History of the Company. 7 



and that It was the origin of its division later on 

 into wards. ^ 



The Saddlers' Company claim to have received 



their first charter from Edward I. in the first year 



_ ,. , of his relp^n, a.d. 1272. This is 



and liberties of repeatedly affirmed in their Minute 



ompany. g^^j^g . j^ -^ g^jg^ confirmed by Mait- 



land, and other historians. Inasmuch, however, 

 as the earliest records of the Company have been 

 lost or destroyed, we are unable circumstantially 

 to corroborate this claim. The charters granted 

 before the reign of Edward III. (132 7- 1377) 

 were, moreover, not enrolled. That charters and 

 grants of liberties were, however, granted by 

 earlier monarchs than Edward III. Is clear from 

 the Charter granted to the Weavers' Company by 

 Henry II., which recites liberties granted to that 

 guild by Henry I. 



Again, the Goldsmiths' Company, who are 

 recognised as a Company or fraternity in a Statute 

 of Edward I., did not receive a charter of incor- 

 poration until the reign of Edward III., while the 

 Weavers' Charter of Henry II. was not confirmed 

 until the same reign (Edward III.). Maitland, 

 alluding to the convention between the Saddlers' 

 Guild and the Convent of St. Martin's-le-Grand, 

 which he assumes to belong to the reign of 

 Richard I., imagines the Company to have been 

 an adulterine, i.e., unlicensed guild, '' seeing It was 



1 This view would seem to be supported by the modern 

 appellation of Cordwainers' Ward. 



