Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 8.djvu/153

 10 s. VIIL AUG. 17, 1907.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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Calendars of Letter-Books can be purchased only in complete sets (9 vols. : the niiitli in course of : preparation) at 5s. a volume.

I can only express a hope that future numbers of ' N. & Q.' will show a more , extended list, and that the Corporation ; may be induced to open up still further the vast stores of historical wealth they possess. There surely can be little doubt that if works of the character that could be pro- duced were so published as to become known to the general public, they could be made a commercial success. The value attached to many of the works that have already been printed by the Corporation is shown by the prices affixed to those that occur at intervals in booksellers' catalogues. One has only to turn over lists of this kind to see how popular is the story of our old city. The first attempt to give a detailed history of any particular City guild was made by Edward Basil Japp, who wrote an historical account of the Carpenters, with illustrations by Fairholt. This was published by Pickering in 1848, and has been followed by many others, including Humpherus's history of the Watermen, which is in four volumes, and was published in 1859. W. H. Black wrote about the Leathersellers. This book, like that of Humpherus, is scarce, and fetches 51. 15s. Clode also wrote two works on the Merchant Taylors. This he did to com- memorate his mastership in 1873-4, he being the 574th Master.

London has formed a topic of perennial interest in ' N. & Q.' As early as the 6th of December, 1851, the question as to its etymology was raised by M. C. E., to which FRANCIS CBOSSLEY replied, suggesting that the word is derived from the Celtic Luan, " the moon," and dun, " a city on a hill." Thus Luandun would mean " the city of the moon," i.e., of " the temple of the moon." Fuller's ' Worthies ' was quoted by J. EASTWOOD : " That it was so termed from Lan Dian, a temple of Diana, standing where now St. Paul's doth."

On the 29th of January, 1853, Mr. Thorns announces that " the Corporation of London Library is being thrown open to all literary men ; the tickets of admission being accompanied by letters expressive of a wish that the holders should make frequent use of them."

Much is to be found in our pages as to the titles and precedence of the Lord Mayors of London. An editorial note on the 21st of May, 1870, quoting from Maitland, states that

"the title of Lord was conferred on the Mayor of London by the charter of maces, 28 Edward III., June 10, 1354, when that officer had the honour of" having maces, the same as royal, carried before him by the Serjeants, an honour expressly interdicted to all other persons in the kingdom."

The precedence taken by the Lord Mayor on public occasions is shown by the follow- ing extract from The Times of the 10th of January, 1806. In giving an account of Nelson's funeral, which had taken place at St. Paul's on the previous day, it stated :

" The Procession entered at the Great Western Door of the Church, according to the ceremonial which we have already given, as published by the College of Arms, with this exception of the last publication respecting the situation to be taken by the Lord Mayor in the Processions both to the Church, and from the West door of the Cathedral to the Choir. His Lordship was placed in the Processions, both in his State Carriage and in the Church, between his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and the Herald of Arms, who preceded the Great Banners, in obedience to a warrant under his Majesty's Royal Signet and Sign Manual, bear- ing date the 6 th instant, placing the Lord Mayor in the same situation as if his Majesty had been personally present, and published by the authority of the College of Arms on the 8 th of January."

That the Lord Mayor is not a Privy Councillor was, after a somewhat warm discussion,, settled on the 18th of February, 1854. The Lord Mayor is summoned (as are the Sheriffs, Aldermen, and a number of other notabilities, not Privy Councillors) to attend a meeting on the demise of the crown for proclaiming the new sovereign ; and it is mentioned that in The London Gazette of the 20th of June, 1837, the names of the Privy Councillors are given in one list, to the number of 83, and in another list the names of the persons attending the meeting to the number of above 150, amongst whom are the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, Aldermen, Common Serjeant, City Solicitor, &c. Two of the contributors on the subject had been among those summoned, although not members of the Privy Council.

We have not had many Lord Mayors proud of their horsemanship, but D. S. states on the 8th of December, 1855, that Sir Claudius Stephen Hunter, who was Lord Mayor in 1811, was to be seen every day displaying himself to his civic subjects, gracefully disporting on a white horse. He was made the subject of the following epigram :

HUNTER, MAYOR. An Emp'ror of Rome, who was famous for whim,.

A consul his hor#e did declare : The City of London, to imitate him,

Of a Hunter have made a Lord Mayor.