The Guildhall And The Charters Of The Corporation.

THE GUILDHALL AND THE CHARTERS OF THE CORPORATION .

AT a recent meeting of the London and Middlesex Archaoiogical Society , held , by the permission of the Lord Mayor , Aldermen , and Common Councilmen , in the Council Chamber at the Guildhall _ ( the Lord Mayor attending in state , and occupying , for a short time , the chair ) , Bro . Sir John B . Monckton , F . S . A . ( President of the Board of General Purposes ) , Town Clerk some interesting information explanatory of the charters and early

, gave records of the Corporation . He said the charters were about a hundred in number , and mostly in possession of the Corporation . A few only of the number had been mounted , in order that they might be capable of being exhibited . These earlier ones , some nine or ten , had been in the care of his predecessors , and under his own care . They were the shortest of the charters , and the old kings had managed to say in a few words what now it would take

many words to express . The first was a charter of William the Conqueror ( 1066-87 ) ; it was what was called a charter of liberties , and read as -follows : " William the King greets William the Bishop and Gosfreagth the Portreeve and all the Burghers within London , French and English , friendly . And I make known unto ye that I will that ye be entitled to all those laws to which ye were entitled in the days of King Edward . And I will that every child

shall be his Father's Heir after his Father ' s day . And I will not suffer any man to offer you any wrong . God give you health . " In the same case was ' the charter of William I ., granted to his man Deorman a hide of land at Gyddesdesne , in Essex . This was the only charter they held in Saxon . No . 2 was a charter of liberties Henry II . ( 1154-89 ) ; as also No . 3 , Richard I ., date 1194 . No . 4 was a charter of Richard I . directing the removal of kiddles or wears in the Thames . John granted several charters , one of liberties , and

another ( 1199 ) directing the removal of kiddles and wears in the Thames . Another , No . 7 , was an important one , granting the shrievalty of London to the citizens and burgers . No . 8 , a charter by John ( 1202 ) , abolishing the Weavers' Guild ( which had its orig in under Henry II . ) in consideration of receiving 20 marks from citizens in lieu of 18 from weavers . No 9 was a charter granted by John ( 1214 ) giving to the citizens ( then styled barons ) of

London liberty to choose their mayor . Among the early MSS ., which were well written and richly illuminated , and which would be shown to the members , were "De Antiquis Legibus , " in 1274 . Tin ' s was on vellum , written in Latin and Norman-French . " Liber Albus , " now " Liber Niger , " Latin and Norman-French , had been written by his learned predecessor , John Carpenter , in 1419 . In 1582 or laterit had been iedalso on vellumunder supervision of

, , cop , , _ Robert Smith , so that " Qui liber albus erat , nunc est contrarins , " an allusion to the original copy having become darkened through age . " Liber Custumarum , " of date 1154-71 , wliich was interesting from the excellence of the writing and the richness of the illumination , was on vellum , written in Latin and Norman-French . " Liber Horn " was a bequest to the City by Andrew Horn , citizen and fishmonger . "Cartes Antiquse , " on vellum , was beautifully

coloured and illuminated , and was in Latin , Norman-French , and English . In those days they seemed , said Sir John Monckton , to have possessed the art of gilding and colouring their manuscrip ts so as to render the work lasting , a power which those who were judges said we had not now . In concluding , he referred to the Letter Book A ( 1275 ) , and said that the Corporation prided themselves on the continuity of their records from that date clown to the present time , and which were fairly written and well preserved .