In the seventeenth century, three instances occurred of noblemen who had joined the Company being elected and serving as Master. These were the Earl of Berkeley in 1685, the Earl of Monmouth (afterwards of Peterborough) in 1690, and the Earl of Romney in 1696. At the Election Court at the conclusion of the Earl of Monmouth’s Mastership (June 18th, 1691), it is recorded in the Minutes that “Ye R^t Hon^{ble} ye Master appeared and tooke his place;” and after the elections were over it was ordered that a dinner should be given, on which £60 should be expended, “To w^{ch} the R^t Hon^{ble} the Master declared hee would make the same up 100_l._ But the Co^{rt} considering his Lo^{pps} extraordinary bounty from time to time shewed to ye Company, w^{th} great importunity prayed his Lo^{pps} excuse therein, letting his Hono^r know a Buck was ye usuall and only p^rsent made by ye Mast^r on ye like occasion. Upon mo’con to know who should preach ye Elec’con Sermon, it was by the R^t Hon^{ble} ye Mas^{tr} declared that he would appoint his owne Chaplaine to performe ye same.” In recent years it has become usual for each Master to leave with the Company some permanent record of his year of office, in the form of a piece of plate, but this is a purely voluntary act. It is usual for the Master to officiate at public ceremonials—such as laying of foundation-stones, opening of new buildings, and the like, instead of inviting distinguished aliens to act; and a collection of the records of some of such occasions will be found in Appendix III. It is also usual, in the event of a child being born to the Master during his year of office, for the four Wardens to stand godfathers to the child on behalf of the Company, and for a silver cradle or its equivalent to be presented by the Company to their godchild. It is an understood thing that the child, if a boy, shall be christened “Skinner,” and, if a girl, shall be christened “Pellipar,” or some variant of that name. Such occasions have of late years been far from frequent. In fact, there has been only one within the last quarter of a century, and that happened twenty years ago. The Hall of the Company is situate in Dowgate Hill, facing the west side of Cannon Street Station, and having the Hall of the Tallow-Chandlers’ Company adjoining it on the north, and that of the Dyers’ Company on the south. In and prior to the fourteenth century, the buildings standing on the site were known as the Copped Hall, but since the fourteenth century the Copped Hall with certain shops adjoining, or the buildings which have replaced them from time to time, have formed the Hall of the Skinners’ Company. The earliest deed relating to the premises which is in the possession of the Company is a grant of the Copped Hall by Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, to Reginald de Thunderley, in December, 1295. The old Hall was consumed in the Great Fire of 1666, after which the present Hall was erected in its place.