Another charter of King Henry VI:—
“Two cloaths, of the martyrdom of St. George.
“One gown of scarlet serge, for St. George.
“A coat armour, beaten with silver, for St. George.
“Four banners, with the arms of St. George, for the trumpeters.
“One banner, with the image of St. George.
“Two shafts for the banners, and one for the pennon.
“A chaplet, for the George.
“Two white gowns for the henchmen.
“Three peyntrells, three croopers, three reins, three head-stalls of red cloth, fringed and lined, with buckles, gilt, with the arms of St. George thereon.
“Eight torches, a dragon, a pair of gloves, of plate.
“A sword, with a scabbard covered with velvet, the bosses gilt.
“One russet gown, flowered and powdered with velvet spots.
“A black cheseble, with an alb, with the arms of the Lord Bardolph, by him given.
“Lastly, one mass book, price twelve marks.
“Also it is ordained, that the procession be done in copes, and all the brethren to have hoods of sanguine, and a reed or wand in his hand; and persons chosen to be aldermen, that every other of them have a red cope, and every one a white cope; the next year shall be clad in scarlet gowns, and parti-coloured hoods, scarlet and white damask, on the forfeiture of the payment of 13s. 4d.; and every commoner to be clad in a long gown, red and white, on the forfeiture of 6s. 8d.; and every commoner to ride to the Wood (St. William’s shrine) on St. George’s day, by the rules accustomed.
“Also that a priest be paid a salary, amounting to eleven pounds ten shillings.
“Persons appointed to provide hoods for the aldermen and commoners, to wear with their liveries at every entertainment hereafter.”
The manner of choosing persons to be members
of the society, was thus, in the thirty-fifth year of the reign of King Henry VIII.:—
“The mayor chose three persons for the common council; the alderman chose three other persons for the same; these six chose other six for the same; and these twelve persons, with the advice of the four feast-makers, chose two feast-makers for the next year.”
In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of King Henry VIII., a.d. 1545, at the general dissolution of the abbeys, monasteries, convents, friaries, &c., the large and beautiful nave of the church of the Black Friars was converted into a common hall for the mayors, sheriffs, citizens, and commonality, with all their guilds and fraternities, to meet and hold their annual feasts in; but principally the guild of St. George, who expended two hundred and ten pounds upon its improvement at that time.
“Upon inviting persons to the feast, which was to be done by the surveyors at the Whitsun holidays, all that promised to dine at the feast paid their money down to the feast-maker beforehand.
“In the first year of the reign of King Henry VI., all fraternities, guilds, processions, &c., being thought useless, and tending to promote superstition, were set aside, and by virtue of the act passed, judged and deemed in the actual possession of the sovereign.
“In the third year of the reign of King Edward VI., it was further enacted, and agreed, that the twenty persons, hitherto known as the St. George’s assembly, should be henceforth called the assembly of the feast of the mayor, sheriffs, citizens, and common council of the city; and twenty persons were appointed to manage the guild feast, now called the feast of the mayor, sheriffs, &c. &c. The feast-makers to provide a supper also on the guild-day evening, and the ordering of the charge to be referred to the mayor, sheriffs, &c. &c. In the fourth year of this reign, the goods of the company were appraised, and valued at £7 11s. 8d.
“In the first year of the reign of Queen Mary, 1552, it was agreed, that there should be neither George nor Margaret on the next feast day in the procession; but the dragon to come and show himself as in other years.
“April 22d, second of Queen Mary, the laws since Henry VIII. repealed, and the guild to be kept as before.
“A.D. 1561; cordwainers admitted to office.”
Innumerable other entries betray the various changes of arrangement and regulation; but we pass on to
the manner of the procession on the guild-day.
“About eight o’clock in the morning, the whole body of the court, St. George’s company, and the livery, met at the new elect’s, where they were entertained with sugar rolls and sack; from whence they all proceeded with the newly elected mayor to the old mayor’s, in this order; the court first, St. George’s company next, and the livery last. At the mayor’s they had a breakfast provided for them, of pasties and roast beef, and boiled legs of mutton; from whence, in inverted order, (livery, St. George’s company, and court), they proceeded to the Cathedral Church, where a sermon was preached, always by the minister of the parish in which the mayor resided; and he was the chaplain during the mayoralty.
“When the sermon was ended, the court had their horses taken, finely caparisoned, which they mounted; and at the entrance into the Royal Free School, which was curiously adorned with greens and flowers, in a bower, stood one of the lads thereto belonging, who was ready against the new mayor should come up, to address himself to him in an oration of Latin, as did several others, in different places, on horseback. As the court proceeded with their robes of justice, the alderman in their scarlet, and the sheriffs in their violet gowns, with each a white wand in his hand, with trumpet sounding, the city music playing along the streets, with the standard of England carried before them. Then followed St. George’s standard and company, supported by very tall stout men, who had dresses suitable and proper for them; in this manner they proceeded, though but slowly, occasioned by their stopping several times in different places, to hear the speeches which were then spoken by the free-school boys, as before mentioned.
“Being arrived at the guildhall, in the market, the new-elected mayor had his robe of justice put on him, the gold chain placed about his neck, the key of the gates delivered to him according to custom: he was then sworn; after which he generally made a speech to the citizens. The whole body then remounted their horses, and proceeded to the New Hall (or St. Andrew’s Hall) to the dinner. As soon as the court and their ladies, with the rest of the company, were seated, the dinner was served up first to the mayor’s table, next at St. George’s, and then, as fast as they could, all the rest of the tables were plentifully filled with great variety of all kinds of good eatables, but little or no butcher’s meat, but as to pasties, tarts, pickles, lobsters, salmon, sturgeon, hams, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and pigeons, in great plenty, even to profusion; and these all served up in order, and besides what beer every one chose to drink, either small or strong, they had what quantity they pleased, besides a bottle of wine, which every man had delivered to him to drink after dinner.
As soon as dinner was over, St George’s company looked into their book to see for the names of such as were eligible to be chosen as feast-makers; and when they had selected four persons, they walked round the hall to look for them; and no sooner was one of them espied, than he had a garland of roses and greens thrown over his head, and was congratulated upon being chosen as feast-maker for the next year. If any of the four were absent, it sufficed to send the garland to them at their own houses, to make the appointment sure. A pecuniary fine attended a refusal to serve.