London and the Kingdom Volume II Part 39

The lord mayor immediately issued his precept to the several livery companies (they had received a previous warning to prepare for the occasion on the 1st October)(1865) to be ready in their stands by eight o'clock on the morning of Tuesday the 16th November, well apparelled and with all the ornaments of their companies before them.(1866) That morning witnessed one of the finest sights that had ever been seen in the city of London, famous as it always had been for its pageantry. No expense had been spared in providing new gowns for the magistrates and new banners for the companies. The mayor, aldermen and sheriffs rode out "in their formalities" as far as Southwark, where they met the king, and where the usual ceremony took place of surrendering the civic sword into his majesty's hands, to be immediately returned to the lord mayor. This done, the procession was formed, and the king was escorted with trumpets and kettle-drums through the entire length of the city, the streets being guarded by the six regiments of trained bands, and the houses rendered bright with hangings of tapestry.(1867)

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On Wednesday the mayor, aldermen and sheriffs, accompanied by the recorder, waited upon his majesty and congratulated him on the peace and on his safe return. The king in reply thanked them, and conferred the honour of knighthood upon the sheriffs, Bartholomew Gracedieu and James Collett.(1868)

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The rejoicings terminated with a thanksgiving service at St. Paul's (2 Dec.), the work of Sir Christopher Wren being sufficiently advanced to admit of divine service being held there. The mayor and aldermen attended in state. The king did not attend lest his presence should draw off congregations from other churches; but he attended service in his private chapel at Whitehall. Not only in London but throughout the kingdom the day was solemnly observed, whilst the night was given up to festivity and fireworks.(1869)

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When, in 1698, the first triennial parliament had run its course and a new election of members for the city took place all the old members retained their seats except Sir Robert Clayton. His place was taken by Sir James Houblon, a Tory. On this occasion the election for the city did not take place until the returns of many const.i.tuencies in the country had been made known. As a rule the returns of the metropolitan const.i.tuencies were looked forward to as an augury of the political complexion of the coming parliament. This parliament was not allowed to live its full time, but was dissolved in December, 1700, a new parliament being summoned to meet in the following February (1701).(1870) Sir Robert Clayton regained his seat, and with him were returned Sir William Ashurst (who headed the poll), Gilbert Heathcote and Sir William Withers.(1871) Upon Heathcote being declared by parliament disqualified to sit owing to a technical breach of trust his seat was taken by Sir John Fleet.(1872)

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After the death of James II at St. Germains (5 Sept., 1701) Louis broke his vow (made at Ryswick) not to do anything to disturb or subvert the government of England, and forthwith proclaimed the late king's son to be heir to his father's throne. The whole English nation was stirred against the French king for having dared to acknowledge as their sovereign the boy who had been held to be supposit.i.tious and whose t.i.tle to the crown had been rejected by parliament. The citizens of London were among the first to express their loyalty to William and their readiness to do their utmost to preserve his person and government against all invasion. The king was on the continent at the time, but an address to this effect, unanimously agreed to by the Common Council (26 Sept.), was forwarded to him by the lords justices, who held the reins of government during his absence, and who in due course were instructed to inform the City of the great satisfaction its address had afforded his majesty. The example thus set was quickly followed by others, and similar addresses began to flow in from all parts of the kingdom,(1873) whilst the City's address was by the king's orders translated into foreign languages for transmission to the several courts of Europe.(1874)

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A few hours before the City's address reached the hands of the lords justices the citizens had a.s.sembled (29 Sept.) in Common Hall to choose a mayor for the ensuing year. Sir Charles Duncombe, who had ama.s.sed a large fortune as a goldsmith and banker, and who, although returned by the livery at the head of the poll the previous year, had been set aside by the Court of Aldermen in his contest for the mayoralty probably on account of his Tory principles,(1875) was again put up as a candidate, although in point of seniority he was one of the youngest aldermen. This time he failed to get a majority of votes at the Common Hall, but his popularity was still sufficiently strong to return him second on the poll, and his name was submitted in conjunction with that of William Gore to the Court of Aldermen for them to select one. It was quite within their province to select if they chose the second name submitted to them-they had frequently done so before-but in the face of Louis's recent act of insolence they preferred to call to the mayoralty chair a man whose Tory principles were not too p.r.o.nounced rather than one who had accepted an alderman's commission from James II, and Sir William Gore was accordingly declared elected.(1876)

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The parliament which a.s.sembled in February, 1701, enjoyed a still shorter existence than its predecessor, for it was dissolved in the following November. Another was summoned to meet in December.(1877) Great excitement prevailed in the city over this election. The Whigs met at the Crown Tavern behind the Exchange and agreed to put up three of the old members, viz., Clayton, Ashurst and Heathcote, and to run a fresh candidate in the person of Sir Thomas Abney. The Tory or "Church party" opposed these candidates with four others, viz., Sir William Gore, the lord mayor, Sir John Fleet, Sir Richard Levett and Sir Charles Duncombe, the recently defeated candidate for the mayoralty. When it came to polling all four Whigs were returned by an overwhelming majority.(1878) This was the last parliament of William's reign. On the 20th February (1702) he was thrown from his horse whilst riding in Richmond Park and broke his collar-bone.

His health had previously shown signs of giving way. On the 8th March he died.

CHAPTER x.x.xIV.

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On the day that William died the Lords Spiritual and Temporal met together and, "with the a.s.sistance" of the Privy Council, a number of other "princ.i.p.all gentlemen of quality" and the lord mayor, aldermen and citizens of London, proceeded to draw up a doc.u.ment proclaiming the Princess Anne successor to the crown. The day happened to be Sunday; nevertheless on that same afternoon public proclamation of the queen's accession was made at Temple Bar and the Royal Exchange in the presence of the mayor and Court of Aldermen, whilst the sheriffs were despatched to learn when her majesty would be pleased to receive the aldermen.(1879)

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Two days later (10 March) the Common Council voted an address condoling with the queen on the death of the late king and congratulating her upon her accession.(1880) The Court of Aldermen resolved to put themselves into "close" mourning, each alderman providing himself with a mourning gown at his own expense, whilst the Chamberlain was instructed to provide similar gowns for the chief officers of the Corporation at the City's expense, as had formerly been done on the demise of Charles II.(1881) They further resolved, with her majesty's permission, to cause her portrait to be painted and to be set up in the Guildhall and a statue of her to be set up at the Royal Exchange. It was found on enquiry that the statues of kings and queens already in the Royal Exchange had been set up at the expense of the companies, except those of William and Mary, which (as we have seen) were erected by order of the Common Council. On the other hand, the pictures of Charles II, James II and of William and Mary had all been paid for by the Chamber. Artists were invited to send in sketches or designs for her majesty's picture; and this having been done, the work was entrusted to Closterman.(1882)

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At the coronation, which took place on the 23rd April, the mayor, aldermen and twelve representatives of the princ.i.p.al livery companies were present, care having been taken by the City Remembrancer that their proper places were a.s.signed them both in the Abbey and at the subsequent banquet in Westminster Hall. The civic dignitaries started from the city as early as seven o'clock in the morning in order to be at Westminster Hall by eight a.m. The mayor was provided at the City's expense with the customary gown of crimson velvet for the occasion, the sword-bearer being only a little less resplendent in a gown of damask.(1883)

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Before the Revolution it had been the custom for parliament to cease to exist immediately on the demise of the crown. It was held that inasmuch as the king was the head of the parliament, and as the members of a living body could not continue to exist without a head, so a parliament could not continue without a king, but must with the death of the king, _ipso facto_, itself expire. The inconveniences arising from this had at length become so apparent that an Act had recently been pa.s.sed permitting a parliament in existence at the demise of the crown to be continued for a period of six months after such demise.(1884) By virtue of this Act the parliament, which had met for the first time on the 30th December, 1701, was allowed to sit, notwithstanding the king's death, until dissolved in July, 1702.

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The "good" Queen Anne, warmly attached as she was to the Church of England, was naturally inclined towards the Tories in preference to the Whigs, and lost no time in dismissing Somers, Halifax and other Whig ministers of the late king and filling their places with Tories. Her action in this respect influenced the coming elections more especially in the city of London, where a new commission of lieutenancy appointed by the queen had already turned out six colonels of Whiggish proclivities and had put in their place others of a different political character.(1885)

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Only one of the old Whig members managed to retain his seat, viz., Gilbert Heathcote, who had recently been elected alderman of Walbrook ward in the place of Sir John Moore, deceased, and who may have inherited some of the Tory principles of his predecessor together with the aldermanic gown.

There is nothing like office for chastening a man's political opinions.

However this may have been, his three colleagues elected to serve with him in the coming parliament were also aldermen of the city and staunch Tories. These were Sir William Pritchard, Sir John Fleet and Sir Francis Child. A scrutiny had been demanded by Clayton, Ashurst and Abney, the defeated candidates, but it failed to disturb the result of the poll.(1886) Clayton was successful in finding a seat for Bletchingley, co.

Surrey.(1887)

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When Michaelmas-day came round and Sir Samuel Dashwood-a tried Tory who had sat for the city in the only parliament convened under James II, as well as in the first parliament under William and Mary-was elected to the mayoralty chair, the choice of the citizens was highly commended by the lord keeper,(1888) and the queen accepted an invitation to dinner on lord mayor's day. It was proposed to invite both Houses of Parliament to the city on that occasion, but it was found that the accommodation at the Guildhall was insufficient for the purpose.(1889) The cost of the entertainment to her majesty was not thrown on the Chamber, but was discharged by the aldermen, each of them agreeing to subscribe the sum of 25 for the purpose. The entertainment, however, was given on so lavish a scale that these contributions had to be doubled, in addition to which the outgoing as well as the incoming mayor contributed 300 respectively and each of the sheriffs 150. The whole cost of the entertainment amounted to 2,000.(1890) The queen acknowledged the hospitality thus offered by conferring the honour of knighthood upon Francis Dashwood, brother of the lord mayor, Richard h.o.a.re, the goldsmith of Fleet Street, Gilbert Heathcote, the city member, and upon "Mr. Eaton," the linendraper, of Cheapside, from whose house she had witnessed the pageant.(1891)

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Scarce a fortnight elapsed before the queen again visited the city (12 Nov.), the occasion being a public thanksgiving service in St. Paul's for the successes of Marlborough, Ormond and Rooke. In July Marlborough had opened the campaign against France and Spain, war having been declared against those countries on the 4th May,(1892) and although he had been unable to bring the enemy to a general engagement he had succeeded in reducing several important towns and in cutting off the communications of the French with the Lower Rhine. At sea the English and Dutch combined fleets under the command of Sir George Rooke, with a large number of troops on board under the command of the Duke of Ormond, had succeeded in capturing a rich booty in Vigo Bay.(1893) Both Houses of Parliament attended the service. The order of the procession and the distribution of seats within the cathedral are given in detail in a report laid before the Court of Aldermen (15 Dec.).(1894) The queen, who was attired in purple, and wore her collar and George, was met at Temple Bar by the mayor, aldermen and sheriffs on horseback. The city sword, having been presented to her majesty and restored to the mayor, was carried by him next before her majesty's coach to the cathedral. The streets from St. James' to Temple Bar were lined by the Westminster militia, and from Temple Bar to Ludgate by two regiments of the city trained bands. The balconies and windows were hung with carpets and tapestry. On arriving at St. Paul's her majesty was met at the door by the Peers and escorted to the choir of the cathedral by the Duke of Somerset and the lord chamberlain, the sword of state being borne before her by the Duke of Ormond. The spectacle which presented itself inside St. Paul's on this occasion has scarcely ever been equalled. Opposite the altar, on a throne of state, sat the queen. The Peers were accommodated with seats in the body of the choir, whilst the Commons sat in the stalls and upper galleries on either side. In the two lower galleries next the throne sat the foreign ministers and ladies "of quality." There were two other galleries near the altar, one on the north side and the other on the south side of the church. The latter was occupied by the mayor, aldermen and sheriffs, whilst the former was occupied (as usual) by their ladies. The sermon was preached by the Bishop of Exeter. The night was given up to bonfires and illuminations.(1895)

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Two years later the city's minster-now rapidly approaching completion-was again the scene of a similar gathering, the occasion being a thanksgiving service for a signal victory gained by Marlborough over the French and Bavarian forces at Blenheim, near Hochstadt in Germany (2 Aug., o.s.).(1896) The 7th September was set apart as a day of public thanksgiving.(1897) The City in the meanwhile voted (30 Aug.) an address to her majesty(1898) congratulating her on the success that had attended her arms and complimenting her on her judgment in selecting Marlborough for the command, whose courage and conduct had "settled the tottering empire, relieved Savoy, chastised the Elector of Bavaria, and curbed the ambition of the French king." They prayed that her majesty might long live a terror to her enemies, a defence to her injured neighbours and a delight to her subjects. The next day (31 Aug.) the mayor issued his precept to the several livery companies to prepare their rails, stands, banners and other usual "ornaments of triumph" with the view of taking up such position in the street as should be a.s.signed to them.(1899) Several of the companies, viz., the Girdlers, the Scriveners and the Glovers, refused to obey the precept, and were thereupon summoned before the Court of Aldermen to answer for their conduct, whilst others like the Dyers, the Cooks and the Poulterers were excused.(1900) A little difficulty arose touching the seats a.s.signed by the lord chamberlain in St. Paul's to the civic dignitaries, who claimed the right to occupy the seats and places where they usually sat, the more so on this occasion because, parliament not being then in session, the members of neither House were to be in attendance. How matters were eventually arranged does not appear, but the Court of Aldermen up to the last moment were emphatic in their resolution that the lord mayor should insist on keeping his place in the cathedral, and a week later (14 Sept.) appointed a committee to search for precedents as to the place occupied by the mayor and aldermen in processions and their seats in St. Paul's on occasions of any king or queen coming there to hear a sermon.(1901) In other respects everything pa.s.sed off well.

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On the morning of the 14th December Marlborough arrived in London, bringing in his train Marshal Tallard and other general officers whom he had made captive at Blenheim. On the 20th an invitation was sent for his grace to dine with the Court of Aldermen and the sheriffs at Goldsmiths'

Hall, the residence of Sir Owen Buckingham, the lord mayor, on any day he might name. The invitation having been graciously accepted for the 6th January, the duke was further requested to bring with him what company he pleased, for his grace would find none others there besides the lord mayor, aldermen and sheriffs to entertain him. Each alderman and sheriff was called upon to subscribe the sum of 25 towards defraying the cost of the entertainment.(1902)

On the day appointed the duke was conveyed to the city in one of her majesty's own coaches, accompanied by the Duke of Somerset, the foreign ministers and a large number of the n.o.bility and general officers of the army. At Temple Bar he was met by the city marshal, by whom he was conducted to Goldsmiths' Hall. There a "n.o.ble treat" was set out for the guests, "the queen's musick playing all the while, and everything performed in great splendor."(1903) The Common Council acknowledged the great public spirit thus displayed by the Court of Aldermen and the sheriffs by pa.s.sing an unanimous vote of thanks to them.(1904)

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In the meantime, whilst Marlborough had been so successfully carrying on the work which the late king had set himself to do, the city of London had been busy setting its house in order. The poor were with them in greater numbers than ever. The statute (13 and 14 Chas. II, c. 12) pa.s.sed in 1662 for the better relief of the poor of the kingdom, authorising the erection of workhouses, necessitated the expenditure of a great deal of money, and a sum amounting to nearly 5,000 had to be periodically raised for the purpose by a.s.sessment of the several parishes of the city.(1905) Besides this there was a yearly sum of 8,000 due by the City to the orphans and its other creditors, a sum which exceeded the City's yearly revenue. The consequence was that the City had become greatly in debt. To remedy this state of affairs various methods were resorted to. An attempt was made at the commencement of the present reign to get the queen's sanction for compelling every governor, deputy governor, or committeeman of both the East India companies to take up the freedom of the City. The question was referred to the attorney-general, whose opinion on the matter was duly reported to the Common Council.(1906)

On the 1st July, 1703, another committee was appointed to examine the state of the Chamber, and to consider of ways and means for its supply and for the support of the government of the city. On the 18th August this committee recommended to the Common Council that an exact survey of all the City's estate should be made in each ward by the alderman and his deputy, and that such surveys should be sent to the town clerk so that they might be entered in a book. The court approved of the recommendation, and ordered that it should be carried out "with all expedition imaginable."(1907) The City's markets,(1908) the City's beams(1909) and everything else that could be let on lease were let at improved rentals, and everything that could be sold was sold. On the 4th November (1703) the lord mayor (Sir John Parsons) informed the Common Council that towards the payment of the City's debts his lords.h.i.+p and the two sheriffs had agreed to lay before the court certain papers showing (1) what the several places under the Corporation would sell for, (2) what the lord mayor himself and the sheriffs were willing to take for their share of each place, and (3) what part of the purchase-money might be devoted to the liquidation of the City's debts.(1910)

The schedule is an interesting one as showing the value attached to various offices under the City. Thus a water-bailiff's place would sell for 2,200, a sword-bearer's for 2,500, and that of a clerk of the Chamber for as much as 2,600 (the highest of all), whilst a City solicitor could purchase his place for 1,500, and a City remembrancer could do the same for 1,200. The scheme proposed by the mayor and sheriffs on this occasion affected no less than one hundred and sixty-three places of employment, and was simplicity itself, being nothing more than that they themselves and their successors should forego one-third of the value of any place that became vacant during their year of office, and that this third should be devoted to payment of the City's liabilities. The total value of these purchaseable places amounted to 107,860, one-third of which, viz., 35,953 6_s._ 8_d._, would, if this proposal were carried out (and _if every place fell vacant within the year_), be available for the discharge of the City's debts. In a second schedule were set out certain other places filled chiefly by artificers, who, by their extravagant charges, had contributed (it was said) in no small degree to the City's indebtedness. These were to be excluded from the scheme, much to their disappointment. When any one of them died, surrendered his place or was dismissed from it for just cause, his place was not to be filled up, and the payment of 10_s._ a week, more or less, which such artificer had been in the habit of receiving from the City, "work or not work," was to cease.

The proposals thus laid before the Common Council met with the approval of the court, and the committee was instructed to embody them in a Bill. A Bill was accordingly drawn up and read the first time on the 4th February, 1704. It pa.s.sed on the 24th,(1911) and the thanks of the Common Council were returned to the mayor and sheriffs for their generous offers.

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In March, 1705, Marlborough sailed for Holland to resume the campaign. By July he had succeeded in forcing the French lines which stretched across the country from Namur to Antwerp. For this success another thanksgiving service was held at St. Paul's, and attended by the queen in person (23 Aug.).(1912) Had the general been allowed a free hand by his Dutch allies a decisive battle might have been fought. The Dutch officers refused, however, to co-operate in an attack, and Marlborough had to give way with the best grace he could.

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During Marlborough's absence the parliament of 1702, which would soon have terminated by efflux of time under the provisions of the Triennial Act, had been dissolved (5 April) and a new one summoned. Once more the political pendulum swung back and a Whig parliament was returned. The Tories rather injured than aided their cause by raising the cry that the Church was in danger, whilst the Whig party was daily increasing in favour not only with the queen, who highly resented such a cry, but also with Marlborough and G.o.dolphin. In the city both parties put up four candidates, but when the poll was declared it was found that all four Whigs had been returned by an overwhelming majority.(1913) One of the results of an understanding arrived at between Marlborough and the Tory leaders with the Whig Junto was a modification of an article in the Act of Settlement, which, after the accession of the House of Hanover, would have otherwise debarred ministers and other placemen from the House of Commons.

A compromise was effected whereby only those who enjoyed a pension or office created after the 25th October, 1705, were to be disqualified from sitting in the House, whilst all other offices were declared compatible with a seat if the holder presented himself to his const.i.tuents for re-election at the time of his appointment.(1914) This arrangement is still in force, although the necessity of it has long since disappeared.