386
NOTES AND QUERIES. [11 s. vm. NOV. is, 1913.
Tlsq ; Lieut. Gpvernour of this Province. Agec
.55 Years, wanting 6 Days." P. 2.
If his age is correctly given, he was horn 7 March, 1677 ; and if so, he must have had an older brother who presumably died in infancy, for on 18 Feb., 1673, is recorded the birth of " Thomas of William <& Rebecca Tayler."
(Authorities : ' Boston Records,' ix. 130, 251 ; xxviii. 37 ; Sewall's ' Diary,' i. 493 ; Publications of the Colonial Soc. of Mass., xvii. 61-2, 71-2, 90-92, 106, 107, 109, 110.) ALBERT MATTHEWS.
Boston, U.S.
THE RECORDS OF THE CITY LIVERY COM- PANIES, &c. (See US. vi. 464 ; vii. 101, 403, 505; viii. 144.) -The seventeenth- century ordinances, which were instituted for industrial regulation, showed a wonderful development of commercial companies gener- ally, some being formed by Statute, as well as by Letters Patent.
The question naturally arises, To what -extent did these preserve the characteristics of the fourteenth-century Companies ? It may be interesting to note that the Mercers' -Company of Lichfield, which seems to have been a new one, had a somewhat different constitution, for up to the time of its forma- tion the different trades there were without compulsory powers. Immediately after re- ceiving its charter the Mercers' Company was instituted a differently formed one from the last-mentioned Mercers of London.
From the power granted by James in his charter to the Lichfield Mercers it is evident that the trades there had suffered much from " Strangers " and " young men." " Strangers " here appear to have been, or appear to point to, foreigners ; possibly Lichfield was not a supporter of free trade.
- ' The young men," it would appear, did not
-serve an apprenticeship.
The powers granted by James, in his 21st year as King of England and 56th of "Scotland, differ from the laws governing Guilds of the fourteenth century : the latter dealt with the conditions of work, and the looking into the quality of materials ; the former had more to do with the state of goods sold.
The power to " search " had a meaning quite different from what it bore in the fourteenth -century Guilds, but is not alto- gether dissimilar to what the Scottish trades, or incorporated bodies, wielded.
Again, as previous notes show, the early Guilds were formed by considerable sub- division ; thus weavers, shearmen, dyers
&c., all working at the production and
finishing of cloth, had their separate craft
guilds ; but the Mercers of Lichfield were
composed of a group of trades, and were
apparently not prevented from engaging in
any trade they chose.
It seems that the reason for the difference lay as much as anything in the exercise of coercive powers, which points to a desire to secure exclusive production. Hardly a free-trade idea.
An element in it was also the law of ap- prenticeship, the want of which to-day is by many considered a great loss. We find that while the Mercers included woollen drapers, " lynnen, silkmen, hosiers, salters, apothecaries, haberdashers," and others, no one could trade within the city without being a free-man, and without having served seven years' apprenticeship under a free-man, who might belong to any trade, within the city of Lichfield.
Merchant Taylors. The patent for their arms was granted to the Company, then known as the " Taylors and Linen armor- ours," in 1480. It would thus appear that the Company known as " Merchant Taylors " could not have records dated as early as the
accounts" referred to. The latter Com- pany was incorporated in 1501. and it is improbable that, as " Merchant Taylors," they were only incorporated about two enturies after the date of the earliest accounts or records mentioned.
The Merchant Taylors were the seventh of the twelve ; their motto was, and, I suppose, still is. " Concordia Parvae Res Crescunt," Leaving out " discordia maximse dilabuntur " (Sallust).
Tailors were incorporated in nearly all cities or towns of any consequence. The Tailors' charter of Glasgow is dated 3 Feb., 1546, and was granted by the town and the Archbishop thereof rather an unusual char- ter. In 1556 the Queen of Scots granted a charter annulling in a measure the previous one, which limited the control of the craft.
Painter or Painters' Stainers were incor- porated in 1580, so the minutes referred to must have been kept half a century before.
Parish Clerics were incorporated 1232, and onfirmed by several succeeding kings ; so even the earliest-mentioned list of Masters was centuries after. They were known at first as the Brotherhood of St. Nicholas, and were the 54th Company of London.
Paviors. I have not found any record of hem. There is a coat of arms shown in 1691, said to be theirs.
