THE DERBY COMPANY OF MERCERS. 



137 



upholsterers. Starting from the original members of the Mercers' 

 Company in 1675, ^^'^ making allowances for those who died and 

 joined up to 1693, it will be found, if Mr. Houghton's numbers 

 are correct, that all the mercers, apothecaries, ironmongers, and 

 upholsterers in the town belonged to the Company eight years 

 after its formation. It is strange he does not mention either 

 grocers or miUiners, the two other trades which were united into 

 the Company. 



In 1676, there were fifty people in the Mercers' Company. 

 Their trades were as follows : — 



Mercers ... ... ... ... 16 



Apothecaries 



Grocers (one grocer and mercer) 



Ironmongers 



Upholsterers 



Milliners 



Salters 



Chandlers 



Tobacconist 



Felt maker 



Unknown 



SO 

 There were many trades in the town which were not united in 

 the Company of Mercers. Of these the bakers, butchers, cloth- 

 workers, cordwainers, masons, plasterers, and tailors, together, 

 were about three times as numerous as the members of the 

 Mercers' Company. We have not, as far as I know, any means 

 of telling whether they had their craft societies. Probably they 

 had. In 1773, the framework-knitters of Derby (which trade is 

 not mentioned by Mr. Houghton) decided to establish a Court of 

 Assistants in connection with the London Company.* 



There are no rules about feasting, as in many of the older 

 Gilds ; the only reference to the subject is in the minutes of 

 August II, 1726, when it was "agreed, that the Steward of the 



» See " Reliquary," Vol. X., p. 85. 



