History of the Company. 23 



as you shall see ought to be done in accordance with 

 the ordinance aforesaid, lest complaint thereon again 

 reach us whereby we should have to take strong 

 naeasures against you as their abettors. 



" Witness myself at Westminster, the 7th day of 

 December, the 23rd year of our reign over England, and 

 the loth year of our reign over France. And be it 

 known that that writ, after proclamation thereon made, 

 was delivered to Walter Turk, Mayor, and remains with 

 the said Mayor 



.. " 



Six years afterwards we find the Saddlers' 



Company again taking action to prevent an 



A D 13^6 infringement of their liberties by 



The Saddlers another guild ; this time it is the 



te "^ ers. Q-^ji^^g^ jj^ ^j^^ Close Rolls of 3O 



Edward III., deposited at the Public Record 

 Office, there is enrolled an order from the King 

 in Council, dated 6th October, 1356, which sets 

 forth that upon the petition of the Girdlers' Com- 

 pany the King had proposed to grant to that 

 Company the right of confiscation of all girdles 

 of inferior workmanship. The Saddlers' Company, 

 however, protested against this grant to the 

 Girdlers, on the ground of its interference with 

 their own liberties and trade, and their representa- 

 tions seem to have made due impression, for we 

 read that the King thereupon stayed execution of 

 his former mandate, issued in favour of the 

 Girdlers. 



The text of the document is in Latin and the 

 following is a translation : — 



