(304 LON 
were anciently under the immediate direftion of the court 
of lord-mayor and aldermen, to whom this power was 
confirmed by an aft of parliament in the feventh of Ri¬ 
chard II. in the year 1384.. The Salt-fi(hmongers were 
incorporated, A. D. 14.33 > the Stock-filhmongers not till 
1509. But, this reparation proving prejudicial to both, 
they united, and obtained a charter from Henry VIII. in 
*536, by which they were incorporated by the name of 
“ The Wardens and Commonalty of the Myftery of Fifii- 
mongers of the City of London.” After this, a defperate 
feud arofe between this company and the Goldfmiths, 
about precedency ; they grew fo violent, that the court of 
aldermen, by their own authority, were obliged to pro¬ 
nounce them rebellious, and even Lannijiali , or baniflied 
the city, fuch of them as perfified in their contumacy. 
But, this charter becoming infufticient for the purpofes of 
the company, whofe ellates and concerns confiderably in- 
creafed, they received from James I. the charter under 
which they are itill incorporated; it bears date the 23d of 
Auguft, 1604, retains the fame title as the charter of 
Henry VIII. with power to purchafe and take lands of 
the yearly value of 20I. and to any perfon to give, See. 
lands of that value. The corporation confifts of a prime 
and five other wardens, twenty-eight afliftants, and a li¬ 
very, who are not to exceed two hundred, and their fine 
is 13I. 6s. 8d.—There are, in the gift of the court of af- 
fiftants, twelve exhibitions, of iol. a-year each, to ftu- 
dents, in either of the univerfities, except one, which 
is confined to Cambridge. The ftudents enjoy them for 
feven years, from the time they are entered at college. 
If any candidate has been entered at their fchool at Holt, 
lie has fometimes the preference, but not always; and no 
perfon can be admitted a candidate who has any annual em¬ 
ployment of 30I. There are alfo in the gift of the court 
fix prefentations to Chrift’s Hofpital, of children of free¬ 
men of this company, which are filled up by death or re¬ 
moval from the hofpital of any fuch children as the court 
may from time to time prefent. The court has alfo the 
nomination of a perfon to the fellowfhip of Sidney SufTex 
College, Cambridge, called Smith’s Fellowfhip; the value 
of which is fuppofed to be from 70I. to 100I. per annum ; 
alfo of a fcholar from Holt School, to Smith’s Scholarfhip 
in the fame college, with an exhibition of 12I. per annum, 
paid by the company, exclufive of the profits of the fcho- 
larfhips: this conllitutes one of the twelve exhibitions 
above mentioned. They have alfo the nomination of a 
maker to fir John Grefham’s free grammar-fehool at Holt 
in Norfolk, which is under the government of the com¬ 
pany. The court alfo appoint two perl'ons, freemen of 
the company, to be their tackle-porters at the water-fide, 
for (hipping and unfliipping goods; and two other free¬ 
men to be the company’s fifh-meters, to prevent the land¬ 
ing and difpofing of unwholefome fifli, within the jurif- 
diftion of London and the l'uburbs, at iol. per annum each. 
Their alms-houfes are ninety-four in number, viz. forty- 
two at Newington, Surry, called St. Peter’s Hofpital, no¬ 
ticed at p. 514,15. forty at Jefus Hofpital, at Bray in Berk- 
Ihire; and twelve at Harrielham in Kent; all which are 
• particularly deferibed in Highmore’s Public Charities, re¬ 
ferred to .above. 
Arms: Azure,three dolphins naiantin paleargent, finned 
and ducally crowned or, between two pair of lucies (or 
pikes, in Lqtin, lucius ) in faltier proper, over the head of 
each lucy a ducal crown gold ; on a chief gules three pair 
of keys indorfed in faltier or. Creft ; two cubit-arms 
ereft, the dexter vetted or, the finifter azure, both cuffed 
argent, holding in the hands proper a regal crown of the 
laft. Supporters; the dexter a merman proper, on his 
head a helmet, the body in armour, in his dexter hand a 
fabre, all of the fir It; the finillera mermaid proper, crined 
or, in her finifter hand a mirror of the lalt. Motto, All 
worlhip be to God only.—Patron, St. Peter, on account 
of his having been a filhertnan. 
5. Goldsmiths. —The Company of Goldfmithsappears 
to be of great antiquity ; for in the reign of Henry II. in 
DON. 
the year 1180, it was,, among other guilds, fined for be¬ 
ing adulterine, that is, fetting up without the king’s fpe- 
cial licenfe. But at length, in 1327, Edward III. in 
confideration of the fum of ten marks, incorporated this 
company by letters patent, by the name of “ The War¬ 
dens and Commonalty of the Myftery of Goldfmiths of 
the City of London ;” and granted them the privilege of 
purchasing an eftateof twenty pounds per annum in mort¬ 
main, for the fupport of their valetudinary members; 
which grant, in the year 1394, was confirmed by Richard 
II. for the fum of twenty marks. Thefe grants were af¬ 
terwards confirmed by Edward IV. in the year 1462, who 
alio conftituted this fociety a body politic and corporate, 
to have a perpetual fucceftion, and a common feal. By 
the faid grant they had likewife the privilege of infpefting, 
trying, and regulating, all gold and filver wares, nor only 
in this city, but in other parts of the kingdom 5 and this 
privilege has been fince fo materially enlarged, that they 
have the power of infpefting all goid and filver wares in 
the following particular places, viz. Birmingham, Shef¬ 
field, Chelter, Newcaftle, Norwich, and Exeter; with the 
power of punilhing all offenders concerned in working- 
adulterated gold and filver; and of making bye-laws for 
their better government. This company is governed by 
a matter, four wardens, and ninety-eight alii Hants; the 
livery-fine is 21I. Hall in Fofter-lane; fee p. 485. 
Arms: Quarterly, gules and azure; in the firtt and fourth 
a leopard’s head or; lecond and third, a covered cup; and 
in chief two round buckles, the tongues fefi'wife, points 
to the dexter, all of the third. Creft; a demi-lady, her 
arms extended proper, iffuing out of clouds of the laft, 
vetted gules, garnifhtd or, cuffed argent, round her n’eck a 
ruff of the laft ; in her dexter hand a pair of feales gold, in 
her finifter hand a touchftone fable. Supporters; two uni¬ 
corns or, armed, crined, and hoofed, argent. Motto, Juf- 
litia virtutum regina. They ufed alfo the motto, To God 
only be all glory.—-Patron, St. Dunttan, whom tradition 
reports to have been a goldfmith by trade. 
6. Skinners. —The Skinners’ Company was incorpo¬ 
rated by Edward III. in the year 1327, by the appel¬ 
lation of “The Matter and Wardens of the Guild or 
Fraternity of the Body of Chrift, of the Skinners of Lon¬ 
don.” This charter was afterwards confirmed by Henry 
VI. in the year 1438; which deed of confirmation direfts, 
that every perfon, on his being admitted to the freedom 
of the company, is to be prefented to the lord-mayor. 
By thefe grants the corporation were reftrained from mak¬ 
ing bye-laws. This company is governed by a matter, 
four wardens, and fixty affiftants. The fine on admiflion 
is 15I, The members of this company pay no quarter¬ 
age, owing to their being poifeired of great eftates left in 
truft to them by feveral benefaftors, out of which they 
pay 700I. annually to charitable purpofes.—Their hall is 
on Dowgate hill, and has been noticed at p. 429. Befides 
their alms-houfes mentioned at p. 455, they have another 
fet, (adjoining thole of theTrinity-houfe, p. 450.) founded 
by Louis Newbury in 1698, for twelve poor widows, who 
receive each 181. per ann. 
Arms: Ermine, on a chief gules, three crowns compofed 
of crolfes patee and fleurs de lis or, with caps of the firit. 
Creft; a Norwegian cat gardant proper, wreathed about 
the neck with laurel-leaves vert, purfled or. Supporters; the 
dexter a cat as above, rampant gardant, proper; the finif¬ 
ter a martin fable ; each gorged as above. Motto, To God 
only be all glory.—Patroneis the virgin Mary, for reafons 
limilar to thole ttated at the articles Mercers and Drapers. 
7. Merchant Taylors.— The Company of Mer¬ 
chant Taylors, which was anciently denominated “Tay¬ 
lors and Linen-Armourers,” was incorporated by letters 
patent of Edward IV. in the year 1466 ; but, many of the 
members of the company being great merchants, and 
Henry VII. a member thereof, he, in the year 1503, re- 
incorporated the fame, by the name of “The Matter 
and Wardens of the Merchant Taylors, of the Fraternity 
of St. John the Baptift, in the City of London.” They 
