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SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY From the Quo Warranto Pleas of 1293 we learn that Lichfield, Rugeley, Cannock, and Brewood possessed no market till the reign of Henry III, and the profits went, even then, to the bishop of Lichfield and Coventry. 42 The market at Wolverhampton also dates from this reign, as also does that of Stone. 43 In a charter granted by King John to the burgesses of Stafford, that town gained the privileges of a free borough 'with freedom from toll, suits of shires and hundreds, and all other free customs of the free boroughs of England.' 44 Tamworth also gained a charter of privileges in the reign of Edward III, though these were restricted to ' the men and tenants of that half the town of Tamworth which had been ancient demesne.' 45 In the same reign Walsall also gained a charter, giving the burgesses freedom from toll. 46 The first city to obtain a charter of incorporation was Lichfield, in 1547. Stafford was incorporated two years later, 47 whilst Tamworth had to wait till I56o. 48 Newcastle gained its charter of incorporation in the reign of Henry VIII. 49 The other corporate boroughs of Staffordshire are of modern origin. After the dissolution of the religious gild of St. Mary, which had hitherto managed the affairs of the town, the only town possessing a merchant- gild in the fourteenth century seems to have been Newcastle-under-Lyme, and the attempts of that city to carry out a policy of trade protection were un- successful. In an interesting case which came before the judges in 127980 the gild tested its powers of exclusive trading. It seems that a burgess of Stafford named William de Pykestoke had taken out a summons against certain burgesses of Newcastle-under-Lyme for carrying off and illegally detaining his chattels, viz. four ells of cloth. The Newcastle men admitted the fact, but in defence charged the said William with keeping a shop, cutting cloth, and selling wool and fleeces by the ell without having been received into the gild and contrary to the regulations of the gild granted to Newcastle by a charter of Henry III. 60 Pykestoke on his part admitted that he was not a gild member, but pleaded that by virtue of the charter of King John making Stafford a free borough he ought to enjoy the liberty of free trade in Newcastle. He further asserted that he and other burgesses had enjoyed these privileges till a year ago, when their chattels had been seized as aforesaid. After many adjournments a jury decided in favour of the Stafford bur- gesses, despite the regulations of the gild, and awarded them 40^. damages and the restoration of their chattels. 61 We see therefore that the general civic protection of the middle ages was not so firmly established in Staffordshire as in many other counties, where it had the disastrous result of driving trade and industry to the country villages to the impoverishment and depopulation of the towns. 52 41 The Will. Salt Arch. Soc. Coll. vi (i), 244. " Ibid. 249. 44 Merewether, Boroughs and Corporations, i, 408, who gives reference Rot. Cart. 2 John, m. 7, but this is. not printed by the Rec. Com. " Pat. 4 Edw. Ill, m. 32. 46 Ibid. 47 Edw. Ill, pt. 2, m. 35. " Merewether, Boroughs and Corporations, iii, 2281. " Ibid. 49 Staff. Constitutional Mag. Feb. 1890, p. 303. M The Will. Salt Arch. Soc. Coll. vi (i), 1 1 1. " Ibid. 1 1 2. sf See Trans. Roy. Hist. Soc. vii (New Ser.), 1893, for acct. of the Mercers' Company, Lichfield, instituted 1624 by the town authorities, who were empowered by royal charter to regulate the trade of mercers, grocers, linen drapers, woollen drapers, silkmen, hosiers, salters, apothecaries, and haberdashers. 283