LON 
Son fhould continue in their federal offices during life, or 
good behaviour and fo it ftill continues, though the 
manner of elefting has feveral times varied. At prefent 
it is regulated by an aft of parliament, pafled in the year 
*715; and the perfon fo elected is to be returned by the 
lord-mayor (or other returning officer in his ftead, duly 
qualified to hold a court of wardmote) to the court of 
lord-mayor and aldermen, by whom the perfon fo returned 
rnuft be admitted and fworn into the office of alderman, 
before he can aft. If the perfon chofen refufes to ferve 
the office of aldern'ian, he is fubjeft to a fine of five hun¬ 
dred pounds. See p. 97, 2/3. 
Thefe high officers conftitute a fecond part of the city 
legislature, when afiembled in a corporate capacity, and 
cxercife an executive power in their refpettive wards. 
All the aldermen keep their wardmote forchoofing ward- 
officers, and fettling the bufir.efs of the ward, for redreff- 
ing grievances, fcc. In the management of thefe affairs, 
every alderman has his deputy, who is by him appointed 
out of the common-counci! of his ward; and, in iorne of 
the wards that are very large, the alderman has t wo de¬ 
puties. The aldermen who have paffed the chair are juf- 
tices of the quorum, and all the other aldermen are juf- 
tices of the peace. 
The divifion of the city into wards, under the govern¬ 
ment of an alderman to each, is as old ac the year 1285. 
See p. 65. They were at that time twenty-four in num¬ 
ber ; hut, by the dividing of Fatringdon-ward into two, 
and the addition of Bridge-ward Without, in the borough 
of Southwark, they are now twenty-fix ; of which the 
following are the names and boundaries at the prefent time. 
1. Alderfgate-ward take; its name from a city-gate which 
flood in the neighbourhood. It is bounded on the eaft 
by Cripplegate-ward ; on the welt, by Farringdon-ward 
Within and Without; and on the fouth, by Farringdon- 
ward Within. It is very large, and is divided into Al- 
derfgate Within and Alderfgate Without. Each of thefe 
divisions confifts of four precinfts, under one alderman, 
eight common-councilmen, of whom two are the alder¬ 
man’s deputies, ‘eight conftables, fourteen inqueft-men, 
eight fcavengers, and a beadle; exclufive of the officers 
belonging to the liberty of St. Martin’s-le-Grand, which 
contains 168 houfes. 
2. Aldgale-ward takes its name alfo from the ancientgate. 
The ward of Aldgate is bounded on the caff: by the city- 
wall, which divides it from Portfoken-ward ; on the north, 
by Biflibpfgate-ward ; on the weft, by Lime-ftreet and Lang- 
bourn wards; and-on the fouth, by Tower-ftrect-ward. 
It is governed by an alderman, fix comrnon-councilmen, 
lix conftables, twenty inqueft-men, feven fcavengers, and 
a beadle ; befides the officers belonging to St. James’s, 
Duke’s Place. It is divided into feven precincts. 
3. BaJJifiaw or Bajinghall-ward, is bounded on the eaft: 
and fouth by Coleman-itreet-ward, on the north by part of 
Cripplegate, and on tiie weft by part of the wards of Cheap 
and Cripplegate. On the fouth, it begins at Blackwell-hall; 
and runs northward to that part of London-wall which 
was pulled down fome time ago to make way for new build¬ 
ings in Fore-ftreet; and fpreads eighty-eight feet eaft, and 
fifty-four feet weft, againll the place where that wall Itood. 
This is a very fmall ward, and confifts only of two pre¬ 
empts : the upper precintt contains no more than 66, and 
the lower only 76, houfes. It is governed by an aider- 
man, four common-councilmen, of whom one is the al¬ 
derman’s deputy, three conftables, feventeen inqueft-men, 
three fcavengers, and a beadle. It has its name from Ba- 
finghall, the manfion-houfe of the family of Bafings, which 
was the principal houfe in it, and flood in the place of 
Blackwell-hall. See p. 480. 
4. Billingfgate-ward is bounded on the eaft by Tower- 
ftreet ward ; on the north, by Langbourn-ward ; on the 
weft, by the ward of Bridge Within ; and on the fouth, 
by the river Thames. It is divided into twelve precinfts ; 
and is governed by an alderman, ten common-councilmen, 
one or whom is the alderman’s deputy, eleven conftables, 
V0h. XIII. N«. 930. 
D O N. 59S 
fourteen inqueft-men, fix fcavengers, and a beadle. The 
Situation of Billingfgate, on the river, gives it great ad¬ 
vantages with refpeft to trade and merchandife ; fo that it 
is well inhabited, and is in a continual hurry of bufinefs 
at the feveral wharfs or quays. 
5. Bifliopfgate-ward is bounded on the eaft by Aldgate- 
ward, Portfoken-ward, and part of the Tower-liberty, or 
Norton Falgate ; on the weft, by Broad-ftreet ward and 
Moorfields ; and on the fouth, by Langbourn-ward. It 
is very large, and divided into Bifhopigate Within and 
Biftiopfgate Without. The firft contains all that part of 
the ward within the city-wall and gate, and is divided into 
five precinfts ; the fecond lies without the wall, and is di¬ 
vided into four precinfts. Biftiopfgate Without extends 
to Shoreditch. This ward is governed by an alderman, 
two deputies, one within and the other without, twelve 
common-councilmen, feven conftables, thirteen inqueft- 
men, nine fcavengers, and two beadles. It took its name 
from the gate, which was pulled down to 1 make that part 
of the city more airy and commodious. See p. 104. 
6. Brcad-freet-ward is encompaffed on the north and 
north-weft by the ward of Farringdon Within ; on the 
eaft, by Cordwainers-ward ; on the fouth, by Queenhitlie- 
ward ; and on the weft, by Caftle-Baynard-ward. It is. 
divided into thirteen precinfts; and is governed by an 
alderman, twelve common-councilmen, of whom one is 
the alderman’s deputy, thirteen conftables, thirteen in¬ 
queft-men, thirteen fcavengers, and a beadle; and yet 
contains no more than 331 houfes. It takes its name from 
the ancient bread-market, which was kept in the place 
now called Bread-ftreet ; the bakers being obliged to fell 
their bread only in the open market, and not in (hops. 
7. Bridge-ward Within is bounded on the fouth by the 
river Thames and Southwark ; on the north, by Lang- 
bourn and Bifhopfgate wards; on the eaft, by Billingfgate ; 
and on the weft, by Candlewick and Dowgate wards. It 
is divided into fourteen precinfts, three of which were on 
London.bridge ; and is governed by an alderman, fifteen 
common-councilmen, fourteen conftables, fifteen inqueft- 
men, fourteen fcavengers, and a beadle. It takes its 
name from its connexion with London-bridge. 
8. Broad-Jlreet-ward is bounded on the north and eaft 
by Biftiopfgate-ward ; on the fouth, by Cornhill and Wall- 
brook wards ; and on the weft by Coleman-ftreet-ward. 
It is divided into ten precinfts ; and governed by an al¬ 
derman, ten common-councilmen, ten conftables, thirteen 
inqueft-men, eight fcavengers, and a beadle. It has its 
name from that part of it now diftinguifhed by the name 
of Old Broad-lcreet; and which, before the fire of 1666, 
was accounted one of the broadeft ftreets in London. 
9. Co.ndlevjick■ ward, Candlezoic.k-Jireet, or Candlewrighl- 
JlrM-ward as it is called in fome ancient records, is bounded 
on the eaft by Bridge-ward ; on the fouth, by Dowgate 
and part of Bridge-ward; on the weft, by Dowgate and 
Wallbrook ; arid on the north, by Langbourn-ward. It 
is but a fmall ward, confifting of about 2S6 houfes ; yet 
is divided into feven precinfts. It is governed by an al¬ 
derman, eight common-council men, feven conftables, 
thirteen inqueft-men, feven fcavengers, and a beadle. It 
has its name from a ftreet, formerly inhabited chiefly by 
candle-wrights or candle-makers, both in tallow and wax. 
That ftreet, however, or at leaft its name, Candlewick, is 
loft fince the great conflagration, for which the name Cav.on- 
Jireet is lubftituted, the candle-wrights being at that time 
burnt out, and difperfed through the city. 
10. CaJUe-Baynard-ward is bounded by Queenhithe and 
Bread-itreet wards on the eaft ; on the fouth, by the 
Thames; and &n the weft and north, by the ward of Far¬ 
ringdon Within. It is divided into ten precinfts, under 
the government of an alderman, ten common-coimcilmeri, 
nine conitables, fourteen inqueft-men, feven fcavengers, 
and a beadle. 
11. Cheap-ward is bounded on the eaft by Broad-ftreet 
and Wallbrook wards ; on the north, by Coleman-ftreet, 
Baiflfluvv, and Cripplegate ; and on the fouth, by Corc- 
7 M waiaert. 
