or Art of Leathersellers of the City of London." By a grant of Henry VII. the Wardens of this Company were empowered to inspect leather throughout the kingdom in order to prevent frauds. The corporation is governed by a prime Warden, three other Wardens, and twenty-four Assistants. Their Hall is situated in St Helen's Place.

1601. Robert Rogers directed, by his will, that £400 should be delivered to the Leathersellers to be employed in lands, the best pennyworth they could get, and that the House should have yearly 40s. out of the rents of it for ever, and that the rest should go to four poor Scholars, students of Divinity, two of them to be of Cambridge, and two of Oxford, to be maintained with the overplus of the same revenue, to be equally divided betwixt the said scholars, and to be continued to them for four years; and that at the four years' end, four other scholars should have the pension, and so to continue for ever; but if any of them should remove from the University, then the said pension should be employed for other poor scholars.

Under a scheme granted to the Company by the Court of Chancery in 1845, the above will is strictly adhered to, and, from the present state of the income of this trust, the annual payment to each scholar is usually about twenty pounds.

1605. Anne Elliott, by her will, bequeathed the sum of £300 to the Master and Wardens of the Company of Leathersellers of the city of London, to purchase lands and tenements of the clear yearly value of £15, to the intent that among other things they should continue to her nominee, then at Cambridge, an Exhibition of £5 a year during the term of ten years, and after the expiration thereof, that the said Wardens and Company should make choice of some poor scholar, either in Cambridge or Oxford, unto whom her desire and request was, that they should pay £5 yearly during the space of five whole years, for and towards his better maintenance, if such poor scholar should so long continue his study, and be resting in any of the said Universities; and she desired that if any of her own kindred should happen to make suit for the said exhibition, they should be preferred.

Under a scheme granted by the Court of Chancery in 1846 for this and other trusts, the company pay to Mrs Elliott's scholar during such portion of five years as he shall reside at either University, onethird of the clear annual residue of the rents and profits of her estate, after deducting all outgoings.

The preference for her kindred is still maintained, and the payment

to the scholar ranges from £60 to £65, according to the amount of rents received.

1617. William Moseley, citizen and leatherseller of London, by his will, devised that his executors should, within eighteen months next after his decease, pay to the Wardens and Company of Leathersellers of the city of London, the sum of £400 upon special trust and confidence, that the said Wardens and Company should, with as much convenient speed as might be, purchase and buy with the same, unto the Wardens and Commonalty of Leathersellers of London aforesaid, by such name or names as they are incorporated and called, and to their successors for ever, lands or tenements of the best worth and value they could; and that the said Wardens and Company, and their successors, should have and deduct out of the rents and profits of the land purchased with £100, part of the above bequest, the sum of ten shillings a year for ever, to the common use and benefit of the said Company, and should well and truly pay half-yearly for ever the residue of all such rents and profits of the £100 so invested in manner following: that is to say, that the said Wardens and Company should make choice of some poor scholar, either in the University of Cambridge or Oxford, unto whom his desire was that they should pay the whole residue of all such rents and profits half-yearly, during the space of five whole years, for and towards his better maintenance, if such poor scholar should so long continue his studies, and be resident in either of the said Universities; and from and after the said five years or sooner, in case of discontinuance by such poor scholar, either of his study or residence in one of the said Universities, then the said Wardens and Company should pay the same to some other poor scholar, by them to be elected for other five years, in such manner and form as aforesaid, and so from the end of five years to five years for ever; giving a preference to his own kindred, if any should make suit for this his said exhibition.

The £400 above named, and Mrs Elliott's £300, were with other monies applied in the purchase of an estate in the year 1627, and, by the scheme above referred to, the Company pay to Mr William Moseley's scholar during such portion of the five years as he shall be bona fide resident at either University, one-fourth part less ten shillings of the clear annual residue of the rents and profits of this trust estate, after deducting all outgoings.

The preference for Mr Moseley's kindred is still maintained and the payment to this scholar is, for the reasons above given, only 10s. a year less valuable than that to the scholar upon Mrs Elliott's foundation.

As the two foregoing scholarships are open to either University the Court of the Company have hitherto for the sake of fairness confined one to Cambridge and the other to Oxford.

1619. Robert Holmden, by his will, gave to the Company of Leathersellers property in London, upon condition that, among other things, they should pay £4 yearly towards the maintenance of a Scholar in one of the Universities of Cambridge or Oxford, to be taken out of the free grammar-school of Sevenoaks, for the space of four years, and so from time to time; and in default, then a scholar out of the free school of Tunbridge.

In 1853 the company voluntarily increased the payment to the scholar under this trust from £4 a year to one-third of the clear annual residue of the rents and profits of this estate after deducting all outgoings. The scholar's income is accordingly about £36 a year.

1638. George Humble, by his will, gave to the Leathersellers' Company for ever a house in London, to the intent that out of the rents and profits thereof, the Master and Wardens should pay yearly to each of two poor Scholars, one of Cambridge and one of Oxford, £4, for the first four years of their residence at the University.

In the year 1815 the amount of each of these exhibitions was raised by the Company to £8 a year.

In the year 1836, a scheme for this trust was granted to the Company by the Court of Chancery, and by one of its regulations the payment to each of the scholars is restricted to the original sum of £4 a year.

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF FISHMONGERS.

All worship be to God only.

THE Fishmongers were amongst the earliest of the metropolitan guilds. They were one of those amerced in the reign of Henry II. about 1154, and it is known that they had a charter at least as early as the reign of Edward I.

This Company, one of the twelve principal companies, was formed of the union of two guilds or brotherhoods and incorporated by letters patent of Henry VIII. in the year 1536, by the appellation of "The Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Fishmongers of the City of London."

The Corporation now consists of a Prime Warden and five other Wardens, and a Court of Assistants: their Hall, which is a magnificent structure, is situated at London Bridge.

The income of the Company is reported to be about £20,000 a year, of which £10,000 is expended in charities.

. 1513. Sir Thomas Kneseworth, Knt. bequeathed property to the worshipful Company of Fishmongers for various charitable and other purposes.

As all the payments, excepting two, were directed in his will to be applied to superstitious uses, the lands out of which they issued became vested in the crown under the statute of the 1st of Edward VI. ch. 14, which passed in the year 1547. By letters patent of the 4th July, 1550, made in the fourth year of Edward VI. such sums, &c. so vested in the crown, were for valuable considerations granted by the king to the company. By the grant of these sums it was intended to secure the lands out of which they were payable to the Company; but doubts arising, an act of parliament was passed in the fourth year of James I. by which the lands became absolutely vested in the company for their own use and benefit, subject only to the payments referred to. In the year 1841, by a decree of the Court of Chancery, the estates alluded to in the annexed report were declared as not of the gift of Sir Thomas Kneseworth, but that they were taken from the Company; that the purchase of them from the crown was from out of the Company's own funds, and therefore the property is secured to the Company for ever, who are at liberty to employ the yearly income as they may please.

1563. Robert Carter, Esq. by his will, directed that the Wardens for ever should pay out of the rents of certain property £4 a year to a poor Scholar at St John's College, Cambridge, who has not above £4 a year by exhibitions or any other ways or means.

1582. Barnard Randolph, Esq. Common Sergeant of the City of London, gave £200 to the Company for several uses, one of which was, that they should pay £4 yearly "to some towardly scholar that should study divinity in the University of Cambridge," to be appointed by the Bishop of London, or, sede vacante, by the Lord Mayor the name of the person nominated to be signified to one of the Wardens, and in default, then the scholar to be nominated and appointed by the Wardens of the Company.

1601. Mr Leonard Smith, citizen and Fishmonger of London, founded one Fellowship at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and vested the appointment in the Wardens and Court of Assistants of the Company of Fishmongers.

The Court also has the nomination to the Scholarship founded by

Mr Smith at the same College, for persons sent from Holt School, being found fit by the master and fellows. In default, the master and fellows may choose any scholar in the college.

An Exhibition of £20 a year is given to a free scholar going from Holt School to either University, upon the certificate and recommendation of the visitors and master.

1642. Mark Quested, citizen of London, left an estate to the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers, for various uses. He directed that, out of the revenues of the estate, the sum of £8 should be paid to each of four Masters of Arts, and £4 to each of four students every year, so long as they should abide at their study in either of the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge, being poor and having need thereof.

The court has established from its revenues twelve Exhibitions to students in actual residence in either of the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge, or matriculated students of University College London, or King's College London, nominated by the members of the court in rotation. No one can be admitted, or continue to enjoy the exhibitions, who has an annual income exceeding £50. The exhibitions are held during the pleasure of the court only, and no exhibition can be held longer than seven years from the time the student is entered or matriculated at college. Students of Oxford or Cambridge must keep each term by actual residence. Students of University College, London, or King's College, London, must produce certificates of having, during each half year, attended at least three courses of lectures, and on application for payment, students must forward a written declaration that they have had, during the half year, no certain income exceeding £50 per annum; and those of University College London, and King's College London, must also declare that they have not, during the half year, been engaged in any business or employment for reward.

In the year 1805, the court raised the exhibitions from £10 to £20 per annum, and subsequently they have been augmented to £50 per

annum.

1855. The court has munificently increased the annual value of these exhibitions from £50 to £100 per annum.

THE END.