History of the Company. 



confirmed in 1058 by the Conqueror with 

 The collegiate its old Saxon indulgences of sac, soc, 



St Mar*thiVie- ^^^' ^*^^' ^^^^^^"^^^ ^^c, but, above all, the 



Grand. daugerous privilege of sanctuary 



for political and criminal offenders. It occupied 



the site of the modern General Post Office 



until 1548, when it was destroyed. Foster Lane, 



which bounded Saddlers' Hall on the west, skirted 



the precincts of St. Martin's on the east, so that 



the ancient Hall of the Guild stood immediately 



under the walls of the Sanctuary. This proximity 



Curious ancient produced an intimate relationship 



convention be- between the Guild of Saddlers and 



tween the con- , -p>. ^ r^ 



vent and the the Deau and Canons of the convent, 



Saddlers' Guild. , . , . i i • 



which IS recorded in an interesting 

 document, fortunately still extant, which estab- 

 lishes the singular and unique antiquity of the 

 Saddlers' Company. 



This document is preserved among the archives 

 of St. Martin's-le-Grand, now in the custody of 

 the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, and con- 

 sists of a small piece of stout parchment some 

 eight or nine inches long, by about six wide, upon 

 which is inscribed in the handwriting of the 

 twelfth century a convention between the guild 

 and the convent. No portion of the seal remains, 

 and the slip of parchment to which it 

 originally adhered is likewise gone. 

 Madox takes notice of this convention in his 

 '' Firma Burgi," published in 1726, and ascribes 

 the handwriting to the reigns of either Henry H. 

 (a.d. 1154-1189), Richard I. (i 189-1199), or 



1 1 54 A.D. circa. 



