45m LON 
pounds annually to live crown for their immunities. See p. 
60. The company originally confided of tapeftry and cloth 
weavers; and by an aft of parliament palled in the reign 
of Henry IV. they were put under the management and 
authority of the lord-mayor and aldermen of the city. 
At prefent, however, the company chiefly conlifts of wor¬ 
ked, cotton, and lilk, weavers. It is governed by two 
bailiffs, two wardens, and lixteen affillants; livery-fine, 
ten pounds. Hall, Bafinghall-llreet. 
Arms: Azure, on a chevron argent, between three 
leopards'* heads, each having in the mouth a fhuttle or, as 
many roles gules, feeded of the third, barbed vert. Crelt; 
a leopard’s head or, ducally crowned gules; in his mouth 
a (hnttle of the firft. Supporters ; 'two wiverns with wings 
indorfed argent, purfled or; on each wing a rofe gules, 
feeded or, barbed vert. Motto, Weave truth with trull. 
43. Woolmen. —Though the antiquity of this fociety 
•may reafonably be fuppoled to be equal to that of the 
wool-trade in this kingdom, yet it is only a fraternity by 
prefcription. However, it is one of the city-companies, 
and is diltineuilhed by the name of “The Mailer, War¬ 
dens, and A Hi Hants, of the Fraternity or Company of Wool- 
men of the City of London.” It confifts of a mailer, two 
wardens, and eleven affiftants; but has neither hall, livery, 
nor charter.—Arms : Gules, a vvoolpack argent. 
44. Scriveners. —This company, which was originally 
denominated “ The Writers of the Court Letter of the City 
of London,” was incorporated by letters patent of James 
I. in the year 1616, by the name of “The Mailer, War¬ 
dens, and Affiftants, of the Society of Writers of the City 
of London.” This is called a livery-company; and is 
governed by a matter, two wardens, and twenty-four al- 
iiftants. They h;fd formerly a hall in Noble-ftreet; but, 
being reduced to low circumftances, they fold it the Com¬ 
pany of Coach-makers, in whofe poliellion it llill remains. 
The trade of a fcrivener, if not the company itfelf, may 
be confidered as extinfl. In the cafe of Hague’s bank¬ 
ruptcy, the lord-chancellor obferved, (Aug. 9.) “ that there 
was a company in the city of London, under the title of 
the Scriveners’Company; but there was not, he underltood, 
a tingle member of that company now in exiftence, fuch 
a profeffion as that of a fcrivener not now exilting ; and 
he believed Dr. Johnfon was right that there had been no 
fcrivener in this country lince the time of jack Ellis, of 
the Royal Exchange. His lordlhip added, that almoll all 
the cornmiflions filed out again!! attorneys were in the cha¬ 
racter of money-fcriveners, whereas, he was perluaded not 
one in five hundred was really fuch.” 
Arms: Azure, an eagle with wings expanded or, Hand¬ 
ing on a book in bale, lying felfwife gules, clofe clafped 
and garnilhed of the fecond ; holding in his mouth an ink- 
horn fable, {fringed gules. Crelt; a dexter arm ilfuing 
from clouds proper, in the hand a pen as if writing on 
the wreath. 
45. Fruiterers. —This company was incorporated by 
letters patent of-James I. in the year 1605, by the name 
of “ The Mailer, Wardens, and Commonalty, of the Myf- 
tery of Fruiterers of London; and is governed by a maf- 
ter, two wardens, and thirty afllltants: livery-fine, five 
pounds.—They have no hall. 
Arms : Azure, on a mount in bafe vert, the tree of 
paradife, environed with the ferpent, between Adam and 
Eve, all proper. Motto, Arbor Vita Ckrijlus ; “ Chrilt the 
tree of life.’’ 
46. Plasterers. —This company was incorporated by 
Henry VII. in the year 1501, by the name of “The Maf- 
ter and Wardens of the Guild or Fraternity of the blelfed 
Mary, of Plallei-ers, London ;” and this charter was con¬ 
firmed by Charles II. in the year 1667. It is governed 
by a mailer, two wardens, and thirty-two afliftants; livery- 
line, eight pounds.—Hall in Addle-llreet. 
Arms: Azure, a chevron engrailed between two plaf- 
jerer’s hammers or, and a trowel argent, in chief; 
nnd a treble flat brulli in bafe of the fecond ; a rofe 
gules, feeded or, barbed vert, between two fieurs-de- 
D O N. 
lis of the firft. Crelt; a dexter arm embower!, ha¬ 
bited or, cuffed gules, holding in the hand proper, a ham¬ 
mer as in the arms. Supporters; two griffins vert, pur- 
fled or, beaked fable, winged gules. 
47. Stationers. —This company was incorporated by 
Philip and Mary, in the year 1557, by the name of “The 
Matter, and Keepers or Wardens, ahd Commonalty, of 
tlie Myltery or Art of a Stationer of the City of London.” 
It is governed by a matter, two wardens, and twenty-four 
afliftants; livery, 502 ; fine, lift}'pounds.—Their hall is 
on the north fide of Ludgate-ftreer, on the fite of a man- 
lion which anciently belonged to the dukes of Bretagne; 
after which it was poffelfed by the earls of Pembroke, and, 
in queen Elizabeth’s time, by Henry lord Abergavenny 5 
finally it belonged to the Stationers’ Company, who re¬ 
built it of wood, and made it their hall. This building, 
however, Ibared in the common calamity of 1666, (by 
which the company loll 200,000!. the fpacious warehoufes 
under the hall, being filled with printed books,) and was 
lucceeded by the prefent brick edifice, which was newly 
fronted with Hone, about ten years ago. It is a fpacious 
convenient building, lighted by a tingle feries of windows, 
over each of which is placed a neat medallion. The en¬ 
trance is from a fmall paved court, enclofed with a dwarf 
wall, furmounted by an iron railing.-—John Boydell, efq. 
an alderman and lord-mayor of London, prefented to this 
hall two good pictures, one of George Douglas aflilting 
Mary Stuart iu her el'cape from Lochleven Caftle: the 
queen and the gallant Douglas are reprefented bv the 
painter, .Mr. Graham, of exquifite beauty. The otlier is 
of Alfred dividing- his loaf with a pilgrim, the work of 
Mr. Weft. In the Bock-room is a well-painted portrait 
of Tycho Wing, fon of Vincent Wing, a celebrated altro- 
loger and almanac-maker. There is, befides, a bull of 
the celebrated printer William Bowyer, a man equally 
diftinguilhed by his erudition and his probity; alfo a good 
portrait of his father, to whom he fucceeded in buiinefs 
and reputation. The father died in December 1737, aged 
74; the fon in November 1777, aged 78. See vol. iii. p. 
326. Both were patronifed by the molt refpeCtable cha¬ 
racters of the age. The father was honoured with the 
friendfliip of the pious Nelfon, whofe portrait is alfo in 
this hall. 
This company, which alfo includes bookfellers, letter- 
founders, printers, and bookbinders, have a ltock which 
is employed in printing almanacs, primers, plalters, fchool- > 
books, See. of which they have the privilege, by virtue 
of a grant from the crown. This ltock confifts of lhares, 
which are diftributed indifferent proportions among thole 
who have fined for, or ferved, the office of renter-warden; 
and whofe lhares, if they die married, devolve to their 
widows. 
The Stationers’ Company has a (hare in the Irifli eftates, 
noticed at p. 601, and others of conliderable value, out of 
which they pay, in penlions, and other charities, confider- 
able lutns every year; and thefe have been much augmented 
of late years by the benevolence of fome of their principal 
members.—Mr. Bowyer’s bequefts have been noticed under 
the article above referred to.—Mrs. Beata Wilkins, by will, 
dated November 24, 1773, after giving the picture of bi- 
fiiop Hoadly to the company, bequeathed the intereft of 
her 40I. (bare in the company’s ltock to them in truft, to 
be annually diftributed between fix poor men and fix poor 
widows, not penlioners of the company. The amount of 
this fliare was 320I. which was inverted in the purchafe of 
3581. ns. 4d. 5 per cent, navy annuities,in the name of the 
company; the dividend amounts to 17I. 18s. 6d. to which 
the court add is. 6d. to make the annuity 30s. to each perfon. 
Win. Strahan, efq. by bis will dated July 2, i7S4,gaveth8in 
loool.in truft, to be veiled iu government-lecurities, and to 
dillribute one moiety of the dividends at Chriltmas, equally 
amonglt five poor journeymen-printers, natives of England- 
or Wales, and freemen of the company, to be feleftedby the 
court; and the other moiety to fuch five poor journeymen- 
printers, natives of Scotland, without regard to their being 
freemen 
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