BOROUGH OF SOUTHAMPTON 



and these entertainments (1753) were to be made 

 separately." 8 This was very well for good cheer, but 

 the expense became an objection to the honour of 

 burgess-ship, and moderation was enjoined (1767). 

 Years after a composition in money payment was 

 made in lieu of entertainments. 



In the middle of the seventeenth century (1652), 

 a sorry period for the town, the offices could scarcely 

 be filled for lack of burgesses. A similar complaint 

 was made after the Restoration, when it was ordered 

 (1660) that every resident whom the mayor and 

 common council should think fit to nominate gratis as 

 serving burgess should accept the office under penalty 

 of 20. From one cause or other a like scarcity was 

 felt again towards the end of the eighteenth century, 

 when, 13 October, 1788, the corporation made a 

 spirited appeal to the grand jury at Quarter Sessions 

 with a view to replenishing their ranks. The appeal, 

 which is very lengthy, spoke of the 'complicated 

 wickedness of the inferior class of inhabitants,' the 

 shameless indecencies and blasphemies were such as ' all 

 the watchfulness of the magistracy would not be able 

 to prevent .or punish without the concurrence of those 

 of superior rank.' Very much more to this effect was 

 urged ; they gave their own origin, defended their 

 utility as a corporation, and urged the necessity for 

 strengthening the arm of authority. The appeal was 

 remarkably successful. Forthwith two knights and 

 eleven esquires joined the corporation, and others 

 quickly (17 &c. October) followed, being all elected 

 as serving burgesses. It does not appear that the 

 town suffered again from lack of serving burgesses. 



The oath which the burgesses took formerly savoured 

 of the gild ordinances and the early charters. They 

 were to maintain the franchises, customs, and ordinances 

 of the town, contribute to all charges within the same 

 summons, watches, wards, contributions, taxes, tal- 

 lages, lot and scot ; not to colour or bear the name of 

 foreigners' goods ; to warn the mayor of foreigners 

 trading within the town ; not to sue an inhabitant 

 out of the town ; to take no apprentice for less than 

 seven years, and within the first year to cause his 

 enrolment, and to further his advantage at the end of 

 his time ; to attend the mayor on all public occa- 

 sions ; to warn him of any possible breach of the 

 king's peace, or of the ordinances of the town ; to 

 keep all counsel faithfully. 



Honorary burgesses were in fact provided for by 

 the gild ordinances, and had records survived we 

 should no doubt have been in possession of interesting 

 examples. As it is, the first observed occurs in 1490 

 when ' my lord of Winchester ' was ' made burgess ' 

 ' free of charge, but of his gentilnes he pardoned us 

 for the same the fyne of the pavelyne 2 " and all other 

 costes longing to the same with the homage for that 



yere. 



At the same time the abbot of Beaulieu, Sir 



Edward Berkeley, and William Middleton, esquire, 

 were admitted. Again, in 1 5 14 Thomas Skevington, 

 bishop of Bangor and abbot of Beaulieu, was admitted. 

 He had been a donor of some of the town plate. But 

 it would not be practicable to deal with the very 

 copious entries of honorary burgesses, or the regulations 

 made concerning them. 839 From the end of the 

 seventeenth century the roll of burgesses consists 

 very largely of non-townsmen and men of position. 



These honorary or out-burgesses were not admitted to 

 the common council, but could vote at the election 

 of a mayor and of members of Parliament. The 

 election of burgesses previously to the Act of 1835, 

 whether serving or honorary, was by the common 

 council, nine being a quorum. The serving burgesses 

 were inhabitants, bankers, merchants, or the higher 

 tradespeople, the honorary persons, generally speak- 

 ing, living away, who had either done some good to 

 the town, or from whom the town expected benefit. 

 In 1 83 1 it was resolved that no one should be elected as 

 honorary burgess who lived within any of the town 

 parishes. Within the ten years immediately preced- 

 ing the Act of 1835 fifty-three burgesses had been 

 elected, forty-seven honorary, and six serving, there 

 being in the corporation just previously to passing the 

 Act twenty resident or serving burgesses, and about 

 one hundred and sixty non-resident, chiefly honorary. 

 By the Act of 1835 the admission to burgess-ship 

 by gift or purchase became illegal, but by Act of 

 1885 the boroughs can now admit to honorary 

 freedom.' 40 



The exclusive trading privileges enjoyed by burgesses 

 had long since ceased : the only privilege which re- 

 mained to them being that, whether resident or not, 

 they equally with the inhabitants paying scot and lot 

 were electors of members of Parliament for the 

 borough. The qualification for burgess-ship is now 

 universally regulated under the modern Acts of Parlia- 

 ment, and no further notice is needed. 



The grant of a Sheriff from among the burgesses, 

 to be sworn before the mayor and certified by him to 

 the barons of the Exchequer, was made under charter 

 of 9 March, 1447, by which the borough was con- 

 stituted a county (see charter above). Accordingly 

 on I May that year Henry Bruyn was elected first 

 sheriff. The sheriff continued to be elected as speci- 

 fied by the charter, and was invested with the powers 

 of a county sheriff : he attended at the assizes when 

 held for the town and county of the town, and at the 

 sessions, for both of which he summoned the juries. 

 He held a county court when necessary, and executed 

 writs from the superior court, which were directed to 

 him immediately. He is now appointed next after 

 the mayor each 9 November, being invested with a 

 chain of office, and has the powers of a county sheriff, 

 which indeed he is, continued to him. 



The Seneschal or Steward, and more recently the 

 Treasurer, held an office in many ways identical, but 

 with a different status in reference to the corporation. 

 The appointment of seneschal or steward was ordered 

 by the gild ordinances (No. l). The chief receipts 

 and disbursements of the borough passed through his 

 hands, and the stewards' books, many of which are 

 extant from 1433 * 41 to the time of Charles II, are of 

 considerable interest. The treasurer now holds office 

 during pleasure ; he is appointed by, but cannot be 

 himself a member of, the town council. 



The election of Coroners, of whom there were 

 generally two, from among the burgesses for pleas of 

 the crown was authorized by charter of 14 July, 1 256. 

 The earliest local oath of the coroners appears in 

 Overey's Ordinances (1473), where their duties are 

 set forth in the usual way : viz. to sit with a jury 

 super visum carports in every case of violent death : to 



236 Town Journ. (Corp. MSS.). 

 "' The Pavilion Court of Winchester. 

 See below, also under Winchester. 



388 Temp. Thome Overy, 3rd year, tub 



anno, Corp. MSS. 



239 Entry of burgesses for 1496 to 1704. 



515 



949 Stat. 48 & 49 Viet cap. 29. 

 141 The book assigned to 1433 really 

 belongs to 1457. 



