8 Anniversary Address. 



those younger brethren that are bucks of the first head with 

 myself." There are 17 different oaths recorded, from the 

 oath taken by the Mayor, to that taken by the Sergeants- 

 of-Mace. It would be impossible to enumerate them all in 

 an address of this nature. One of the most interesting, is 

 the ancient oath administered to the town's packers of sal- 

 mon, which I will refer to further on. This oath, however, 

 seems to have fallen into disuse in 1683, and on the margin 

 Mr Wilson plaintively writes, " There are no such offices (as 

 packers of fish) now, I believe, at long run that they will 

 have no offices at all and this is like to be verified, sic volo 

 sicjuheo stat pro ratione voluntas." This multiplicity of 

 oaths had, it would appear, and as might be supposed, the 

 effect of making some of those who took them very indiffer- 

 ent as to their sanctity, for it is stated, that the ancient oath 

 formerly taken by those chosen as pounders or keepers of 

 the town's fields was altered, and a substitute made for the 

 original one as "by reason of the deceitfulness of the 

 pounders in their offices, it was thought fit by the Guild to 

 put the contents of this oath by way of bond with a penalty 

 to be signed and sealed by them, which they would better 

 observe because of the penalty than they now observe their 

 oath." This deceitfulness, no doubt, refers to bribes taken 

 by the pounders or field keepers from strangers, to allow 

 them, against the laws of the town, to put their horses or 

 cattle on to the town's pastures. The second part of the 

 book, which contains the extracts from the Guild books, has 

 a preface which is very quaint reading. It is addressed to 

 the impartial reader. The writer says — " I have hereunder 

 presented you with a dish of the quintessence or substance 

 of the ancient and remarkable orders of Guilds that have 

 been made and observed both by the ancient and late prudent 

 predecessors, the Mayors, Aldermen, and Guild Brethren of 

 Berwick from the 21st year of Henry VII., which was about 

 the year of our Lord 1506 or thereabout, until the year of 

 our Lord 1683." He goes on to say that he does not wish 

 this book to fall into the hands of anyone not a burgess of 

 Berwick, but has no doubt, that shoukl any such stranger 



