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A88494 Londons ancient priviledges unvailed or An extract taken out of the principall charters of London, confirmed by many acts of Parliament, which are still in force. By which appeareth, that the free-men of the Citie of London have their liberty to chuse yearly, or oftner (if need be) a major, two sheriffs, four treasurers, two bridge-masters, chamberlane, common clark, common sergeant, of the city aforesaid, and to remove them at pleasure. That the free-men of wards have a right, yearly to chuse their aldermen, and that the same aldermen are not to bee chosen the next yeere. These and many other particulars of the long concealed rights of the free-men of London, will most evidently appear in the ensuing relation. City of London (England). 1648 (1648) Wing L2919; Thomason 669.f.13[23]; ESTC R210955 5,582 1

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Londons ancient Priviledges unvailed OR An Extract taken out of the principall Charters of London confirmed by many Acts of Parliament which are still in force By which appeareth That the Free-men of the Citie of London have their liberty to chuse Yearly or oftner if need be a Major two Sheriffs four Treasurers two Bridge-Masters Chamberlane common Clark common Sergeant of the City aforesaid and to remove them at Pleasure That the Free-men of Wards have a Right Yearly to chuse their Aldermen and that the same Aldermen are not to bee chosen the next Yeare These and many other particulars of the long concealed Rights of the Free-men of London will most evidently appear in the ensuing Relation The first Charter granted to the Citizens of London was by King Henry the first who Reigned in the Yeer one Thousand one Hundred HENRY By the Grace of God 148. yeers since the first Sheriffe of London this yeer 1648. King of England Know ye that we have granted to my Citizens of London to hold Middle sex by Farm for three hundred pounds upon Accompt to Them and their Heirs of Me and My Heirs so as the said Citizens shall appoint a Sheriffe whom they please of themselves Also granted that all Citizens of London shall be discharged and free and all their goods throughout all England and Sea-ports of Toll Passage and Lastage and all other Customs and if any shall take Toll or Custom of my Citizens of London the City may take of the Burrough or of the Town where the Toll or Custom was taken so much as the man of London for Toll gave and moreover for his damage which he shall receive And that the Citizens of London may have their Chases to chase to wit in Chiltre and Middlesex and Surrey King Henry the second confirmed the said Charter and granted to the Citizens of London that all of them be free and discharged of Bridge-Toll and Childewits of Jerefgreen and of Scotale Richard the first confirmed the said Charters and granted That if any in all England shall take Toll or Custom of the men of London after that such an one fail to do right the Sheriffe of London may take a Distress thereupon at London Also the same King in his second Charter grants in these words Be it known unto you all that We for the health of Our soul and for the health of the soul of King Henry Our Father and the souls of Our Predecessors and also for the common profit of Our City of London and Our whole Realm of England granted and firmly commanded that all the Weers which be in the Thames be removed wheresoever in Thames they be and from henceforth Weers be not set any where in Thames We have also quite claimed all that which the Keepers of Our Tower of London use yeerly to take of the foresaid Weers King John in his first Charter Confirmed all the foresaid Charters and in his second Charter which was in the yeer 1205. granted to the Citizens of London That they of themselves may make two Sheriffs whom they will and remove them when they please and present those whom they make Sheriffs to Our Barons of the Exchequer and if those for the time being shall be appointed Sheriffs shall commit any offence wherefore they ought to incur the merce of money or be amerced shall be adjudged or condemned in no more but in forfeiture of twenty pounds and that without loss or prejudice of other Citizens if the Sheriffs be not able to pay the forfeiture but if they commit any offence for which they ought to undergo the Tryal of Life or Member they are to be adjudged as they ought by the law of the City but of that which belongs to the Sheriffwick the Sheriffs shall answer in Our Exchequer before Our Barons saving to the said Sheriffs the liberties which other Citizens of London have King John in his fourth Charter 433 yeers since the first Maior of London this 1648. in the sixteenth yeer of His Reigne which was in the yeer 1215. granted to our Barons of our City of London That they may of themselves chuse yeerly a Maior who is discreet and fit for Government of the City so that when he shall be chosen he shall be presented to Vs or to Our Justice if We be not present and to swear to Vs fidelity and that they may at the end of the yeer remove him and appoint another or continue him if they please And King Henry the third confirmed the said Charter which was made by his Father King John King Edward the second in the yeer 1338. The Livery-men had not a Being until within this hundred yeers upon the Petition of the Maior and Citizens granted thirty particulars of their Desires in their Petition the first That the Maior and Sheriffs of the said City be chosen by the Citizens of the same City and not otherwise and that the Maior of the City aforesaid shall not abide in his Office at one time above one yeer and none of the Sheriffs have but two Clerks and two servants in regard of that Office and that they take such Clerks and serjeants at their own peril for whom they will answer and that the Maior of the City aforesaid while he is Maior hold no other Office belonging to the City then the Office of the Majoralty of the same City nor any other place then those which according to the ancient Custom of the said City as Maior he ought to hold And that the Aldermen of the said City from yeer to yeer and especially upon the day of St Gregory the Pope by the said Communalty be removable and being removed may not be chosen again for the ensuing yeer but insteed of those that be removed others be chosen by the same VVards of which the Aldermen so removed were and that all Tallages or Aids for the use of Vs or for the state or profit of the City from henceforth in the same to be assessed after they be assessed by men of the VVards chosen or deputed for that end may not be encreased or raised by the Maior Aldermen or others And that the monies arising from such Tallages or Aids be delivered into the custody of four honest Commoners of the City aforesaid for that end to be chosen by the Commonalty of the said Citie to be paid over by the testimony of the same four men so that the said four men may be able to informe the said Commonalty for what profit and what uses the said monies went And that strangers or others if they be of no trade then they may not be made 〈◊〉 of the said Cittie without the assent of the Commonalty of the said Cittie and who against their Oaths in this behalf or against the State of the Cittie have acted and been lawfully convicted shall forfeit their freedom of the Cittie and that every year inquisition shall be made if any Free man of the
said City shall sell in the City the Goods of others who are not free by calling those Goods their own those that shall be lawfully convicted do forfeit their Freedom of the City And that the main Common-Seal of the City aforesaid be in the custody of two Aldermen and two Commoners to be chosen for it by the Commons of the City and that the said Seal be not denyed to the poor nor rich Commoners of the City aforesaid whensoever they stand in need of it and that nothing be taken for the setting to of the said Seal And that Weights and Measures of Marchandize to be measured betwixt Marchant and Marchant of which the profit arising and the cognizance of the same belong to the Commonalty of the said City remain in the keeping of honest men of the City skillful in that calling and to be chosen for this by the Commonalty of the City to be kept at the pleasure of the said commonalty and it to be trusted by no means to any other but to such so to be chosen And that Marchants who are not of the freedom of the City aforesaid may not sell any Wines or other wares within the City or Suburbs thereof by retale And that the keeping of the Bridge of the City aforesaid and the Rents and profits belonging to the said Bridge be committed to two honest and able men of the City aforesaid others then Aldermen to be chosen for that purpose by the Commonalty of the said City to be kept at the pleasure of the Commonalty of the said City who are to answer to the Commonalty of the said City for the same And that the Chamberlane common Clark common Serjeant of the City aforesaid be chosen by the Commonalty of the said City and removed at their pleasure And that the goods of Aldermen of the said City be taxed as the goods of other Citizens in Aids Tallages and other Contributions hapening in the City by men of the Wards where these Aldermen abide Moreover We being willing upon their Petition to confer more ample favour upon the Major Aldermen and Cittizens have granted to them for us and our heirs that the Major Aldermen Citizens and Commonalty of the Commons of the City aforesaid and their Heirs and Successours for the necessities and profits of our said City by their Common consent among themselves may assess Tallage upon the goods within the City as well upon Rents as other goods and as well upon Trades as any other way which they shall see expedient and the same to levy without let of us or our Heirs or our Ministers whomsoever and that the monies arising out of such Tallages remain in the custody of four honest and lawful men of the City to be chosen for it by the Commonalty of the Citie and expended out of their custody for the necessities and profits of the said Citie and not otherwise In testimony whereof we have caused to be made these our letters patents Witnesse our self at York the eighth day of June the twelft year of our Raign By all which Premisses it is evident according to the Express words of the Charters That it is the Rights of the Free-men of London to chuse the Maior two Sheriffs four Treasurers the Chamberlain common Clerk common Serjeant of the City and to remove them at their pleasure And it is also the liberty of every Freeman of every Ward to have his voice in chusing the Alderman and to remove them every yeer and being removed others to be chosen by the said Freemen of the said Ward It is also the Rights of every Freeman as they are Members of the Corporation to have his voice in chusing the Parliament men for the City And although it may be objected that the Free-men of the City are so numerous that it is unpossible they should meet together at one place Yet this they may do though they cannot all with conveniency meet which is in the next place most equal that all the Free-men in every Ward may meet together and make choice of a number of men out of themselves who they may depute as their Trustees for that end all Majors Sheriffs and Publike Officers chosen otherwise than aforesaid their choice is null and ought not to be obeyed For a Free-man of London is not bound to obey any Officer thereof unless he have a voice in the said choice But contrary to the said Charters and Liberties of every Free Citizen of London a corupt party in the City takes upon them to ingross the Choise and Rights of the rest of the Free-men and doth nominate the aforesaid Officers and the Aldermen who keeps that Office during life if they please they chuse one of those the Livery-men presents to be Maior or Sheriffs according to their pleasure most unjustly with-held even by force from the Citizens The Master Wardens and Livery-men of all Companies in London unless it be Merchant-Taylors are of late yeers unjustly chosen for by the Charters of the Companies the Master Wardens and Livery-men are to be chosen by the Comunalty of the said Company Contrary thereunto of late yeers twelve or fifteen men of the said Company by usurpation made Orders and Ordinances and present them in the Name of the Comunalty although without the view knowledge or consent of the Comunalty to the Lord chief Justice who with other two Justices did assigne them and by this unjust means they proceed and three or four or the major part of twelve men chuseth the Master Wardens and Livery-men and set a Fine upon some men twenty and some thirty pounds to be paid at the first entrance of the said Livery-man all which is contrary to the Charter and this money and the profit of the Companies Stock they imbezel in Feasting and in other unjust waies on purpose to keep the Comunalty from their Rights the Comunalty themselves who have right by their Charter to chuse their Livery-men and to make Orders and Ordinances cannot make any Order to disanul any part of the said Charter although the chief Justice hand be procured unto it And whereas it hath bin of late yeers used that when there is a Sheriffe or Alderman to be chosen enquiry is made for the Richest men in the City which is quite contrary to the Charter for mention is made to chuse honest men fit for Government and not to chuse men because they are rich as it is frequently practised in most parts of the Land By the Charter of Henry the third the King makes a doubt of the two Sheriffs of London not worth 20. l. And in all just Governments men have bin chosen for their honesty poor men from the Plough have bin chosen to the highest Office in the Land because they were honest It is well known that most of the great rich men of the City and Country got most of their Estates or their Parents or Friends for them unjustly either by Patent or Monopolizing or ingrossing or by great gifts from Kings or other great men whose creatures they were to do his work right or wrong these men are not fit to be chosen into place of Trust by any honest man onely usurpers and robbers of the people of their Rights will endeavour to chuse such men There is a great deal of justness and equity in the Charters of London in this point that all the Officers of the City are to be chosen once a yeer and oftner if need be and the next yeer others to be chosen in their steed It would be happy for this poor Nation and never will till then that a just government be set up wherein all men may be equally bound and that all publike Officers throughout the Land be chosen freely every yeer or oftner if need be for usually all or most men turn Tyrants if they be in Publike Office above one yeer And now O all ye Citizens of London that have any goodness in you stand up like honest men for your Rights and Liberties and redeem them out of the hands of unreasonable usurping men Is it a work of mercy to help your neighbours ox even on the Sabbath day out of the ditch How much more is it for you to stand up like men and help to do that great work of mercy well-pleasing to God in assisting to the utmost for your selves and neighbours both in the City and Country that you may be free from all tyrannie of what kind soever and in your so doing you may expect the assistance of God and all good men and the blessing of God will attend you in so good a work September 28. 1648.