THE HORNERS

This is one of the oldest of the Fraternities, for it is mentioned in the reign of King Henry III., 1268, when the King granted an annual fair to Charlton, in Kent, for three days, at the eve, the day, and morrow of the Trinity. The time for holding this fair was afterwards changed to St. Luke’s Day (October 18). Philpot, who wrote in 1659, speaks of this fair as kept yearly on that day, and called “horn fair” by reason of the great “plenty of all sorts of winding horns and cups and other vessels of horn there bought and sold.”

In the reign of King Edward III. the horners of the City of London were classed among the forty-eight mysteries of the City. In the 50th year of that king’s reign a controversy arose between the King and the Corporation as to whether the Common Council of the City was to be elected by the wards or the mysteries of the City. This led to an ordinance being made by the City, with the consent of the King, that the election was to be by the mysteries, pursuant to which ordinance forty-eight mysteries deputed members to the Common Council; the horners, ranking in the third class or smaller mysteries, were deputed to send two members.

By statute 4 Edward IV. c. 8, it was enacted that from the feast of Easter in the year 1466 no stranger (i.e. not a freeman of the Company) not alien should buy any English horns unwrought of any tanners, bochers, or other persons within the City of London and twenty-four miles on every side next adjoining, and that no Englishman or other person should sell any English horns unwrought to any stranger, or cause them to be sent over the sea, so that the said horners would buy the said horns at like price as they were at the time of the making of the Act, upon pain of forfeiture of all such horns so bought, sold, or sent. And the Wardens of the said mystery should have full power to search all manner of ware pertaining to their mystery in all places within the City of London and twenty-four miles adjoining, and within the fairs of Stirbridge and Elie; and if they found any wares that were defective and insufficient they might bring them before the mayor of London, the mayor or bailiffs of the foresaid fairs to be forfeit one-half to the King, the other half to the said Wardens. But after the horners had taken so many horns as should be needful to their occupation, they and all other persons might sell all the horns refused to any stranger or other person to send beyond the sea or elsewhere.

The Company obtained from King Charles I. a charter of incorporation dated the 12th January 1638.

In the year 1604 the Company obtained a lease of a storehouse and sheds in Wentworth Street, Whitechapel, for 1000 years from Christmas 1604 at the yearly rent of £4, in which they carried on the trade.

This property was sold for £2400 to the Metropolitan Board of Works for the purposes of the Artizans’ Dwellings Act.

The control given by the charter of Charles I. to the Horners Company over the trade has never been actually abandoned, but it has ceased to be exercised.

In the year 1836 the Company petitioned the Court of Aldermen for a Livery, which was granted to them on the 1st of December of that year, the number of Liverymen being limited to 60.