History of the Company. 27 



In 1363 (36 Edward III.) we find In the City 



A.D 1363 Books the following ordinances ratified 



Ordinances of to the Saddlers' Company, upon their 



36 Ed. III. petition, which Is stated at length : ^ — 



" To the honourable and just lords, the Mayor and 

 Aldermen of the City of London, the Saddlers of the 

 same City humbly make their supplication that the 

 points and ordinances beneath written, ordained by 

 the masters of their said mistery, may be allowed for 

 the common profit of the realm and the honour and 

 preservation of their mistery. 



" First, that no woodwork of a saddle coming from 

 the joiner be found rotten : And that each Saddler 

 make the saddle well stretched, with good leather 

 throughout within and without, with good ligament or 

 with good canvas, under penalty beneath written. 



^ Letter Book G., fol. loi b. ; the original is in Norman 

 French. These are the earliest ordinances of the Company 

 which are recorded, and it will be interesting to compare them 

 with the ordinances of the Saddlers of Paris in the thirteenth 

 century : — 



" None may be a Saddler in Paris nor sell saddles trimmed 

 with shoe-leather unless he buys his trade 



s^iidT^^^ 'fv^^- ^^^^^^ ^^^^ King, and those to whom the King 



has given power, according to his pleasure, 

 sell on the King's behalf for 16 sols;* and of those 16 sols 

 the King has given 10 sols to his principal Chamberlain and 

 6 sols to the Constable of France. 



" The trade of Saddlers has three ' Viewers ' {Pnid' hommes) , 

 appointed by the common assent of all or of the greater number, 

 who are required to swear upon the Saints before the Viewers 



* The sol or sou, the French shilling, equalled the tenth part of our 

 shilling. This coin, however, varied in value, the " sou de Paris" differing 

 from that in use in other parts of P'rance. 



D 



