The names of the citizens who were elected by the common council to wait upon the Chief Butler of England are written below:

The manufacturers of London and other towns having petitioned the government against the introduction of certain articles of foreign merchandize, by which their trade was considerably damaged, an act was passed in the commencement of this reign, which provides, "That no merchaunt straunger, after the fest of Ester nowe next comyng, brynge into this realme of England to be sold any maner gurdles, nor any harnes wrought for gurdles, poyntes, laces, lether purses, pouches, pynnes, gloves, knyves, hangers, taillourshires, scisors, andyrons, cobbards, tonggs, fireforkes, gridyrons, stoklokks, keys, hynges and garnetts, sporers, peynted glasses, paynted papers, paynted forcers, paynted ymages, paynted clothes, any beten gold or beten silver wrought in papers for payntours, sadels, sadeltrees, hors harnes, [boces,] bittes, sterops, bokels, cheynes, laten nayles with iron shankes, turretts, stondynge candelstykes, hangyng candelstiks, holywater stoppes, chafynge dishes, hangynge lavers, curteyn rynges, cardys for wolle, except roan cardes, claspes for gownes, bokels for shoes, broches, belles, except hawkes belles, spones of tyn and lede, cheynes of wire, as well of laton as of iron, candelstikks of iron, [plate,] grates, [hures,] and lantern hornes.†

* Liber L. fol. 191, and printed Report. I am obliged to James F. Firth, Esq. of the Town Clerk's Office, for allowing me the use of these documents, and for his politeness in affording me information on other occasions.

† Statutes of the Realm.

1487. 2 Hen. VII.) The common council directed a certain number of the companies, in all four hundred and thirty-four persons, to ride to meet the King on his coming towards the city from Kenilworth.

The introduction of LIVERIES as a distinguishing feature of the city companies is attributed to the reign of Edward the First, and the ordinances of the Grocers' Company in 1348 afford us, in the opinion of Mr. Herbert, the earliest instance in which they are particularised. 66 The common habit consisted of an upper and under garment called a coat and surcote, the cloak or gown and the hood being reserved for ceremonials, and completing what was termed the full suit." Most of the companies adopted different colours, and these varied from time to time, until about the beginning of the seventeenth century, when black became general. In 1414 the Grocers' livery was scarlet and green; in 1418 scarlet and black; and subsequently murrey and plunket, which latter colours are explained as being a darkly-red and a kind of blue. The brewers in the reign of Henry the Fifth wore "sanguine, or cloth of blood colour parted with rayes; " and, to mention only one other instance, the livery of the Leathersellers' Company, delineated in a beautiful initial letter at the commencement of their charter, granted by Henry the Sixth in 1444, is red and blue, or murrey and plunket, divided into equal halves, furred at the collar and skirts, and confined at the waist with a white girdle.

The general assumption of liveries by the retainers of the nobility in the 14th century, having led to various quarrels, and a frequent disturbance of the public peace, their further use and adoption was forbidden by act of parliament, and Herbert asserts that the guilds and fraternities were thenceforth obliged to have the king's licence

to wear liveries. He seems to found this opinion on a petition presented to parliament in the 13th of Ric. II.* praying that no spiritual or temporal lord, or other of less estate, should give livery except to his household or relations, and that no livery should be given under colour of guild or fraternity, &c., but that the whole should be abolished within half a month next after the parliament then sitting; that any taking livery contrary to that ordinance should be imprisoned for a year, and the guilds and fraternities offending should lose their franchises, and those having no franchise to forfeit £100 to the king. this petition was not enacted. The king's reply was "Le Roy s'advisera," not "Le Roy le voet."+ The several acts passed in the 13th, 16th, and 20th of Ric. II.‡ respecting liveries are all of similar import, and bear no reference whatever to the guilds; they ordain "that no varlets called yeomen, nor none other of less estate than esquire, shall use nor bear any sign of livery, called livery of company, of any lord within the realm, unless he be menial and familiar, or continual officer of his said lord, and that the justice of the peace shall have power to

But

* Misprinted 26th Ric. II. in Herbert's Livery Companies, vol. i. p. 60. † Rot. Parl. 13 Ric. II. vol. iii. p. 266.

"Item q' Vaudletz appellez yomen ne null' aut' de meindre estat qu'esquier ne use ne porte null' signe ne liv'ee appelle liv'ee de compaignie dascun s'r deins le roialme, sil ne soit menial et familier ou officer continuel de son dit s'r et q' les justices de la paix aient poair denquer de ceux qi font a lencontre et de les punir selonc leur discrecion."-Statutes of the Realm, 20 Ric. II.

inquire of them which do to the contrary, and them to punish according to their discretion." In every act of parliament for the suppression of liveries, from the 1st Ric. II. to the 12th Edw. IV.* when any mention is made of the guilds, a special clause of exemption is introduced. No entries appear in the Ironmongers' records for the obtaining of licence to wear liveries, and we have the testimony of Stowe to the same effect; "But I read not of licence by them (the companies) procured for liveries to be worn, but at their governors' discretion to appoint as occasion asketh, some time in triumphant manner, some time more mourning-like, and such liveries have they taken upon them as well before as since they were by licence associated into brotherhoods or corporations."

At a common council holden on Wednesday, the 23rd day of September, 7 Edw. IV. (1467,) it was agreed by John Younge, mayor, the recorder, sixteen aldermen, and the commonalty of the city, that no freeman or officer of the city of London shall take or use the livery of any lord or any other grandee under penalty of losing his freedom and office for ever. Also at the same common council it was agreed by the said mayor and aldermen that from henceforth the election of mayor and sheriffs shall be only made by the common council, the masters and wardens of each mystery of this city coming in their livery, and by other good men for this purpose specially summoned.

At another common council, holden on the 13th Sept. 15 Edw. IV. (1476,) it was agreed that the masters and wardens of the mysteries of the city in their halls or other fit and convenient places of the city, associating with themselves the honest men of their mysteries, being clad in their

* The several acts for the suppression of liveries are as follow:- -1 Ric. II. c. 7; 13 Ric II. stat. 3; 16 Ric II. c. 4; 20 Ric. II. c. 2; 1 Hen. IV. 7; 2 Hen. IV. c. 21; 7 Hen. IV. c. 14; 13 Hen. IV. c. 3; 8 Hen. VI. c. 4; 8 Edw. IV. c. 2; 12 Edw. IV. c. 4.--Statutes of the Realm.

C.

last livery, shall meet together at the guildhall of the city, for the election of mayor, &c. and in their last livery but one for the election of sheriffs of the city, and that none others except the good-men of the common council of the city be present at the elections aforesaid.

The principal notice in the Ironmongers' books respecting liveries, is found in the ordinances of 1498, which provide that

No warden shall purchase any clothing for the fellowship without the consent of the whole fellowship, or of iiij. persons by them appointed, which iiij. persons so assigned, or iij. of theym at the leste, shall goo with the wardyns whether it be to drapers' shoppe, citizens or straungers at blakewellhalle, and the said persons to have knowledge of the price of every yard of cloth, and to be assistant at the measury of every piece of cloth. And after the price of cloth is known, the iiij. persons shall aloughe to the wardens for every yard after the rate of the the first buying iiijd. in recompence for their labour, &c. And in allowance of a gown cloth for the bedell, and also in relieving of other charges that happen to fall for the dyner otherwise, above the stynted and payments rated in theis actes comprised. Provided alwey that the payments of every particulere persone assigned to the dyner, is for the man ijs. and for the wyf, if she be at the dyner, xijd. Also it is inacted that for as moche as it is convenient and worshipfull, and also used in craftis of worshippe, to have double clothing, therefore they wille that the wardeyns for the tyme being shall renewe the clothing after ye courte of every iiide yere, so the clothing be renewed every iiide yere, and that to be done against the . . upon which fest the felashippe have enacted to holde their principal assemble, and for their principal

ffeeste.

Euery person of the fellowship to receve such livery as the wardens with the felowshep do purvey, upon pain of paying to the comon box xls.

If the wardens do anything contrary to the aforesaid rules concerning the clothing or livery, then each of them to lese and pay to the comon box xli. without redemption.

It was further enacted on the 8th May, 1512, at a

E