks," since the year of our Lord 1220, nothing else is meant than * Lib. iii., pt. iv., fol. 239. t The Argosy, Dec. 1866, p. 65. THEIR FEASTS. 217 tlie " Society of Parish Clerks," as at that time in- corporated by royal charter, under the name of the fraternity of "clerks." Herbert, in his "History of the Twelve Great Companies," falls into this same mistake, when speaking of the holy plays by the London clerks at the great City feasts. He says, " the payment of London clerks for their ' play,' confirms other accounts as to the ecclesiastics being the first actors of the middle ages" (vol. i., p. 85), at which remark our readers will be equally surprised with ourselves if they will read the following extracts from the books of the various companies, quoted by Herbert himself: — "A.D. 1444. — Obit founded in the Goldsmiths' Company by- Thomas Polle. To pay the Eector Sd. „ Chaplain of the Chantry - - - • 6d. „ every other Chaplain 6d. „ and every Clerk - - - - - - 4