10 GILBERT WHITE OF SELBORNE 



An interesting " account of the claim of the city of 

 Oxford made at the coronation of King Charles the 

 Second " is preserved in the city book. 



It appears that " Certeyne Lords Com^^" were 



appointed 



"for the recieving the peticdhs & claimes of such as were 

 to doe service on the said day. Hereupon Sampson White, 

 Esq., Mayor of the City, by the advice of his Brethren and 

 the whole Councell Chamber, took his journey to London to 

 present from this city a peticoli & claime to the Com"^ 

 that the Mayor of Oxford and six of the Cittizens might be 

 admitted to serve the King's Ma*^® in his Buttelary on the 

 day of his Royall Coronaco'n together with and in such 

 manner as the Lord mayor and the cittizens of London doe." 



This petition, drawn up in Norman-French, was 

 allowed by the commissioners. Whereupon the 

 Mayor, " with 6 Cittizens appointed by the 

 Councell chamber " and " 5 others of the councell 

 chamber who offered to habit themselves att their 

 owne charge," with the mace-bearer and sergeants, 

 *' rode up to Westminster for to doe the service afore- 

 said." Upon their application on the evening before 

 the coronation, the Duke of Ormonde, "steward of 

 his Ma^yes household," formally put " the Mayor and 

 cittizens of Oxford into possession of the King's 

 Butelarryes." When the King returned from West- 

 minster Abbey to the feast in Westminster Hall, 



"Mr. Maior accompanied with Mr. Ernley, Gent of the 

 Buttery, went up in his Scarlett gowne from the Buttery 

 at the lower end of Westm"^ Hall to the cubbard erected 



