Anniversary Address. 17 



tine of Durham and elsewhere south of this borough, contrary 

 to the statute (22 Ed. IV.) in that case made and provided 

 to the great prejudice of the burgesses of this Corporation, 

 and also to the detriment of the merchants who buy and 

 transport salt salmon, by reason the said salmon fish, so 

 salted in the country, are usually insufficiently salted and 

 made, and so are not merchantable wares. It is therefore 

 now ordered by general and free consent of the Guild, that 

 no burgess of this borough shall from henceforth buy, or 

 cause or suffer to be bought, for his or their use, any salmon 

 or gilses which shall be salted south of this borough in any 

 place, or within this borough by any person not free of this 

 Corporation, upon pain of five pounds for the first offence, 

 and for the second offence to be utterly disfranchised. And 

 if any burgess be suspected to have bought any fish salted 

 contrary to this order, which cannot appear by testimony 

 of witnesses or otherwise, then such burgess or burgesses 

 shall be called upon oath to confess or deny the same, and 

 if he or they so called to answer upon oath refuse to take 

 such oath, then such burgess or burgesses to be therefore 

 presently disfranchised without favour or respect." This 

 order was confirmed at a head Guild holden 19th July 1646. 

 That these orders were contravened, and, to a great extent, 

 is shown by the following : — "At a private Guild holden the 

 2()th August 1651, before the Right Worshipful Thomas 

 Watson, Esq , Mayor, Mr Elias Pratt, Alderman, &c., " Mr 

 Mayor acquainted the Guild that he had seized upon 80 salt 

 gilses going into the house of Mr Richard Selby, which were 

 salted in the country, and not belonging to a burgess, 

 contrary to former orders of Guild made to that purpose. 

 Upon due consideration hereof, it is ordered that the said 

 gilses shall be disposed of for the use of the poor, and, for- 

 asmuch as Mr Selby is from home himself, and Mrs Selb}^ 

 affirmed she did not know, neither did she buy any of the 

 said gilses, therefore the same business as to Mr Selby's 

 particular therein, is referred until the next Guild, then to 

 be examined and determined as shall be thought fit and 

 requisite." No further notice seems to have been taken of 



