THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF MERCHANT
TAYLORS.

Concordia parvæ res crescunt.

THIS Company arose, according to Stow, from an ancient guild or fraternity, dedicated to St John the Baptist, and called, time out of mind, Tailors and Linen Armourers of London. It received a confirmation from Edward I. and in 1446, a more regular incorporation of this company took place under the authority of the letters patent of Edward IV. who was himself a freeman, as all his predecessors in the sovereignty had also been from the time of Edward III. Henry VII. who was likewise a member, re-incorporated the company in the year 1503, and transformed their title into The Master and Wardens of the Merchant Taylors, of the fraternity of St John the Baptist, in the city of London. This was done, as Stow writes, "For that divers of that fraternitie had beene great marchants, and had frequented all sorts of marchandizes into most partes of the world, to the honour of the king's realme; and the men of the said mistirie bad, during the time aforesaid, exercised the buying and selling of all wares and marchandizes, especially of woolen clothe, as well in grosse, as by retayle, throughout all the realme of England, and chiefly within the said city."

The charter of Henry VII. afterwards received the successive confirmations of Henry VIII., Edward VI., Philip and Mary, Queen Elizabeth and James I.

This company is governed by a Master, four Wardens, and a Court of Assistants. Their Hall is situated in Threadneedle Street.

1620. John Juxon, by his will, gave to the Merchant Taylors' Company an annuity payable out of certain lands at Mortlake, to be paid by them as they should think fit to two poor Scholars, the one year in Oxford, and the other year in Cambridge, for ever.

The sum of £9. 12s. received from the estate is augmented by the Company every year to £12, and is paid to a scholar of Oxford and of Cambridge alternately.

The chief benefactions in the gift of the Merchant Taylors' Company are appropriated to students at St John's College, Oxford.

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF CUTLERS.

Pour parvenir à bonne foi.

THE Cutlers' Company was incorporated by King Henry V. in the year 1417, by the style of "The Master, Wardens, and Commonalty of the Mystery of Cutlers in London.”

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Their Hall is situated in Cloak Lane.

1566. Thomas Bucke, citizen and cutler of London, gave to th Company of Cutlers in London a rent-charge of £3. 6s. 8d. out of hi premises in Fleet Street, to pay to the Master and fellows of St John' College, towards the finding of some scholar of his name or kindred within the Isle of Ely, or elsewhere, if any might be found; and fo want of such, then of any scholar whose father should be free of the Cutlers' Company, if any such should be thought meet by the Maste and Wardens of the Company, and the vicar of St Sepulchre's withou Newgate in London, for the time being, for ever; "trusting in God that the said Company of Cutlers will help to increase it, so that there may be one scholar found and maintained by the said Company of Cutlers in the aforesaid College, that it may be to the praise of God.”

1568. John Craythorne, by his will, gave the reversion of certain estates in London, to the Master, Wardens, and Commonalty of the Company of Cutlers, and directed that they should pay yearly £6. 13s. 4d. towards the finding and keeping of two scholars within the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, that is to say, to each scholar £3. 6s. 8d. to be paid to them quarterly, for ever. He also directed that the first two scholars should be appointed by his wife, or by such person as she should name in her last will; and afterwards that the said scholars should be appointed by the Company of Cutlers, provided that neither of the two scholars should hold his exhibition longer than while he was abiding in the said University, nor any longer than that he should otherwise be preferred to the yearly value of £10 or upwards.

The exhibitioners are appointed by the Company, and hold their exhibitions until they are of sufficient standing to take the degree of Master of Arts, if resident in the University. The value of each of these exhibitions has been increased, during the will and pleasure of the Court, to £20 per annum.

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF BOWYERS. THE Bowyers were a fraternity by prescription till the 21st year of James I. when they were incorporated by the name of "The Master, Wardens, and Society of the Mystery of Bowyers of the City of London." Their charter was renewed and confirmed by Charles II.

It is a singular circumstance that this Company should not have been incorporated in ancient times, and that it should have been incor

porated at a time when the use of the bow, as a military weapon, was superseded by the introduction of fire-arms.

This Company is under the government of a Master, two Wardens, and 12 Assistants; their Hall is in the King's Arms Yard, Coleman Street.

1625. James Wood, by his will, devised property to the Bowyers' Company, in trust, that the Master and Wardens should, out of the rents of the estates, pay to three Scholars at Oxford and two or more Scholars at Cambridge, freemen's sons of the Bowyers' Company, if there should be any such; but if not, then to five poor Scholars from Christchurch School in London, or such others as the Master and Wardens should think most fit,—the sum of £6 yearly to each of the five scholars, and that each scholar should receive the same for seven years, if so long he should continue at either University.

The Bowyers' Company has increased the number of exhibitions, and augmented the payments of them. There are at present five Exhibitions of £10 each, paid to students at Oxford, and three of the same value to students at Cambridge. A preference is reserved in favour of the sons of members of the Bowyers' Company, and students from Christ-church.

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF LEATHERSELLERS*. Soli Deo Honor et gloria.

THE Company of Leathersellers was a brotherhood of ancient standing, having been incorporated in the sixth year of Richard II. They were subsequently re-incorporated by a charter from Henry VI. in 1442, by the style of "The Wardens and Society of the Mystery

• A TABLE OF SCHOLARSHIPS in the gift of the Leathersellers'

Term of Tenure.

Company :

Estimated Annual Value. £20

20

Oxford.

Four years

20

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

1601. Robert Rogers directed, by his will, that £400 should b delivered to the Leathersellers to be employed in lands, the best penny worth they could get, and that the House should have yearly 40s. ou of the rents of it for ever, and that the rest should go to four poo 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.