1830 and 1831. Considerable difficulty had arisen for some years past in procuring Stewards for the Mayor’s feasts, and also in enforcing the fines for not serving, whereupon a resolution was passed that Liverymen refusing to pay the Steward’s fine would not be invited to the dinners, and would be declared ineligible to come on the Court.
The Court seem to have had grave doubts as to the efficacy of their By-Laws in recovering at law the Steward’s fines, and a case having been prepared it was submitted to Sir James Scarlett and to Sir Thomas Denman (the Attorney General). The opinion of the former eminent Counsel, dated 10th October, 1832, is set out in the minutes, and he appears to have been very clear that they would not be recoverable, whereupon the Court ordered a letter (of 16th October) to be addressed to the Livery, informing them of the difficulty which had arisen by reason of Liverymen refusing to serve as Stewards in their rotation (after having partaken of the hospitality of other Stewards in former years), and that in consequence thereof there would be no dinner that year. The day after this letter was sent out, Sir Thomas Denman’s opinion was handed in, and was to the opposite effect of that given by Sir James Scarlett! Since this period, and now, the Steward’s fine is paid on the admission of a Liveryman, and thus a source of constant annoyance is done away with.
THE IRISH ESTATE.
The history of the acquisition by the Corporation of London and the City Guilds, of their estates in Ireland has been often related, and full accounts will be found in “Malcolm’s Londinium Redivivum,” “Herbert’s Livery Companies,” “Nicholl’s Ironmongers’ Company,” and other works; I shall, therefore, only treat of the subject so far as the Barber-Surgeons were concerned.
In 1609 when James I floated his Irish scheme, our Company seems to have been very loath to enter into it, as would appear by the insignificant subscriptions proffered by the Members (see page [473]).