BOROUGH OF SOUTHAMPTON 



A common carrier compounded for his place with 

 the town and received from them the tariff of his 

 charges. In July, 1593, he was forbidden to enter 

 the gate of the town by himself or servants with his 

 cart for fear of plague-infection, the sickness daily 

 increasing."' 



In 1602 his fine was 10. Some years later 

 (1637) he was allowed to increase his charges, his 

 trade having fallen off from the scare of plague. 84 ' A 

 foot-post, between the town and London, wore a 

 silver badge with the town arms, and usually started 

 on Monday or Tuesday each week (163 7).'" And 

 of course there were town minstrels who received 

 regular wages and a livery. In 1433 they appear to 

 have been but three in number.*'' 4 Independently of 

 these, strolling companies under the protection of 

 some great lord or important town were constantly 

 visiting the place, and receiving the town's wages. 

 But after enjoying high favour for many generations 

 minstrelsy fell into discredit. In 1623 we find the 

 town musicians, who were apparently five in number, 

 asking for their liveries, which they received with a 

 broad hint to ask no more, but take what was given 

 them.' 55 A few years later silver badges with the 

 town arms were distributed to them by the mayor. 

 In this connexion may be mentioned stage-players. 

 The town does not seem to have had any recognized 

 company, but permitted the use of the Gildhall 

 until 1624, when for certain adequate reasons it was 

 forbidden." 6 



Further, at all events in 1615, there was a town- 

 cook, who on condition of being allowed a monopoly 

 of the oyster beds in the haven, covenanted to supply 

 the town with good oysters at id. the hundred at 

 most, to keep the beds in good order, and to bring in 

 500 oysters for the mayor's fish dinner yearly.' 67 



Lastly, at the opposite end of man's needs, there 

 was the gild or mayor's priest. For the old gild- 

 merchant not only regulated the trade and civil 

 government, but preserved a certain eleemosynary 

 and religious character, and had its chaplain with a 

 definite position and allowances (see Gild Ord. I, 2). 

 Subsequently the chaplains, who seem to have been 

 appointed permanently, received a fixed stipend of 

 } 6s. 8J. per annum, with a gown and hood worth 

 generally about 13^. \d. Thus 258 in 1457 Sir 

 William and in 1478 Sir Harry were paid. Passing 

 rapidly towards the changes of the sixteenth century, 

 Sir William, who sang for Holmage (see below, 

 chantries), was also gild priest in 1501 and 1509. 

 In 1543 Sir Hector was mayor's chaplain and 

 received for his ' hatte, gowne and typpate ' 24*. 

 After this the office disappears from the town books, 

 and in the following century it became usual to 

 bestow a gratuity on the rector or vicar of the parish 

 in which the mayor resided for the performance of 

 such duties as might be required.' 59 At the com- 

 mencement of the nineteenth century the ' chaplain 

 of the Corporation ' with his allowances of 5 5*. 

 per annum re-appears in the town books. 260 At the 

 present time the office is purely honorary. 



The Parliamentary representation of the borough 

 commences in 1295, and the returning officers were 

 the bailiffs, other burgesses being bound as manucap- 

 tors or bailsmen for the appearance of the elected 

 members at the appointed day and place. 



Until the time of James I, when the custom was 

 broken through, the members elected were bona fide 

 burgesses of the town. There was an attempt to 

 restore this more ancient way in 1624 and 1625 ; 

 the burgesses * 61 being warned by order of the cor- 

 poration not to give their voices for any one who was 

 not already an in-burgess of the town, on pain of for- 

 feiting their condition. This regulation was observed 

 at first, but was soon again interrupted, and after the 

 Restoration persons of a certain position, irrespective 

 of their dwelling, who had done, or might be expected 

 to do, something for the town were generally chosen ; 

 but even so, the form of previous election to burgess- 

 ship was observed. 



In the early days, here as elsewhere, and through 

 the Middle Ages, the town paid their burgesses of 

 Parliament; in later times occasionally, it may be 

 feared, the burgesses paid the town. Their ' wages ' 

 were 2s. per day each man, the usual rate of payment 

 perhaps from the earliest period for borough repre- 

 sentatives, and fixed at that amount in 1322."' A 

 writ for expenses, tested 20 January, 1306-7 (25 

 Edward I), was issued in favour of the Southampton 

 members ; 863 the next known was in 1313.*" 



There were symptoms, especially in the earlier 

 period, of no great eagerness to serve at the great 

 council of the nation and no great readiness on the 

 part of the towns to make return to the sheriffs writ. 



The first instance of such remissness on the part of 

 Southampton occurs in 13001, when no return was 

 made by the bailiffs ; other instances soon followed ; 

 the meaning probably being that the town shirked 

 the expense consequent on such return, a negligence 

 which appears to have been provided against by statute 

 of 1445-6.'" 



It is not so easy to state what was exactly the 

 electing body. Broadly it was no doubt the burgesses, 

 those who in after times were called the in-burgesses, 

 strictly resident and performing their parts in duties 

 and taxation ; but how far they acted uniformly, 

 whether sometimes in meeting assembled, at another 

 by delegation to a smaller body, or whether the 

 governing body at times assumed the function of the 

 whole, can hardly as yet, it seems, be determined. 

 Passing to a later period, in October, 1584, the 

 nomination of one of the burgesses was given to the 

 earl of Leicester 'according to his honour's request,' 

 the town nominating the other. They were to be at 

 their own charges and receive nothing from the 

 town. 86 * In 1624 the in-burgesses were the electors 

 (see above), as in 1 65 8-9 867 and subsequent years. 

 In 1 66 1 the corporation invited two gentlemen to 

 accept burgess-ship with a view to their representing 

 the town, and they were elected accordingly. 168 In 

 1689 the election was by the mayor, bailiffs, and 

 select burgesses, but this was overthrown on petition, 



951 Boke of Remembrances, fol. 174*. 



352 Town Journ. 15 May, 1637. 



* Ibid. 6 Feb. 1623-4. 



* Steward's Bk. (Corp. MSS.). 



455 Town Journ. 19 Dec. 256 Ibid. 



u ' Ibid. 25 Aug. 1615. 



358 Steward's Bk. (Corp. MSS.), tut 



2i9 Town Journ. Sept. 1638. 



260 Ibid. Jan. 1805 ; Dec. 1880 ; May, 



B1 Ibid. 9 April, 1624; 15 April 1625. 

 362 Stubbs, Const. Hist, ii, 235 and ref. 

 263 p r y n ne, Par/. Merits, pt. iv, 27. 

 Ibid, ii, p. cclvi. 

 265 Stat. 23 Hen. VI, cap. 14. No 



5JJ 



returns to this Parliament are now 

 known to be extant excepting in the 

 case of Norfolk. (Rtt. of Mtmltn of 

 Par!.) 



266 Boke of Remembrances, iub anno. 



*' Town Journ. 7 Jan. 1658-9. 



268 Burgess Bk. and Journ. Mar. April, 

 1661. 



