general corporate body: thus there are in Shrewfbury feveral diftinct independent companies of carpenters, brickmakers, bricklayers, tylers, and plaifterers, and thefe all united form one great corporation, under the name of the company of carpenters, brickmakers, bricklayers, tylers, and plasterers of Shrewsbury (a). THERE are fome towns in which there are feveral incorporated companies of trades, which have fo far a connection with the general corporation of the town, that no man can be a freeman of the town at large, and confequently a member of the general corporation, without being previously a freeman of some one of thefe companies; of this description is the corporation of the city of London (b) and of many other cities and towns: and the general corporate bodies of the universities are constituted nearly in the fame manner; for every member of the general corporation must be a member of fome one or other of the colleges or halls within the univerfity. There are other incorporated towns in which there are no incorporated companies which have any reference to the general corporation of the town, and the freedom of the town of course refers only to that general corporation; fuch, I am informed, are the towns of Kingston upon Hull and Kingston upon Thames. (a) Vid. Doug. 374 (359). (b) 1 Str. 675. D2 THERE THERE are alfo feveral corporate companies of trades, without reference to any general corperation of the town in which they are, and indeed where there is no incorporation of the town at all; fuch are the cutlers' company of Sheffield, and the company of fhipwrights of Rotherhithe (a). The Bank, the Eaft India company, the College of Physicians, and the other scientific companies before mentioned, have no reference to the general corporation of the city of London. MANY aggregate corporations are compofed of feveral diftinct parts, which are called integral parts, without any one of which the corporation would not be complete, although none of them be a diftinct corporation; thus, where a corporation confifts of a mayor, aldermen, and commonalty, the mayor, the aldermen, and commonalty are three integral parts; but neither of these has any corporate capacity diftinct from the other two, and therefore the mayor cannot, in his political character of mayor, take in fucceffion any thing as a fole corporation; nor the aldermen, as a felect body, take any thing to them and their fucceffors as an aggregate corporation. IN moft aggregate corporations, there is one particular person who is called the head, and who (a) Vid. 2 Bulstr. 233. forms forms one of the integral parts of the corporation; fuch is the mayor in a corporation of mayor, aldermen, and commonalty; the chancellor in the general corporations of the univerfities; the dean in the corporation of dean and chapter; the master in a corporation of mafter and fellows, or master, fellows, and scholars, in the colleges of the univerfities, or in a corporation of master, wardens, and affiftants of any of the companies in London, or other cities. BUT there may be a corporation aggregate of many perfons capable, without a head, as a chap-ter without a dean, or a commonalty without a mayor; thus the collegiate church of Southwell, in Nottinghamshire, confifts of prebendaries only, without a dean; and the governors of Sutton's Hofpital, commonly called the Charter-houfe, have no prefident or fuperior, but are all of equal authority; and at first the greater number of corporations were without a head (a). (a) Vid. 1 Bl. Com. 478. 10 Co. 30 b, the cafe of Sutton's Hofpital. A TREATISE ON THE LAW OF CORPORATIONS. CHAP. I. HOW A CORPORATION IS CREATED. WITH ITH refpect to the authority, by which corporations are established, they are generally divided into four kinds. 1. Corporations by common law. 2. By authority of parliament. 3. By the King's charter; and 4. By prescription (a). CORPORATIONS by common law, are those to which feveral corporate capacities have been annexed, in virtue of their political character, by the univerfal affent of the community, from the most remote period to which their exiftence can be traced: Of this defcription are the King, all bishops, parsons, vicars, deans, archdeacons, prebendaries, or canons of fome cathedrals, churchwardens, and deans (a) 10 Co. 29 b. 1 Rol. 512. and |