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By Pardoe Yates. 247 
Us that divers inconveniencies have happened & occurred to the said Cloathiers & 
Weavers by psons who have taken upon them to use the said Trade, & still 
exercise the same tho’ never haveing served any lawfull Apprenticeship to the 
said Trade, by reason whereof severall hundreds of psons whose honest livelihood 
it is to exercise the said Trade or mistery, cannot keep & maintain their families 
without some speedy redress therein, and haveing therefore humbly besought us 
that for the better government of the said Trade & mistery, Wee would be 
graciously pleased to give & grant to the peticoners exerciseing the s* Art & 
mistery within our s* Burrough and places adjacent, Our Charter of Incorporation 
for the purposes aforesaid Wee being pleased to condescend to their request : 
Know yee therefore that Wee of our especiall grace, certain knowledge, & meer 
mocon, & for divers good causes & considerations us hereunto especially moveing; 
Have Willed, Constituted, declared & granted, and by these psents for us, our 
heires, & Successors, do will constitute declare & grant that all & every pson 
& psons that now pfess the Trades or misteries of a Cloathier & Weaver 
within the Burrough of Wilton, in our s* county of Wilts, and within four miles 
of the same, and all others that shall hereafter exercise the same Trades or 
misteries, & shall have served as Apprentices thereto within the said Burrough 
& within four miles of the same by the space of seaven yeares at the least, shall 
be from henceforth one Body Corporate, & politique in Deed & in Name, by the 
Name of the Wardens, Stewards, Assistants & Fellowshipp of Cloathiers & 
Weavers within the Burrough of Wilton, & within four miles of the same, And 
them by the name of the Wardens, Stewards, Assistants, & Fellowshipp of 
Cloathiers & Weavers within the Burrough of Wilton in our s* County of 
Wilts, & within four miles of the same, one body corporate & politique in deed, 
& in fact wee do for us our heires & Successors fully & really erect, create, 
constitute, declare, make, & establish by these presents, and that by the same 
name they shall have ppetual succession. And that they the said Wardens, 
Stewards, Assistants, & Fellowshipp & their Successors shall and may for ever 
hereafter have a comon Seal, to serve for all causes & businesses of them, & their 
Successors, and that it shall, & may be lawfull for them & their Successors to 
alter & make new the same Seale from time to time, when, & as often as they 
shall think. fitt, and that they & their Successors may plead, & be impleaded, 
answer, & be answered unto, defend & be defended in whatsoever Courts & 
Places and before any Judge, Justice, & Officers of us our heires & Successors 
in all & singular Accons, Pleas, Suits, plaints, matters & demands of what kind 
or quality soever they shall be, in the same manner, forme, & as fully & amply 
as any our Subjects of this our Realme of England may, or can doe, plead, or 
be impleaded, answer, or be answered unto, defend & be defended. And further 
wee will & ordaine & by these psents for us our heires & Successors do give 
& grant unto the said Wardens, Stewards, Assistants & Fellowshipp & their 
Successors, that there shall and may be two of the said Fellowshipp who shall & 
may be, & shall be called Wardens of the said Fellowshipp, and also two others 
of the said Fellowshipp, who shall be, & shall be called Stewards of the s? 
Fellowshipp, and likewise thirteene others, who shall be & shall be called Assist- 
ants of the said Fellowshipp, and also one fitt person to be Clerk to the s@ 
_ Fellowshipp with one other of the s* Fellowshipp to be Yeoman. And for the 
4 better executeing of this our Grant in that behalfe Wee have Assigned, Constituted 
