A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



of the town clerk, as of the recorder, were 5 a year, 

 with a varying allowance for paper, parchment, and 

 ink: he had also his five yards of ' musterdyvelyg ' 

 (1457) for his gown and tippet of fur. His duties 

 were to * see that true records are kept and due pro- 

 cesses made between party and party, and true judge- 

 ments given, as nigh as he could, in the Mayor and 

 Bailiffs' behalf : to minister, ' if required, common 

 right after the common law of England and the laud- 

 able customs of this town ' ; to give good advice to 

 ' the Mayor and his brethren,' and to keep ' their 

 counsel." No declaration is now required by law of 

 the town clerk. 



The Aldermen existed in name from a very early 

 period (see above). Among the officials under the 

 chief alderman, who was in fact the mayor, the ordi- 

 nances of the gild-merchant mention twelve alder- 

 men who had view of frankpledge and controlled the 

 order and sanitary regulations of the five wards. The 

 first charter which refers to aldermen is that of 1401, 

 when power was given or confirmed to elect four 

 aldermen for the purposes therein named. The last 

 governing charter (1640) speaks of six aldermen, but 

 probably the number was indefinite, and nothing is 

 said of their election. Previously to the Act of 1835 

 the aldermen were those who had served the mayor- 

 alty, and they became such without any election ; 

 their number at the passing of the Act was nineteen, 

 including the mayor. Under the above Act they 

 became ten in number, but at the extension of the 

 county in 1895 their number was increased to thir- 

 teen, six or seven of whom go out of office every third 

 year, but may be re-elected. They hold office for 

 six years, and are chosen from the councillors or per- 

 sons qualified to be such : the councillors themselves 

 being thirty-nine in number, three being elected by 

 each of the thirteen wards. They have a property 

 qualification, and hold office for three years. 



The succession of burgesses was arranged for by 

 the gild ordinances, but from an early period irregu- 

 larities occurred in their appointment from without. 

 For instance, in 1303, John de London of Bordeaux 

 was granted burgess-ship by royal letters, which in 

 1312 were extended to his wife Blanche and their 

 sons and daughters in every particular.* 33 Admissions 

 also on the part of the town were sometimes a little 

 arbitrary. In 1509 one was admitted, with surely 

 a reflection on the townsmen, because he was ' an 

 honest man and good of name ' ; another because ' he 

 hath been always a helper to the town ' ; another, 

 from the Isle of Wight, on promising (1520) to reside 

 and 'victual the town with his fish.' In 1543 two 

 barber-surgeons were admitted free on promising to 

 be 'ready at the commandment of the mayor and 

 burgesses ' to exercise their ' craft or science ' when 

 required 'without excess taking for the same.' In 

 1545 burgess-ship was prohibited to any more Guern- 

 sey or Jersey men without a special vote : a point 

 strongly urged (1550) by the court leet. It seems 

 that a few years later the making burgesses ' for friend- 

 ship' had become too common, and was said to have 

 lowered the office in public estimation. Hence in 

 1561 (September) it was ordered that the fine of 10 

 should be exacted, except from ' prentices, or such 

 that be men of honour and worship that shall so 

 request for their pleasure for no gain of the petty 



customs and men's children which ought of right to 

 inherit their father's room, according to the Paxbread.' 

 Again, in 1 600, the court leet presented that 

 'gentlemen and others' were admitted to burgess- 

 ship without being obliged to undertake the offices 

 of constable, steward, or bailiff, but enabled at 

 once to advance to the dignity of sheriff, and so of 

 mayor. 



Burgesses lost their status under certain circum- 

 stances. Residence was required, and absence from 

 the town for ' a year and a day ' was a cause of their 

 being ' disgraded,' ' discharged from the gild,' and so 

 forth ; but exceptions were allowed occasionally. 

 Again, offences against the peace by fist, sword, or 

 dagger, or by abusive words were constantly visited 

 with expulsion. In 1495 one was degraded for assault 

 upon another ' whom he did streke with his fiste.' 

 Those who had been degraded were frequently re- 

 admitted on a fine. Sometimes burgess-ship was 

 forfeited, but not the freedom of the town (a 

 distinction made in the ordinances). In 1602 an 

 alderman was disburgessed and so expelled the cor- 

 poration, but he did not lose his freedom. Other 

 offences against town-laws were similarly visited. 



Certain sumptuary laws affected the burgesses. In 

 1559 (2 Elizabeth) it was ordered that all burgesses 

 from the sheriff upwards should provide and use 'one 

 right honest gown of crimson or scarlet cloth ' on 

 certain days, under a penalty of 10, the crimson 

 being relieved by a black velvet tippet. By a minute 

 of 4 August, 1 569, their wives also were to be clothed 

 in scarlet under a like penalty, according to old 

 custom, and the husbands were desired to see the 

 gowns provided and worn. The alderman whose 

 wife did not possess such a gown was to be fined 10, 

 and those whose wives, though possessing, did not 

 wear them were to forfeit los. each day. All the 

 gowns were to be ready against the queen's coming 

 under pain of 10, and the ladies were to wear with 

 their scarlet gown ' frentche whoddes ' (French 

 hoods)." 4 Fines on such matters were frequently 

 exacted, and the dignity of the corporation duly main- 

 tained. In 1613 it was ordered that the burgesses 

 and their wives should be placed according to their 

 degrees in all public assemblies and at church, and 

 one of the Serjeants was to see to this. All burgesses 

 were expected to attend the mayor (1637) in state on 

 the days of assembly ; and in 1594 it had been pre- 

 sented as a discredit that they should go on foot to the 

 law day at Cut-thorn, and were ordered to attend 

 Mr. Mayor on horseback. 



The feasting and good fellowship encouraged by the 

 old gild ordinances never went out of fashion. It 

 would be easy to give an idea of many a good gild 

 dinner. A menu of 1457 includes a dozen capons, a 

 dozen ' pestelles of porke,' nine ' legges of beffe,' a 

 dozen ' cople conyngges,' and many lighter refresh- 

 ments, red wine, tent, muskadell, malvesy-almonds, 

 dates, &c. This, with kitchen help, and ten capons 

 borrowed from my master the mayor and four players 

 from St. Cross to enliven the feast, cost the town 

 z 3/. S^.** 5 In contemplating such lists one has 

 to remember that much was given away in charity; 

 the capacity of the burgesses themselves was but 

 mortal. Passing to much later times it was the 

 custom for burgesses to give a feast on being sworn, 



"so Pat. 31 Edw. I, m. 44 ; 6 Edw. II, 

 pt. I, m. 12 ; 18 Edw. II, pt. 2, m. 17. 



* Lib. Remcmbranc, (Corp. MSS.), 

 fol. 10 ill. 



5U 



Steward't Bk. (Corp. MSS.). 



