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A31166 The Case of the Lord Mayor and aldermen of London, upon the petition of some of the Common-Council men presented to the Honourable House of Commons, with his Lordships and the aldermens answer to the charge exhibited against them in the said petition. City of London (England). Lord Mayor.; City of London (England). Court of Aldermen. 1690 (1690) Wing C1106; ESTC R7825 3,869 2

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THE CASE of the Lord Mayor and Aldermen OF LONDON UPON The PETITION of some of the Common-Council Men presented to the Honourable House of Commons with his Lordships and the Aldermens Answer to the Charge exhibited against them in the said Petition Licens'd Decemb. 13. 1690. The first Charge in the Petition is THat several Aldermen now act who were so made by Charter or Commissions from the late King James under some doubtful Expressions in the late Act of Parliament for reversing the Judgment against the City Answer That there are now 26 Aldermen 10 of them were so when the said Judgment was given against the City and some of them afterwards continued to act as Aldermen by Commissions from Charles the 2d and James the 2d viz. Sir William Pritchard the first Maior by Commission Sir John Moore Sir Rob. Jefferies Sir Jonathan Raymond Sir Peter Daniel and Sir Peter Rich and as for Sir Rob. Clayton Sir John Lawrence and Sir Patience Ward who were three of the said ten they refused to Act by any Commission but do now act as Aldermen all the said ten Aldermen being restored to their Offices by the said late Act of Parliament That as to the other 16 Aldermen 14 of them were after the late K. James his Charter of Restoration to the City all chosen by their respective Wards according to the ancient Custome the Wards for which they were chosen being vacant either by the Deaths or Surrenders of the Persons who were Aldermen thereof at the time of the said Judgment and 2 of the said 16 were chosen according to Custome since the said Act of Parliament so that the whole Court of Aldermen by Vertue of the said Act of Parliament is now settled upon their ancient Foundation and act not by any Commission whatsoever That the Petitioners pretence of some doubtful Words in the Act of Parliament is because it doth not confirm the Aldermen duely chosen as aforesaid Aldermen being not named in the Act But this is a meer Cavil without ground for that all Officers Ministers and Persons holding any Places or Employments in the City are confirm'd in their Places and an Alderman is as considerable an Officer as any in the City except the Mayor he is a Judicial of the Court of Aldermen and Court of Orphans by the ancient Oath of an Alderman he is sworn to be true to the King and City in the Office of an Alderman and in all Acts of Parliament where Aldermen are named it s called the Office of an Alderman viz. 13 Car. 2. and 14 Car. 2. about Corporations and in the Writs of Mandamus its called the Office of Alderman The second Charge That Sir Tho. Pilkington was by the said Aldermen on the day of Election appointed by the said Act of Parliament declared and made Mayor tho not duely returned by the Common-Hall according to Custome Answer That it will be proved beyond contradiction that the Common-Hall was duely call'd a fair Poll was taken that the present Lord Mayor and Sir Jonathan Raymond had the Majority of the Poll that they two were by the Sheriffs returned to the Court of Aldermen who according to Custome did choose the present Lord Mayor That Sir Robert Adams and some others after the Poll was closed and while it was casting up demanded of the Sheriffs a Scrutiny thereof which was granted that afterwards the Sheriffs came into the Common-Hall and declared the Poll and that a Scrutiny was demanded and granted and that the next day the Sheriffs sent to the said Sir Robert Adams and the others who demanded the Scrutiny that the day following they would proceed upon the Scrutiny accordingly the Sheriffs met at the time appointed and the said Sir Robert Adams and the other Persons came but they refused to proceed therein saying they were satisfied with the Declaration the Sheriffs had made of the Poll in the Common-Hall Perhaps it may be objected That there is a By-law That no Person can be Mayor two Years together Let that whole By-law be read and it will appear to have been Enacted that for avoiding the Charges of that Office none shall be compelled to hold a second Year that is against his Will But the now Mayor before his last Election had not held the Office for one whole Year though he had two-pieces of two several Years and then the said Act of Parliament happening he was chosen not according to Custome which the said By-law referrs to but by the said Act of Parliament which ordains a Mayor to be chosen and to hold for longer than a Year And further if by the said By-law the last Election of the present Lord Mayor be pretended void or that he is unduely elected and that Sir William Pritchard who was Mayor when the said Judgment was given against the City ought by the said Act of Parliament to be Mayor Answer Whether this be so or not is only tryable in Westminster-Hall and for that purpose the said Sir William Prichard the last Trinity Term brought his Writ of Mandamus to be admitted to the Office of Mayor and a Return was made thereto That the present Maior was duely elected according to the said Act of Parliament which if not true Sir William Pritchard might have brought and may still bring his Action and try the said matter The Third Charge is That by the Contrivance of the Maior and Aldermen Mr. Robinson is imposed on the Petitioners as Chamberlain thô another Person was duely elected to that Office viz. Sir Peter Rich. Answer It will be proved That in the Common Hall upon view of the Hands the Sheriffs declared Mr. Robinson to be chosen but a Poll was demanded and granted and upon the Casting it up Sir Peter Rich had the Majority by three Then a Scrutiny was demanded and granted and Sir Peter Rich had several times notice given him to be at the Scrutiny but he refused to come That the Scrutiny of the Poll was afterwards proceeded in whereby it appeared that there were Fifty whole polled for Sir Peter Rich and Seventeen for Mr. Robinson that were not Livery men whereby Robinson had the Majority by 30. That Oath being made of all this matter before the Court of Aldermen by their Oaths they could not refuse the Swearing and admitting the said Robinson Chamberlain That the said Sir Peter Rich looking upon himself injured brought his Writ of Mandamus to be admitted Chamberlain to which Writ the Mayor and Aldermen returned That he was not elected Chamberlain That the said Sir Peter Rich thereupon brought his Action against the Lord Mayor in the Kings Bench for making the said Return to which he hath appeared and upon the tryall thereof it will appear whether the said Sir Peter Rich be chosen or not and if it shall be found for him he will recover his damages which is conceived to be a much more Legal method for trying that matter than the Petitioners The fourth