In the remarkable record of the Court of Claims held before the coronation of Richard II. (over which John of Gaunt presided as High Steward), Close Roll, I Ric. II. mem. 45. (Public Record Office), the claim of the Mayor and citizens is fully set forth: The King ‘willed and decreed that the citizens of the said city should serve in the hall of botelry helping the chief butler, while the King himself sat at table on the day of his coronation, and when the same our lord the King, after dinner, entered his chamber and asked for wine, the said Mayor should serve our said lord the King with a bowl of gold, and afterwards should receive that bowl with the ewer appertaining to the same bowl, as a gift from the King.’[242]
At the coronation of Henry VI. (6th November 1429), William Estfield, the recently elected Mayor, received the customary gold cup and ewer used on the occasion, which he afterwards bequeathed to his grandson.[243]
The latest instance of this jealously guarded privilege occurred at the coronation of George IV., July 19, 1821.[244]
The claim to this honourable service in the cases of the coronations of William IV and Queen Victoria was not made because no banquet took place on these occasions.
In the case of the coronation of his present Majesty the claim was excluded from the consideration of the Court of Claims under the royal proclamation. The terms of the judgment on a further claim is as follows: ‘The Court considers and adjudges that the Lord Mayor has by usage a right, subject to His Majesty’s pleasure, to attend the Abbey during the coronation, and bear the crystal mace.’[245]
It will be seen that of these four special privileges two relate to the Mayor’s position in the city and two to his position outside the city.
The pageants connected with the election of the Mayor are of great antiquity, but we have little information respecting the earlier ones. It is a tradition that when the mayoralty was granted by the King, a stipulation was made that the Mayor should be presented for approval either to the King or his justiciar, and the processions then commenced.
In 1415 the Mayor proceeded to Westminster on horseback, but in 1453 Sir John Norman, the Mayor, was infirm, and he introduced the custom of making the progress from London to Westminster by barge. This continued till the horseback procession was revived in 1657, much to the disgust of the London watermen.
Even when the water procession was the regular practice, the procession on horseback to the Guildhall and then to the waterside for embarkation took place.