History of the Company. i 



J 



as well in copper as in iron, of the same City, of the 

 other part, by reason of a certain rancour and dissension 

 which had lately arisen between them — namely, on 

 Thursday, the Feast of our Lord's Ascension [20 May] 

 last past ; upon which day certain of them, on either 

 side, strongly provided with an armed force, exchanged 

 blows and manfully began to fight, as well in Chepe as 

 in the street of Cripelgate, and elsewhere in the same 

 City ; on which occasion certain among them were 

 wickedly, and against the peace of our Lord the King, 

 killed, and many others mortally wounded, by reason of 

 which dissension and exchange of blows, the greater 

 part of the City was in alarm, to the great disgrace and 

 scandal of the whole City, and the manifest peril thereof; 

 and which dissension and exchange of blows became so 

 serious and so outrageous, as hardly to be appeased 

 through the intervention of the Mayor, Sheriffs, and 

 officers of the City ; such contention being, however, at 

 last, so well as it might be, allayed by the Mayor, 

 Sheriffs, and other officers of the City, the said Mayor 

 and Sheriffs appointed a day for the men of the trades 

 aforesaid to appear before them at the Guildhall, 

 namely, the Friday following, being the morrow of our 

 Lord's Ascension, to the end that they might set forth 

 their reasons on either side. 



" Upon the said day, there came accordingly to the 

 Guildhall the men of the said trades, and, in presence of 

 the Mayor, Sheriffs, and Aldermen, did set forth their 

 grievances in writing. Whereupon a certain Petition 

 was presented to the Mayor by the Joiners, Painters, 

 and Lorimers ; the tenor of which is as follows : — 



" ' To the Mayor, and to the Aldermen, and to 

 -D ,. . , ,, the crood Commonalty of London, shew 



Petition by the ^ ^ ^ ^ \ 



Joiners, Painters, and make plaint the Joiners, Painters, 



and Lorimers. Lorimers in copper, and Lorimers in 



iron ; — That whereas they have always been free of 



c 2 



