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the members of the mysteries were assembled at the house of 
Mr. James Elkington, the Senior Master, when Thomas Hayward, 
one of the Wardens, was sent to demand of Thomas Otridge 
the six shillings and fourpence which Thomas owed for many 
quarterages but refused to pay. As no credit is given in the 
accounts the application appears to have failed. 
Every member was bound to attend the Meetings under pain 
of a fine of 3s. 4d., unless excused by the Master, and at such 
Meetings the members were by charter empowered “to do such 
things and disburse such payments and taxations as heretofore 
have been accustomed to be done.” 
At Norwich the fines were in kind, llb. of wax being the 
penalty for non-attendance, and at Lincoln a quarter of barley or 
2lbs. of wax, while the Master was required to pay one stone of 
wax if he declined to accept office. There was an order that a 
candle of wax should be burned during the meeting, and the 
fines were used for this purpose. 
In other cities the fraternity were summoned to meet for 
purposes not enumerated in the Bath Charter, the most important 
being the burial of deceased members. 
The Herse Cloth of the London Merchant Taylors’ Company 
is one of their most ancient reliques. 
Special regulations were made by some Companies concerning the 
coffin which in London was ordered A.D. 1512 to be of “Estriche” 
bords, and at Aberdeen, 1693, the court discussed the exorbitant 
prices for “deid chests for beid men of the Hospital. Each 
chest was to be made of thick clefts of pine of 3 pounds, to have 
syds and gavills of haill wood, of price of 4 pounds scot, to be 
all coloured, but if picked out 10s. extra.” Whether these were 
coffins or clothes chests I am not quite certain, but on 28 October, 
1631, great complaint was made of those Scotchmen who 
possessed hats and yet failed to appear at a funeral with them on 
their heads—all such were fined 10s. each. Here we see the first 
regulation for the present custom of wearing a hat at a funeral. 
