Where smoak and fiery vapours take their birth,
We forge out thunderbolts for incenced Jove,
And heads of arrows for the God of Love.
Victory declaring:—
Against cold ir’n no armour can prevail;
There’s no resistance in a coat of male.
At the subsequent Guildhall banquet was sung the Company’s song in praise of iron, and this was followed by another specially prepared to greet the King (James the Second), who was present.
It was nothing out of the way in those times for Royalty to dine with the citizens, with whom both kings and queens were “hale fellows well met.” The State papers and the Royal letters prove to the hilt that in a great many instances the citizens would have preferred their room to their company. The best anecdote belongs to the “merry monarch” Charles II., who, dining at Guildhall, so “hobnob’d” with the Lord Mayor that they did not know “the other from which.” The King, however, managed to leave without ceremony, and was just getting into his coach in Guildhall Yard when my Lord Mayor, discovering his loss, overtook him, and begged “Mr. King” to return and “take t’other bottle,” which, no doubt, he did, not forgetting a few days later to send to my lord his little bill for the usual loan!
In recent years the City Companies have taken up the question of technical education, and it cannot be denied that in many instances they have excelled themselves in this most praiseworthy work. If any reform is wanted, both Royalty and Government are the last to do it, but with the City Guilds, notwithstanding what is said against them, they have been found to the fore when anything beneficial to the people is required to be carried out, although in many instances they have neither been compelled to do it nor has it been beneficial to themselves in particular. From time to time the Companies had subscribed largely to the charities, &c., of societies not always of their special trade; but in January, 1860, the Painters’ Stainers’ Company took the lead in quite another direction by giving notice that in June following they would hold an exhibition of decorative works at their Hall in Little Trinity Lane, Cannon Street. There were thirty-five exhibitors, and this, the first exhibition of its kind, proving eminently successful, was held again the following year, and has been repeated upon many occasions since. The next Company’s announcement was that of the Ironmongers, who held a conversazione and exhibition of ironwork and curiosities in May, 1861, and, although this was not a trade exhibition, but promoted by the London and Middlesex Archæological Society, yet it brought together such a remarkable collection as had never before been seen in a City Company’s hall. In proof of this there is in print a very scarce volume entitled “A Catalogue of the Antiquities and Works of Art Exhibited at Ironmongers’ Hall, London, in the Month of May, 1861,” edited by the well-known Shakesperian scholar, the late G. R. French, at that time surveyor to the Company. So laborious was the editing of this ponderous volume, of 642 large quarto pages—for Mr. French was compelled at last to rely on his own resources in order to complete the book—that it was not issued until August, 1869. The actual cost of the book will never be known, for Mr. French died in October, 1881, and all the remaining copies, the drawings, the wood blocks of the 331 illustrations, and a large quantity of the original MSS. relating to the exhibition, the book, &c., had been already dispersed. The “Catalogue,” however, will keep his memory before the public long after everything else will have passed away. In this volume will be found described and illustrated, not only the charters, the plate, and other curiosities belonging to the Ironmongers, but also those belonging to other corporations, and the principal owners of iron and other antiquities and curios.
As we have said, the exhibition was opened in May, 1861. Over 600 persons attended the private view on Wednesday the 8th, 420 were present on the 9th, 1,345 on the 10th, and 1,678 on the 11th and last day—in all, more than 4,000 persons, each of whom on entering signed his or her name in a book still preserved by the Company. On the fourth day the Prince Consort attended, and he signed his name in the Court book. It was the regret of every one that, owing to the immense value of the antiquities, &c., the exhibition could not be kept open longer. Since 1861 the Ironmongers have had several other interesting meetings, and at the end of the month of March, 1889, the Blacksmiths, by special permission, held its first trade exhibition in the same building, following, as they do in this laudable work, the Fishmongers’, Plumbers’, Fanmakers’, Turners’, Carpenters’, Shipwrights’, Horners’, Coachmakers’, and other City Guilds.