ancestor, he amassed riches as a trader himself, and was enabled to defray the expenses of his government without calling upon his subjects for fresh subsidies." His ships were annually freighted with tin, wool, and cloth, to the ports of Italy and Greece; he enacted wise and salutary laws for the protection of trade; and his avowed object was to render London the principal mart of Europe.

The English merchants in this reign accumulated riches with facility. At the great fairs of Brabant, which were the resort of traders from all parts of the world, they are stated to have been the chief buyers and sellers, while at the same time their argosies were floating upon every water. But it is due to their memory to add, that a large portion of their easily acquired wealth was consecrated to purposes of charity; they were the liberal patrons of the arts, and many of our principal towns and cities were improved and embellished at their individual expense.

COMMERCIAL LAWS.-Some of the enactments of this period for the regulation of commerce, are singularly opposed to the notions of the present day.

"The woollen manufacture had been much improved, aud greater quantities of woollen clothes were exported than at any former period. Corn had also since the year 1425 been largely exported and the trade protected by royal privileges. In 1463 the Easterlings or merchants of the Steel-yard, by importing large quantities, had greatly reduced the price of that commodity, so that the English farmer was in danger of being ruined." In consequence of which an act was passed, "that when the quarter of wheat did not exceed the price of 6s. 8d., rye 4s. and barley 3s. no person should import any of these three kinds of grain, upon forfeiture thereof. The average price of a quarter of wheat at this period appears to be 5s., equal to 50s. of our present money. By the same calculation a quarter of wheat at 6s. 8d. would be equivalent to 31. 6s. 8d. of our money; and all wheat imported when the market price was less was forfeit to the crown, and not allowed, as at present, to remain in bond. When a quarter of barley was sold at 2s.

then ale might be afforded four quarts for 1d. and when barley was at 2s. 6d. then ale was to be seven quarts for 2d. and so to increase and decrease after the rate of 6d. the quarter."-See Chronicles of the White Rose of York, a series of Historical fragments, Lond. 1845; pp. 172-175.

It is a curious fact here recorded, that a free trade in corn had nearly proved the ruin of the agricultural interest in the fifteenth century. In consequence of the large importations of corn by the Easterlings in 1463, the prices were:

£

0

O O O O

d.

whereas in 1460 wheat was 8s."-Fleetwood's Chronicon Preciosum, p. 112.

1479. "There fell a variance betwene the parisshe of Alhallowen Stanyng, and the craft of Iremongers, Robert Byfeld and William Hill than being wardeyns, and so the parisshe and the wardeyns went to the lawe to gider the space of a quarter and more, for certeyne dueties the parrisshens claymed of oure halle, which dewties they seid we ought to pay, as other of the same parisshe was used for to do, and more than other they seyd, for it was of olde tyme the chief house of their parisshe, notwithstanding the custome of olde tyme, and many yeres before the tenauntry w the stone dore was made, the parson had euy yere at mydsomer, for the dewtie of the chirche, vjs. viijd. sterling, and the offering of our also.

"And now we haue compremysed with the person, maister

John Netylton, that we shall haue

.

stille there in

his churche, and he shal haue for the offering of our hall alle the mony that is offered at our And he to be therewth content, whatsoeuer it be, howbeit he before [had] vjs. viijd. and the offering bothe to, therefore it is ordeyned that the ffelashipp shall offer the more, the maister for his parte shall offer a hole grote and as moche more as the xth penny com to of all the avauntage of the balles in the yere, and that the wardeyns shall deliue to the maister to offre wt his grote, and then eche of the wardeyns a grote a pece, and euy man after in the clothing half a grote a pece, and euy man that is of the yemary and out of the clothing 1d. a-pece. And yf any man faile and be not there at the offering or otherwise, thowe he be out of the towne, and his deputie send not his offering to the said commu°" there to be offred, they shall pay for that offering so lackyng, the yemanry after the acte and ordenaunce, and euy man in the clothing for the

viijd.

And

same fawte so made shall beside this it is ordeyned that the clerk shall haue for the obseruances ther doon

and for al his

labour and duetie for the yere ijs. and the parson to haue xijd. notwithstanding these charges afore reherced, the wardeyns shall hyre other clerks with children that be connyng to sing and to haue for their labour iiijs. lytyll over or under, as they can fynde clerks of connyng.

Robert ByfielD, citizen and Ironmonger, was a merchant of the Staple of Calais and Sheriff of London in 1479. He was twice married, both wives being named Johanne, and left issue two sons, Robert and William; and two daughters, Anne, married to Richard Haddon, mercer; and Johanne, the wife of William Welbeck,

haberdasher. By his will, which was proved at Lambeth, on the 24th May, 1482, he desires to be buried in the church of St. Dunstan's in the East, and bequeaths a sum of money for the erection of a chapel in the south side of that church, to be dedicated to God, our blessed Lady, and Saint John. He left the use of his principal tenement in Water-lane, Tower-street, where he resided, to his wife during her life, and devised another tenement in Minchinlane, a wood at Apuldore in Kent, and lands and tenements at East and West Chalk in the same county.-See will in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Doctors' Commons.

-

Arms: Sable, five bezants in saltire, and a chief or.MS. Harl. No. 6860, and College of Arms.

1481. In this year we find the mystery or guild of Ironmongers possessed of the manor of Norwood in Middlesex. The fact has been recorded by the historian of the Environs of London, who says:-"The manor of Norwood does not occur in the Survey of Domesday, being included (I suppose) in the archbishop's manor of Hayes. The first mention I have found of it upon record is in a court roll bearing date 1481, in which year John Peke, master of the mystery or guild of Ironmongers, held his first court for this manor. In the year 1481 Thomas Grafton and others held a court as feoffees.' This passage is interesting, as explaining a circumstance which would otherwise have been unaccountable: namely, that the most ancient document now preserved among the archives of the Ironmongers is a charter relating to this property, although no other memorial of their connection with it than is noticed by Mr. Lysons is now to be found.

* Court rolls of the manor, communicated (to Mr. Lysons) by Edward Bunce, Esq. the steward.

A copy of this charter, which is in excellent preservation, with the seal of the church of Rochester in green wax attached, is here given :

Uniusis sancte Mat's ecctie filiis psentes litas inspecturis. W. Prior Roff et eiusdem loci gvent? humit etnam in dno salute. Nouit uniusitas ūra nos cartam venerabit pris ñri R di gĩa Roffens epi inspexisse in huba. Omib; xpi fidelib; ad quos psens sc1ptum puen it Ricard' dei gra Roff" eps salute in dno. Ad vniusitatis ure notitiam uolum puenire nos concessisse et he carta ñra confirmasse Matheo de la Wike ad feodam firmā totam fram ñram de Northwd In comitatu Middelsex' tenanda et habendă de nob et successorib; ñris libe et quiete, pacifice, integre, et hereditaĩ, videlicet in beltis, in planis, pratis, pascuis, et pasturis. In sepib, sollacis, homagiis, redditib3, seruiciis et aliis libtatib, et consuetud dčam fram tangentib; ad nos uel successsores ñros ptinentib3 reddendo inde annuatî nob et successorib3 ñris ille et heredes sui septem marcas sterling ad q" tuor anni fminos videlicet ad festu sei Mich viginti et tres solid et q"tuor deñ ad Natale dñi viginti et tres solid et qutuor deñ ad Pascħ viginti et tres solid et qtuor denar ad festum sci Johis Bape viginti et tres solid et qutuor denar p omnib; Suiciis consuetudinib3 sectis exactionib; et demand saluo dñi Reg suicio. Et salvo eo qd licebit not cape illa fram in mañ ñras si forte contigit qd absit qd dictus Mathis uel hered sui tempib3 ñris uel tempib; successorum ñrorum faciant destructionem nemoris in pfata fra. Et hoc fuit cont" eos efficaci pbatum p quam destructõem nos uel successores ñri impediam' quo minus habeam' in ppetuŭ dẽm redditum septem mcarum de dão Matho uel de heredib3 suis. Nos uero et successores ñri warantizabimus dão Matho et here

dib3 suis totam pnominatam Pram ac ptinent sicut predictum est cont oms homines et feminas p redditu septem m" carum sicut pdem est. Hiis uero testib3 Dño Johe de Cobbham tuc constabular castri Roff", Dão Regiñ fre ei3, Dño Simõe de Berelle, Nich de Ores, Huğ de Gillingehā, Dño Mich de Wendel, Rič dauers, Rotti de Włdeham, Joħe de Roff' ctico, Jolie de Hammes, Hyntum, Ricardo panatař, Joħe Marescat, Witto potin, Simõe potin, Witt fit Alex, Waldo de Gillingehā, Witto fit Godwin, Elya mcatore, Henr janitore, Henr de Baillel, Robto de Infirmitor, Matheo de Wideham clico, Willo fre ei?, Robto fit Mathi clici, et Aliis. Nos igitur pdictas concessione et carte dõe