THE CHARTERED COMPANIES.

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF CLOTHWORKERS.

My trust is in God alone.

THE Cloth workers' Company, though a very ancient guild, was not incorporated till the year 1480, when Edward IV. granted the members a charter, by the style of "The Wardens and Commonaltie of Freemen of Mistery or Art of Fullers of the Cittie of London." Henry VII. in 1508 granted them additional privileges under the title of "The Fraternity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Sheermen of the Cittie of London." In the eighteenth year of Henry VIII. the Sheermen and Fullers were united and called The Guild or Fraternity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Clothworkers in the Cittie of London, to implead and be impleaded by the name of "The Master, Wardens, and Commonalty of the Freemen of the Mistery of Cloth workers of the Cittie of London." In 1560 the company was re-incorporated by Queen Elizabeth, and the charter was confirmed in the year 1633 by Charles 1., and by Charles II. in the year 1685.

This Company is governed by a Master, four Wardens, and a Court of Assistants, and is possessed of considerable estates, both in their own right and in trust for charitable purposes. Their hall is situated in Mincing Lane.

1580. William Heron, citizen of London, among his other bequests to the Company of Clothworkers, gave to the Bursar of University College, Oxford, and to the Master of Peter-house, Cambridge, the yearly rents of £5 each, towards the maintenance and bringing up of poor scholars at the said Colleges for ever. About £25 yearly is paid to St Peter's College. (See p. 209.)

1599. Mr William Hewett, by his will, bequeathed to the Company £110, on the condition that the sum of £5 yearly should be paid to some poor honest scholar studying divinity at Cambridge.

1635. Mr John Heath, by indenture, gave to the Cloth workers' Company £1000, and directed that, among other uses of the income, they should pay to two poor scholars of the name of Heath, one at Oxford and one at Cambridge, studying divinity, the sum of £2. 10s.

per annum and if there be none such, then to two other poor scholars as the Company should think fit, and that no scholar should hold this exhibition more than six years.

The company have created four additional Exhibitions, each of £20 per annum, for students at Cambridge who are appointed by the court collectively. They have also increased Hewett's and Heath's exhibitions to the same amount of £20 per annum from their own funds.

In March, 1854, it was ordered by the court, that whenever any of these exhibitioners at Cambridge, upon his final examination, is placed among the wranglers in the mathematical tripos, or in the first class of the classical tripos, he shall receive a complimentary grant of £20. This arrangement to be continued during the pleasure of the court.

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF CARPENTERS.

THIS ancient fraternity was incorporated by letters patent of Edward IV. bearing date the 7th July, 1477, by the name of "The "Master, Wardens, Assistants and Commonalty of the mystery of freemen of the Carpentry of the City of London," with a power to make bye-laws for their better regulation.

This Company is governed by a Master, Wardens, and a Court of Assistants: their hall is No. 68, London Wall.

1651. John Read, by his will, gave property in Southwark to the Carpenters' Company, that, among other purposes, they should pay out of the rents the sum of £4 yearly to a godly poor scholar at the University of Cambridge. The appointment of the exhibitioner is made by the Company, and the exhibition is tenable for three years.

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF CORDWAINERS. THE Company of Cordwainers was incorporated in the first year of King Edward I.

The Company is incorporated and confirmed by the style of "The Master, Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Cordwainers of the City of London." Their hall is situated in Cannon Street West.

1630. James Shawe, by his will, devised to the vicar and churchwardens of the parish of St Sepulchre, London, certain messuages and tenements, for various uses, one of which was, that they should pay

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to the Master, Warden, and Commonalty of Cordwainers, the sum of £8 per annum out of the rents, to be employed by the Company towards the maintenance of two Scholars at the Universities of Cambridge or Oxford. The exhibitions are tenable for five years.

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF IRONMONGERS.
God is our strength.

THIS fraternity was incorporated by letters patent of the third year of Edward IV. A.D. 1464, by the appellation of "The Master, and Keepers or Wardens, and Commonalty of the Art or Mystery of Ironmongers of London." They consist of a Master, two Wardens, and the whole livery are assistants.

This Company is one of the twelve principal Companies: their hall is situated in Fenchurch Street.

1555. Thomas Lewin devised property in London to the Company of Ironmongers for various uses, one of which was that the Master and Wardens, for the time being, and their successors, should pay £5 to two poor Scholars, one at Oxford and the other at Cambridge, towards their maintenance there. The students are appointed by the Master and Wardens, and receive the payment of £2. 10s. each yearly, if resident, till they are admitted to the degree of Bachelor of Arts.

1579. Margaret Dane, by her will, bequeathed to the Master, Wardens, and Company of Ironmongers, the sum of £2000, upon condition, that the Master and Wardens should pay, amongst other things, the sum of £5 to each of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, for the relief and bringing up in learning of two poor Scholars, one in each University.

In consequence of an information filed in the Court of Chancery, a decree was made by the court, directing the £2000, after deducting the costs of the proceedings, to be invested in the funds: the result of this has been that the dividends only amounting to £59, and from which expences are also deducted, have been divided between the two scholars instead of £100 a year, as was the case while the company held the money, and the scholars receive about half what they used to do.

1622. Thomas Hallwood, by his will, ordered his executors to pay to the Wardens and Company of Ironmongers £400 upon trust, that the wardens, together with his executors, should make choice

of four poor Scholars, two scholars of Magdalene College, in Oxford, and two other scholars of Christ's College, in Cambridge, or such other two colleges as the wardens and executors should allow and appoint: unto whom he devised that the said wardens and executors should pay such rents and profits as should grow or be made out of the said £400 every half year, during the space of three whole years, for the better maintenance of the said four poor scholars, if they should so long continue their studies, and be resident in either of the said Universities, and should study and proceed to divinity, and from the end of the three years or sooner discontinuance by either of such poor scholars of his residence in one of the said Universities, that they should pay the like rents and profits to some other poor scholar, by them to be elected for other three years, and so in succession for ever: and he desired if any of his own kindred should happen thereafter to make suit for the said exhibition, then such his kinsman, being a member of one of the said Universities and studying divinity, and standing in need thereof, should be preferred before any other and to the end the said wardens should have some benefit to them and their successors, he wished that there should be deducted out of the said rents and profits the sum of 40s. a year for ever.

The four scholars are chosen by the Company at their quarterly courts, and each scholar receives a payment of £4 a year for three years, unless he ceases to reside in the University, or takes his degree before the expiration of that period.

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF SALTERS.

Sal sapit omnia.

THIS Company, though of considerable antiquity, as appears from a grant of a livery made to it by Richard II. in the year 1394, was first regularly incorporated by Queen Elizabeth, in the year 1558, under the appellation of "The Master, Wardens, and Commonalty of the art or mystery of Salters in London." They are governed by a master, two wardens, and a court of assistants. Their hall stands in

St Swithin's Lane.

1633. Mr William Robson, in his lifetime, by deed, deposited in the hands of the Salters' Company £5000, upon an agreement with them for various uses, one of which was, that the company should pay.

to St John's College, Cambridge, towards the maintenance of two poor Scholars there, the sum of £10, by £5 a-piece,

In the event of any freeman of the company requiring the amount, the court of assistants interpose in his behalf, otherwise they pay the sum of £10 annually to the bursar of the college to be applied by him to the proper objects.

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF SKINNERS.

To God only be all glory.

THE Skinners' Company was incorporated by Edward III. in 1327. At that period the skinners consisted of two brotherhoods, which in the 18th year of Richard II. were consolidated into one body. Henry VI., in 1438, confirmed their former grants, and directed that every person when admitted to the freedom of the company, should in future be presented to the lord mayor. The charter of Henry VII. is the first which confirms them by the name of "The Master and Wardens of the Guild or Fraternity of the Body of Christ of the Skinners of London." James I., in the fourth year of his reign, granted the Skinners a new charter, confirming their original incorporation, and adding several new specifications, among which was the power to elect a court of assistants.

The government of this company is vested in a master, four wardens, and a court of assistants, who distribute more than £1000 a year in charities. Their hall is situated on Dowgate Hill, the site of the ancient building.

1618. Sir James Lancaster, by his will, gave certain lands, &c. to the Company of Skinners, in trust, for various purposes, one of which was, that out of the profits of the estates they should for ever pay to such four poor Scholars who should study divinity in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, or such of them as the master and wardens for the time being should think good, the sum of £60, namely, to each of the said four poor scholars, £15 per annum; and that as often as any of the said four scholars should be preferred to better means of living, or should depart from the University, the said master, wardens, and commonalty should place and prefer such other students studying divinity to the pensions aforesaid, as they should think fitting in their good discretion.