LON 
and other articles ufeful to ladies. The etymology of the 
word Mercer comes from the Latin merx, merchandife. 
This company have no creft nor fupporters to their arms. 
2. Grocers. —The Grocers’ Company, anciently de¬ 
nominated Pepperers, were incorporated by letters-patent 
of Edward III. in the year 1345, hy the name of “The 
Wardens and Commonalty of the Myftery of the Grocery 
of the City of London which was afterwards confirmed 
by Henry VI. in 1429, who alfo granted to this company 
the office of garbling, in all places throughout the king¬ 
dom of England, the city of London only excepted. 
Thefe grants were confirmed by a new charter, granted 
by Charles I. in the 15th year pf his reign, with an addi¬ 
tional power of fearching and infpefting the goods and 
weights of all perfons, uling or exercifing the trade of a 
grocer in the city and fuburbs of London, or within three 
miles round the fame. Anciently they had alfo the ma¬ 
nagement of the king’s beam in this city, w ith a right of 
appointing a matter weigher and four porters to attend it. 
This company formerly held the higheft rank among the 
city companies ; for in the reign of Henry IV. there were 
no lefs than twelve of the aldermen, at one time, belong¬ 
ing to it. It has alfo been dignified with the names of 
five kings enrolled among its members. Hall in Grocers’ 
alley, Poultry ; (fee p. 470.) The livery-fine is 20I. 
Their eftates are of confiderable magnitude; out of which 
they diftribute yearly about 1000I. to the poor, and main¬ 
tain a fet of alms-houles on their eftate in Northampton- 
lit ire. 
Arms: Argent, a chevron gules between nine cloves 
fable, 4, 2, and 3. Creft; a camel proper, bridled gules, 
on his back a bale argent, corded gules. Supporters ; 
two griffins per fefs gules and or. Motto; God grant 
grace.—We luppofe the alliteration of the three GGG 
in the motto to have been made in allufion to the word 
Grocer, the etymology of which is grofs, as they were 
originally wholefale dealers in merchandifes coming from 
the Levant.—Patron, St. Anthony, an hermit of the The- 
baVs in Egypt, from and through which country the ori¬ 
ental drugs ufed to be conveyed to Europe. 
3. Drapers. —Incorporated anno 1439, by the ftyle 
and title of “ The Matter, Wardens, Brethren, and Sif¬ 
ters, of the Guild or Fraternity of the Blefi'ed Mary the 
Virgin, of the Myftery of Drapers of the City of London.” 
The hall is a fpacious edifice, on the north fide of Throg- 
morton-ftreet, built upon the ruins of a palace belonging 
to Thomas Cromwell, earl of Effex, which ftood upon the 
fite of a priory, dedicated to St. Augultine. Being con¬ 
demned for treafon, his property fell to the crown ; and 
this manfion was purchafed by the Drapers, who converted 
*it into a handfome hall. That being confumed by the 
great fire, the prefent elegant building arofe from its afh.es. 
It forms four fides of a fquare, furrounded by a piazza, 
compofed of columns and arches. The common hall is 
adorned with portraits of feveral of the Engliih monarchs, 
and of Henry Fitz-Alwyn, the firft lord-mayor of Lon¬ 
don, who was a member of this corporation. The court¬ 
room, and the other apartments, are handfomely furnifhed. 
In one of them is an original picture of Mary queen of 
Scots, wjth her infant fon, afterwards king James. A 
pleafant garden, allowing for its fituation in the midft of 
a city, belongs to this hall, which is politely kept open 
for the accommodation of the public, and affords a fafe 
and airy retreat for the children of the neighbourhood.— 
In Howel’s Familiar Letters, we meet with the following 
pafl'age relative to a privilege which may be claimed by 
perfons of that name who become members of the Drapers’ 
Company. “Sept. 30, 1629. When I went to bind my 
brother Ned apprentice in Drapers’ Flail, calling my eyes 
•upon the chimney-piece of the great room, I might fpie 
a picture of an ancient gentleman, and underneath, 
Thomas Howe'. I afked the clerk about him; and he 
told me that he had been a Spanifh merchant in Henry 
the Eighth’s time ; and, coming home rich, and dying a 
bachelor,, he gave that hall to the Company of Drapers, 
DON. 0)3 
with other things, fo that he is accounted one of their 
chiefeft benefactors. I told the clerk, that one of the fons 
of Thomas Howel came now thither to be bound. He 
anfwered, If he be a right Howel, he may have, when he 
is free, three hundred pounds to help to fet up, and pay 
mf filtered for five years. It may be hereafter we may 
make ufe of this. He told me alfo, that any maid, that 
can prove her father to be a true How-el, may come and 
demand fifty pounds towards her portion, of the laid balk” 
The company is governed hy a mailer, four wardens, 
and thirty affiftants ; livery-fine 25I. Their charitable 
donations annually were eftimated by Maitland, in 1760, 
at about 4000!. befides which, they are vefted with fruits 
to a confiderable amount for Inch purpofes.—Among the 
charities, the adnfiniftrarton of which is vefted in the 
Drapers’ Company, is a very ancient one, eftabliihed on 
the fouth-weft fide of the town of Greenwich, where the 
roads branch off to London and Lewiiham. It is an hof- 
pital confifting of twenty fmall tenements with gardens, 
which hand very low, and are feparated by a dwarf-wall 
from the London-roa'd ; it was founded and endowed 
anno 1576, by William Lam bard, author of the Peram¬ 
bulation of Kent, with the title cf Queen Elizabeth’s 
College, for twenty poor perfons : he committed it to the 
truft of the Matter of the Rolls (for the time being) and 
the Drapers’Company. It is faid to be the firft hofpital 
which was founded by a proteftant. The penfioners are 
appointed in the following manner: One by the Matter 
of the Rolls, one by the two elder wardens of the Dra¬ 
pers’ Company, one by the Reward of the manor of 
Greenwich, out of the poor of that parifh, one by the 
Drapers from Greenwich, fix from Greenwich by the vicar 
and parifli-officers, one from Deptford, three from Lew- 
ifham, one from Lee, three from Eltbam, one from Charl¬ 
ton and Kidbrook, and one from Woolwich. They muff 
be poor, honeft, and godly, perfons, who have been three 
years refident in the parifh whence they are choien ; they 
may be either men or women, married or unmarried ; the 
preference is to be given, in the firft place, to the aged, 
who are paft their work ; fecondly, to thofe who have 
been maimed 5 thirdly, to the blind; fourthly, to fuch 
as have been impoverifhed by cafualty ; fifthly, to thofe 
afflicted by any continual ficknefs, not contagious; and, 
laftly, to fuch as are burdened with a numerous family. 
Other fecondary preferences are laid down alfo to be ob- 
ferved among thofe in other refpeffs of equal pretenfions: 
fuch as a man to be preferred before a woman, the mar¬ 
ried before the unmarried, the perfon who has been longer 
of the houfehohi of faith before him who has continued 
later in popifli idolatry, See. The original allowance to 
the penfioners was 6s. per month ; it is now increafed to 
15s. per month, and one chaldron and a half of coals 
yearly to each penfioner.—The Drapers’ Company are alfo 
the truftees for the management of the alms-houfes of 
Francis Bancroft, as mentioned at p. 450. and of thofe of 
lady Afkew-, noted at p. 458.—Finding the charities of 
the companies to be fo extremely numerous, that it will 
be impolfible for us to enumerate them all, we lhall at 
once beg to refer the reader for full information to a work 
from which ourfelves have derived very great affiftance; 
namely, “ Pietas Londinevjis ; the Hiftory of the Public Cha¬ 
rities in and near London, by A. Highmore.” 
Arms: Azure, three clouds proper, radiate # d or, each 
furmounted with a triple crown or, caps gules. Creft ; on 
a mount vert, a ram couchant or, attired fable. Support¬ 
ers; two lions argent pelletee. Motto, Unto God only 
be honour and glory.-—Patronefs, the virgin Mary, molt 
likely for the reafon affigned at the article Mergers. 
4. Fishmongers. —The Fifhmongers were original! y 
two bodies, viz. Stock-fiftiraongers ami Salt fifhmongers; 
and between them had no lefs than fix halls; two in 
Thames-ftreet, two in New Fifli-ftreet, and two in Old 
Fifli-flreet. Their prefent and only hall is in Thames- 
ftreet. See p. 432.—This company, as well as other per¬ 
fons concerned in furmfhing the city with provifsons. 
