78 London Stone. 



The land was divided into sixteen hides, and each hide of land could 

 send its representative ; hence they were called ' ' Sixteens." They had 

 the power to make orders, amerce suitors for non-appearance, make 

 presentments, choose officers, etc., aud their orders, if proclaimed from 

 the Town Cross, are binding on the inhabitants. 



But there is no manner of doubt that Paul's Cross in London was a 

 place of general assembly of the people. Henry III, about the begin- 

 ning of the year 1258, pretending to have found in the royal wardrobe 

 at Windsor a roll of parchment filled with accusations against the lord 

 mayor and aldermen of London, commanded one of his chief justices 

 to summon a folk-moot at Paul's Cross, upon one day's notice. The 

 record does not say whether or not this was a revival of the old, but 

 treats the matter as if it was no new or unheard of thing to call the 

 people together at that place for such a purpose. But in addition to 

 this fact we find that when in 1321 the dean and the chapter of St. 

 Paul's had taken possession of a plat of ground at the east end of St. 

 Paul's church adjoining the cross, the citizens made complaint, that 

 the, possession was illegal, because that piece of ground was the place 

 where they were accustomed and ought to hold the court, which is 

 called the folk-moot ; and that the great steeple or campanile of St. 

 Paul's, which adjoins it, " was their common bell and situate there for 

 that use ; which being there rung, all the inhabitants of the city 

 might hear and come together." The same complaint was again made 

 in 1603, for there is in existence a letter from the lord mayor to the 

 chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, touching the city's right to a 

 room of two square yards of ground or thereabouts at Paul's Cross, 

 which the city had enjoyed time out of mind. 



I am well aware that none of the illustrations I have given, or shall 

 give, prove that London Stone was used either as an open air court or 

 place of assembly ; this cannot be shown, and if it could be, my re- 

 marks would be useless. It is only claimed that these meetings around 

 stones, taken in connection with the reverence, in which London Stone 

 has been always held, raise the presumption that it was used for the 

 same purpose. 



We have a couple of illustrations from the Orkney islands : one 

 Nicoll Fraser, having sold some land which was challenged by his 

 brother, the sale was affirmed for the reason that the said Nicoll "at 

 divers and sundry times came to the said Alexander and offered him 

 the buying of all his rights, and his father's heritage before any others, 

 and he refused it at all times ; and thereafter he came before the best 

 and worthiest in the country, and divers and sundry times in courts and 



