Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 2.djvu/185

 ii s. VIIL AUG. so, 1913.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

179

an

Calendar of Letter-Books preserved among the

Archives of the Corporation of the City of London.

Letter-Book L. Edited by Reginald R.

Sharpe, D.C.L. (Printed by Order of the

Corporation.)

LETTER-BOOK L commences with the year 1461, and closes in the year 1497, and is edited, like all the previous ones, by Dr. Sharpe. In the Introduction we are told that the custom of the Town Clerk signing official documents with his surname only originated with John Carpenter, whose foible it was occasionally to affix such a signature. This grew into a common practice with William Dunthorn and later Town Clerks, and has been continued down to the present day.

Dr. Sharpe tells us that, contrary to what might have been supposed there is only one instance recorded of money granted ,to Edward IV. i.e. of a so-called " Benevolence." This grant for 5,000 marks was made by the City early in 1481, when England was threatened with a Scottish invasion. " The money, as we learn from another source, was repaid the following year- Of a former Benevolence to which the Mayor and Aldermen made heavy contributions in 1475, to assist the King in his expedition against France, the Letter -Book says not a word."

We are, however, reminded of two calamities. " One was a scarcity of cereals towards the close of 1482, which threatened a famine in the City had not merchants been encouraged to send their grain to London by a promise that it should not be intercepted by the King's purveyors ; and the other was a visitation of the epidemic known as the ' sweating sickness,' which in 1485 carried off two Mayors and six Aldermen within a week. Thomas Hille, who was Mayor at the time of the outbreak, fell a victim to the sickness, and died on the 23rd September, and was succeeded by William Stokker, appointed the following day. Within four days Stokker himself was dead, and on the 29th John Warde was elected Mayor for the remainder of the official year." Warde had but little liking for the City at any time, and he only remained in it during his term of office under the threat of a penalty of 500Z.

It was not until 1475 that any arrangement was made as to the number of sessions to be held in the year for gaol-delivery of Newgate. In that year an ordinance was passed by the Court of Aldermen to the effect that henceforth sessions should be held at least five times a year. " At the present day, pursuant to the Act of 1834 constituting the Central Criminal Court, sessions are held at least twelve times a year, or once a month, the time being fixed by general orders of the Court approved by at least eight judges of the High Court."

In reference to the title " Lord " Mayor of the City of London our readers will remember that Dr. Sharpe in ' N. & Q.' for January llth, 1908 (1<> S. ix. 20), kindly gave them the advantage of some of his notes on the subject. At that lime 1504 was the earliest period at which he had found the title " my lorde Mayre." Further research puts back the date to between January

and April, 1486, when, in orders then issued " for the destruction of unlawful nets and sacks of coal deficient in holding capacity," the title " my lord Mayor " occurs for the first time. Dr. Sharpe in reference to this says :{

" It has long been a moot point as to when and how the Mayor of the City obtained the prefix of ' Lord.' It was stated in the City's official return to the Royal Commission of 1893 that ' the title of the Chief Magistrate of the City of London to be styled " Lord Mayor " dates bacfe to the Fourth Charter of Edward III. (1354),' butt such a statement is manifestly incorrect, for reasons that need not be discussed here."

Dr. Sharpe considers that " the true explana- tion is probably to be found in a misinterpretation, of the Latin title dominus Maior, which originally meant nothing more than Sir Mayor, as already pointed out in the preceding Calendar. In course of time it came to be translated into ' the lord the Mayor,' whence it was but a step to ' the lord

Mayor.' It was not until 1534 or 1535 that

the title ' lord Mayor ' came to be generallv used."

There is much of interest relating to the Livery Companies. "The origin of this term 'livery' (Lat. liberatitra) is to be found in the feudal custom of Barons and other great lords ' delivering r badges and liveries to their retainers, known as- 'Livery of Company.' " The distribution of livery cloth has continued to the present timo r and the annual cost to the City amounts to 117Z. 10s. 6d.

At what date the Livery began to usurp tte function of the Commonalty in the election cf the City's representatives in Parliament is not clear, but from the earliest times women have* been privileged by the Companies. Women were admissible into every trade or craft Guild r and " it is not an uncommon thing to find women enrolled as members of Guilds where one would least expect them, such as the Armourers, the Founders, and the Barber-Surgeons." The Guild of Brewers had an exceptionally large number of female members, no fewer than 39 women being recorded in 1417 as wearing the Livery.

Women have even laid claim to the freedom of the City. As recently as April in the present year a widow was among the applicants, her- claim being made upon the ground that there had been several cases of women " freemen." The question was adjourned for precedents.

We regret much to read at the close of Dr.. Sharpe's Introduction that in all probability this is the last Calendar of the City's Letter- Books for which he will be responsible. We' trust this will not be the case, for these Letter-Books have been to us delightful reading, and, besides, we feef strongly how increasingly important a part work of this kind is likely to play. It seems to us that even the general reader whose interest in history is genuine will turn at least upon some one ques- tion or period from the professed historian to the matter upon which the historian works, now that so much of this has been made accessible. It matters, then, much that the editing of Calendar* should be done with the thoroughness and dis- crimination of a professed scholar such as Dr. Sharpe, and numerous as are now the men to whom we feel grateful for labours of this kind, it is none the less a serious loss when a veteran steps out of their ranks.