When Michaelmas-day came round and Sir Samuel Dashwood—a tried Tory who had sat for the city in the only parliament convened under James II, as well as in the first parliament under William and Mary—was elected to the mayoralty chair, the choice of the citizens was highly commended by the lord keeper,[1888] and the queen accepted an invitation to dinner on lord mayor's day. It was proposed to invite both Houses of Parliament to the city on that occasion, but it was found that the accommodation at the Guildhall was insufficient for the purpose.[1889] The cost of the entertainment to her majesty was not thrown on the Chamber, but was discharged by the aldermen, each of them agreeing to subscribe the[pg 614] sum of £25 for the purpose. The entertainment, however, was given on so lavish a scale that these contributions had to be doubled, in addition to which the outgoing as well as the incoming mayor contributed £300 respectively and each of the sheriffs £150. The whole cost of the entertainment amounted to £2,000.[1890] The queen acknowledged the hospitality thus offered by conferring the honour of knighthood upon Francis Dashwood, brother of the lord mayor, Richard Hoare, the goldsmith of Fleet Street, Gilbert Heathcote, the city member, and upon "Mr. Eaton," the linendraper, of Cheapside, from whose house she had witnessed the pageant.[1891]
Public thanksgiving service at St. Paul's, 12 Nov., 1702.
Scarce a fortnight elapsed before the queen again visited the city (12 Nov.), the occasion being a public thanksgiving service in St. Paul's for the successes of Marlborough, Ormond and Rooke. In July Marlborough had opened the campaign against France and Spain, war having been declared against those countries on the 4th May,[1892] and although he had been unable to bring the enemy to a general engagement he had succeeded in reducing several important towns and in cutting off the communications of the French with the Lower Rhine. At sea the English and Dutch combined fleets under the command of Sir George Rooke, with a large number of troops on board under the command of the Duke of Ormond, had succeeded in capturing a rich booty in Vigo Bay.[1893] Both Houses of Parliament attended the service.[pg 615] The order of the procession and the distribution of seats within the cathedral are given in detail in a report laid before the Court of Aldermen (15 Dec.).[1894] The queen, who was attired in purple, and wore her collar and George, was met at Temple Bar by the mayor, aldermen and sheriffs on horseback. The city sword, having been presented to her majesty and restored to the mayor, was carried by him next before her majesty's coach to the cathedral. The streets from St. James' to Temple Bar were lined by the Westminster militia, and from Temple Bar to Ludgate by two regiments of the city trained bands. The balconies and windows were hung with carpets and tapestry. On arriving at St. Paul's her majesty was met at the door by the Peers and escorted to the choir of the cathedral by the Duke of Somerset and the lord chamberlain, the sword of state being borne before her by the Duke of Ormond. The spectacle which presented itself inside St. Paul's on this occasion has scarcely ever been equalled. Opposite the altar, on a throne of state, sat the queen. The Peers were accommodated with seats in the body of the choir, whilst the Commons sat in the stalls and upper galleries on either side. In the two lower galleries next the throne sat the foreign ministers and ladies "of quality." There were two other galleries near the altar, one on the north side and the other on the south side of the church. The latter was occupied by the mayor, aldermen and sheriffs, whilst the former was occupied (as usual) by their ladies. The sermon was preached by the Bishop of Exeter. The night was given up to bonfires and illuminations.[1895]
The victory at Blenheim, 2 Aug. (o.s.), 1704.
Two years later the city's minster—now rapidly approaching completion—was again the scene of a similar gathering, the occasion being a thanksgiving service for a signal victory gained by Marlborough over the French and Bavarian forces at Blenheim, near Hochstadt in Germany (2 Aug., o.s.).[1896] The 7th September was set apart as a day of public thanksgiving.[1897] The City in the meanwhile voted (30 Aug.) an address to her majesty[1898] congratulating her on the success that had attended her arms and complimenting her on her judgment in selecting Marlborough for the command, whose courage and conduct had "settled the tottering empire, relieved Savoy, chastised the Elector of Bavaria, and curbed the ambition of the French king." They prayed that her majesty might long live a terror to her enemies, a defence to her injured neighbours and a delight to her subjects. The next day (31 Aug.) the mayor issued his precept to the several livery companies to prepare their rails, stands, banners and other usual "ornaments of triumph" with the view of taking up such position in the street as should be assigned to them.[1899] Several of the companies, viz., the Girdlers, the Scriveners and the Glovers, refused to obey the precept, and were thereupon summoned before the Court of Aldermen to answer for their conduct, whilst others like the Dyers, the Cooks and the Poulterers were excused.[1900] A little difficulty arose touching the seats assigned[pg 617] by the lord chamberlain in St. Paul's to the civic dignitaries, who claimed the right to occupy the seats and places where they usually sat, the more so on this occasion because, parliament not being then in session, the members of neither House were to be in attendance. How matters were eventually arranged does not appear, but the Court of Aldermen up to the last moment were emphatic in their resolution that the lord mayor should insist on keeping his place in the cathedral, and a week later (14 Sept.) appointed a committee to search for precedents as to the place occupied by the mayor and aldermen in processions and their seats in St. Paul's on occasions of any king or queen coming there to hear a sermon.[1901] In other respects everything passed off well.
The Duke of Marlborough at Goldsmiths' Hall, 6 Jan., 1705.
On the morning of the 14th December Marlborough arrived in London, bringing in his train Marshal Tallard and other general officers whom he had made captive at Blenheim. On the 20th an invitation was sent for his grace to dine with the Court of Aldermen and the sheriffs at Goldsmiths' Hall, the residence of Sir Owen Buckingham, the lord mayor, on any day he might name. The invitation having been graciously accepted for the 6th January, the duke was further requested to bring with him what company he pleased, for his grace would find none others there besides the lord mayor, aldermen and sheriffs to entertain him. Each alderman and sheriff was called upon to subscribe the sum of £25 towards defraying the cost of the entertainment.[1902]
On the day appointed the duke was conveyed to the city in one of her majesty's own coaches, accompanied by the Duke of Somerset, the foreign ministers and a large number of the nobility and general officers of the army. At Temple Bar he was met by the city marshal, by whom he was conducted to Goldsmiths' Hall. There a "noble treat" was set out for the guests, "the queen's musick playing all the while, and everything performed in great splendor."[1903] The Common Council acknowledged the great public spirit thus displayed by the Court of Aldermen and the sheriffs by passing an unanimous vote of thanks to them.[1904]
The City's finances, 1702-4.
In the meantime, whilst Marlborough had been so successfully carrying on the work which the late king had set himself to do, the city of London had been busy setting its house in order. The poor were with them in greater numbers than ever. The statute (13 and 14 Chas. II, c. 12) passed in 1662 for the better relief of the poor of the kingdom, authorising the erection of workhouses, necessitated the expenditure of a great deal of money, and a sum amounting to nearly £5,000 had to be periodically raised for the purpose by assessment of the several parishes of the city.[1905] Besides this there was a yearly sum of £8,000 due by the City to the orphans and its other creditors, a sum which exceeded the City's yearly revenue. The consequence was that the City had become greatly in debt. To remedy this state of affairs various methods were resorted to. An attempt was[pg 619] made at the commencement of the present reign to get the queen's sanction for compelling every governor, deputy governor, or committeeman of both the East India companies to take up the freedom of the City. The question was referred to the attorney-general, whose opinion on the matter was duly reported to the Common Council.[1906]