A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



determine what forfeitures might belong to the king, 

 and what to the town in consequence : to give 

 attendance at the sessions, assizes, and shire court (of 

 the town), ' especially when any exigent is to be 

 called, or any to be outlawed, thereon to give judg- 

 ment for the king's advantage and for the town.' 



Mayor and Constables of the Staple. Previously to 

 the Act of 1835 the incoming mayor always was, and 

 the two senior resident aldermen generally were, 

 elected to these obsolete offices by the town council 

 in practice, and not, as specified by the charter of 

 1445, by the burgesses. 



The Petty Customer took oath to deal truly with 

 the town's customs and tolls by water, of all manner 

 of goods, according to ancient use. There was also 

 a receiver of customs and brokage at Bargate, who 

 was also sworn (see below). 



The four Aldermen of Wards (see above) were 

 sworn officers, probably identical originally with those 

 appointed under charter of 1401. 



The Alderman of Portswood was a sworn officer, the 

 earliest observed notice of whom occurs under 1469, 

 when he makes payment to the steward on the law 

 day ' for divers alewytes xxijV,' and similar but vary- 

 ing payments in other years. He is still appointed 

 every year, following ancient custom, but has no 

 duties. 



Four ' discreets of the market,' formerly sworn 

 officers (see above), are now appointed from the 

 borough police, but have no duties to perform. 



The four Serjeants-at-mace. These sworn officers 

 are mentioned in the gild ordinances. They were 

 formerly elected by the ' twelve men at the common 

 assembly in the Guildhall,' and could only be removed 

 by the same power (1548) ; *" in the next century 

 they appear as ' biddelles.' Before the Act of 1835 

 two of them were gaolers, one of the debtors', and the 

 other of the felons' prison ; the third collected the tolls 

 of the vegetable and poultry market, and the fourth 

 was water-bailiff. There are now two serjeants-at- 

 vnace who, with the crier, are attendant upon the 

 corporation and justices. 



The Brokers were sworn to their office between 

 merchant and merchant (Ord. 59 etc.) ; and were 

 especially to ' make a stay ' of ' things forren boughte 

 and forren solde ' until the pleasure of the mayor and 

 his brethren should be known. 



Porters, Bearers, and Packers. Officers of this 

 description are referred to in the gild ordinances. 

 Their position was confirmed by charter 1445.*" 

 The porters existed as a company and were possibly 

 already associated together as the beremanni Suhamptonie 

 in 1225, when they were directed to be paid for 

 storing wine. 1 " When we know more of them they 

 were seven in number, exclusive of their steward. 

 This number had been arranged at least from 1501. 

 They found security to pay the town their rent. 

 They possessed a common stock-in-trade in horses and 

 carts, and the takings for the week were divided every 

 Saturday night by their steward. They were bound 

 to provide four able horses for the service of the 

 merchants, each horse being worth at least 261. SJ. 

 (1547).'" They bought and sold their places, but 

 were only admitted or discharged by the town 



council, who also fixed their rates of carriage. The 

 company was in existence in 1835. 



Before the Act of 1835, besides the offices men- 

 tioned above, the following were also held by the 

 corporation, but not named in any charter. 146 One 

 weigher of wool, whose duties had become nominal ; 

 one aulnager ; four keepers of the keys of the gates 

 these were always the mayor, the late mayor, and two 

 senior resident aldermen ; besides these, warders of 

 the gates were formerly appointed ; two keepers of 

 the keys of booths these were supposed to have 

 reference to booths erected at the fair above Bar ; three 

 keepers of the keys of the great chest (where the 

 minutes were locked up) these were the mayor and 

 bailiffs, but the mayor really kept the keys ; super- 

 visors of lands the mayor and aldermen indefinite 

 in number, but they had no duties as such, the pro- 

 perty of the corporation being managed by the 

 common council ; one crier, who attended quarter 

 sessions, kept the weights and scales, and keys of the 

 market gates, and acted as crier for those who paid 

 him ; besides the water-bailiff (of whom above) there 

 were sand-walkers, indefinite in number, who formerly 

 watched for waifs and wrecks, and their appointment 

 had been an object of desire during the French War as 

 a protection against impressment **' there were 

 latterly from twenty to thirty of these ; two wardens of 

 Sendy'sgift ; auditors of accounts, indefinite. There 

 were also fourteen beadles of wards, and extra beadles 

 indefinite ; two constables ; measures of corn and 

 coal, indefinite ; one scavenger. 



Besides the above there were also anciently the 

 town gunner, an official who appears in the earliest 

 consecutive town records. In 1457, under a hasty 

 menace to the town from French ships, are several 

 interesting entries * 48 concerning the gunner and his 

 work. His wages were 6d. a day ; his office to super- 

 intend the handling and repair of the guns, and the 

 making of gunpowder. In 1512 (4 Henry VIII) a 

 townsman offered his services as gunner at the yearly 

 salary of 261. %d. and a gown. He was *.o receive 

 zd. for the making of every gunstone, and "jd. a day 

 ' when he workyth yn makinge of gun-powder,' and 

 \d. a day for every man employed by him. A few 

 years later he was ordered to serve the town in peace 

 and war at los. per annum, receiving also an allow- 

 ance of four yards of cloth at 3*. \d. for his livery. 

 In 1657 the town gunner and the town drummer 

 each received as annual wages l8/. ^d. 



There were also the town carpenter and the 

 paviour ; of the paviour's work we first hear in 1 384.*" 

 In 1457 we find him paving along the middle of the 

 street assisted by ' the pavyer of London.' He had a 

 good house assigned him, and a yearly gown, his work 

 being to ' serche the pavement ' and pave where 

 necessary.* 50 The chimney sweep was a sworn official, 

 new in 1654. The town brick-maker has the price of 

 his bricks given him in 1623 at ys. 6d. per thousand ; 

 a little later it was los. In 1704 the assize of bricks, 

 according to ancient custom, was said to be loin, in 

 length, 4f in. in breadth, and 2 Jin. in thickness. 



There was a cowherd who superintended the 

 common lands, with whom were four overseers and 

 twelve drovers of the common. 



845 Bokc of Remembrance!, foL 53. 

 948 Hiit. MSS. Com. Rep. xi, App. p. 45. 

 '" Rot. Lit. Clam. (Rcc. Com.), ii, 44 

 (4 June, 1225). 



845 Lib. Remembranc. H. fol. 87*. 

 446 See also Ref. an M unic. Corf. (1835), 

 xxiv. 



W See Town Corp. MSS. 10 May, 1 804. 



5 l6 



248 Davies, op. cit. 214-15. 



849 Pat. 8 Ric. II, m. 31. 



8511 Lib. Niger (Corp. MSS.), fol. ii. 



