London: 



rclgn t1*e appellation was changed to tliat of mayor, in the 

 , perfon of Henr)' Fitz AKvyn. Richard granted the city a 

 new charter, confirming all its liberties, with additional pri- 

 vileges ; and four years afterwards, on payment of ijoo/. 

 be granted anotlier, providing for the removal of all weirs 

 that had been erefted on the river Thames ; on this charter 

 the corporation of London found their claim to the confer- 

 vatorihip of that noble i^ream. In iiq6, a fedition arofe 

 in London, headed by William Fitz Olbert, who excited 

 the common people to oppofe the government, and gained 

 ailbciates to the amount of 50 ooo ; but the leader beiag 

 taken and executed, the commotion fubfided. This is one 

 of the firfl inftances upon record of a tumultuous affemblage 

 in defence of popular rights. In the reign of king John 

 the civio'importance of London was greatly increaled ; and 

 its corporation finally afl'umed that form and predominancy, 

 which, with a few alterations, it has maintained till the pre- 

 fcnt time. John granted the city feveral charters ; by one 

 he empowered the ." barons of the city of London" to 

 chojfe a mayor annuallv, or to continue the fame perlon 

 from year to year, at their own pleafure. In 1212 a dread- 

 ful calamity took place, through a fire which commenced at 

 the bridge end in Southwark, and occafioned a doilrudtion 

 almod unparalleled from fuch a caufe : Stow relates that 

 about 3000 perfons perifhed. During the contefl between 

 the king and pope Innocent III. London fevcrely felt the 

 confequenccs of the inlerdift which was laid upon the king- 

 dom. In the civil feuds, which marked the latter years of 

 John, the Londoners fided with the barons ; and when the 

 humbled monarch was compelled to fign Magna Charta, it 

 was therein exprefsly ftipulated that the " city of London 

 (hould have all its ancient privileges and free cuftoms as well 

 by land as by water." The long reign of Henry III. 

 affords but few events worthy of notice refpefting London : 

 its growing profperity was checked by a feries of extortions 

 and oppreffions. In 125?^, the price of corn was fo excef- 

 Cve, that a fa-nine enfued, and according to the chronicles 

 of Evefham, 20,000 perfons died of hunger in London only. 

 In 1264 ar,other maflacre of the Jews took place ; on a 

 plea thjt one of that perfecuted race had taken more than 

 lep;al intereft, and upwards of 500 Jews were put to death 

 by the populace, and their houfes and iynagogiies de- 

 llroyed. 



yfnnals of London from the Accejfion of Edward I. to that 

 ef Henry IV. — In the year 1279 all the Jeivs in England 

 were apprehended in one day, on a charge of their being the 

 author? of the great mutilations which had taken place in 

 the coin during the preceding reign : 280 perfons of both 

 fexes were executed in London, befides many others in va- 

 rious parts of the kingdom; Between the years 1 3 14 and 

 1^17 the city, in common with the retl of the kingdom, 

 fiilFered greatly from a fcarcity of provifions, which even- 

 tually produced a complete famine. King Edward III , 

 on the commencement of his reign, granted to the city two 

 charters : by the firll all the a.icient privileges were con- 

 firmed and additional ones beftowed ; by the other, the 

 village of Southwark was granted to the citizens in per- 

 petuity. In 1348, the terrible pellilence, V-hich, breaking 

 out in India, fpread itfelf wellward through every country 

 en the globe, reached England. Its ravages in London 

 were fo great, that the common cemeteries were not fuffi- 

 ciently capacious for the interment of the dead ; and various 

 pieces of ground without the walls were affigncd for burial 

 places : amongft thefe was the wafte land now forming the 

 precinft of the Charter-houfe, where upwards of 50,000 

 badies were then depofited. This dcitruftive diforder did not 

 entirely fubfide till 1357. The public entry of Edward the 



Black Prince into London, May 24, 13^6, after the TJAor^ 

 he obtained at Poiftiers, wa5 celebrated with an unparalleled 

 degree of fplendour ; and every ftreet through which the 

 cavalcade patfed, exhibited an extraordinary difplay of riches 

 and magnificence. The captive king of France, dreffed in 

 regal robes, was mounted on a white courfer, v.hi'e the vic- 

 torious prince rode by his fide on a fmali black horfe, and 

 appeared more hke an attendant than a conqueror. In 1361, 

 the plague having again broke out in France, every precau- 

 tion was taken to prevent its fpreading into England, but 

 without eifeft ; the peftilence reached London, and its ra- 

 vages were fo deductive, that upwards of 2000 perfons fell 

 viftims in two days. In 1363, a fu'iipluous entertainment 

 was given in the city by Hei.ry Picard, alderman, to the 

 kings of England, France, Scotland, and Cyprus, to Edward 

 the Black Prince, and to a great number of nobility and 

 gentry. The year 1378 is memorable in the city annds for 

 the expedition fitted out by an individi:al, John Phdpot, 

 againil Mercer, the Scottilh pirate, v ho taking advantage 

 of the inattention of governine;it to naval affairs, carried off 

 all the iliipping from the port of Scarborough ; ard c ou- 

 tin.iing to infcll the northern coaft, frequently made confi- 

 derable prizes. Tiie complaints cf the- merchants were but 

 little regarded by the council ; when Phdpot prepared a 

 fleet at his own expence, with a thoufand men well armed, 

 went himfelf on board as commander-in chief, and failed in 

 purfuit of the pirate. A long and defperate engagement 

 enfued ; but Philpot obtained the viftory, and obliged the 

 pirate to furrender, with moft of his fhips, amo' g which 

 were fifteen Spaniih veffels richly laden. In November 



1380, the fourth year of Richard II. an aft of parliament 

 was paffed for levying a poll-tax on every perfon in the 

 kingdom, male or female, above the age of fifteen years. 

 This aft was the occafion of producing, in the following 

 year, one of the mod dangerous infurreftions that ever 

 threatened the monarchy of this kingdom ; and in which 

 the metropolis particularly luffered. The tax was exatted 

 with great rigour ; and the inlolence of the colleftors was 

 an additional caufe ot irritation, and kindled the fparks of 

 fedition which foon after burll into an open flame. The ■ 

 infurreftion began in Effex, but quickly fpread through the - 

 neighbouring counties, and particularly in Kent, where the 

 daughter of Wat Tyler, fo called from his trade, ha-ving 

 been indecently treated by a colleftor, the father killed him, 

 and being fupported by the infurgents, placed liimfelf at 

 their head. To his ftandard incredible numbers flocked 

 from all parts of the kingdom ; and on the loth 'of June, ■ 



1381, having niuftered on Blackheath a hundred thoufand 

 flrong, they entered Southwark, where they fet at liberty 

 the priioners from the King's Bench and Marlhalfea prifons, 

 and levelled the houfes of all lawyers. . They biuiit the 

 archbilhops palace at Lambeth, with the rich furniture, 

 books, and regitters, and dellroyed the public ilews which 

 were then tolerated on Bankfide. . For one day the bridge 

 gate was Ihut againil them ; but they were afterwards, 

 from prudential motives, admitted into the city. ■ They 

 then proceeded to the palace of the Savoy, which was one 

 of the molt magnificent llruftures in the kingioni. Having 

 fet fire to it in feveral places, they caufed proclamation to 

 be made, that no perfon ihould convert any part of the rich 

 effefts to his own ufe, and actually threw into the fire one 

 of their com])anions who liad reler-.-ed a piece of pl.ite. 

 They alfo burnt the Temple and the other inns of court. 

 Dividing iiito three parties, one advanced to the rich priory 

 of St. John of Jerufalem, near Smithfield, which they 

 burned ; a fecond divifion marched to the Tower, where 

 ihey feijed fix Rabert Hstles, lurd ueafurer, and Simon 



Sitdbmyj . 



