London and the Kingdom - Volume 1: A History Derived Mainly from the Archives at Guildhall in the Custody of the Corporation of the City of London.Sharpe, Reginald R. (Reginald Robinson)
History
London and the Kingdom - Volume 1: A History Derived Mainly from the Archives at Guildhall in the Custody of the Corporation of the City of London.
Sharpe, Reginald R. (Reginald Robinson)
London (England) -- History
It was found that six men, whose names were John Derby, _alias_ Wright, a
bowyer, Richard Smyth, a carpenter, William Sympson, a fuller, Henry
Stokton, a fishmonger, Thomas Yong, a saddler, and Robert Jakes, a
shearman—all of whom had more than once been convicted of perjury, and on
that account been struck off inquests—had contrived to get themselves
replaced on the panel, and had been the chief movers in the recent actions
against the late mayor and other officers of the city. They had, moreover,
taken bribes for concealment of offences of forestalling and regrating.
Being found guilty, on their own confession, of having brought false
charges against many of the aldermen, the Court of Common Council adjudged
the whole of the accused to be disfranchised. Three of them, who were
found more guilty than the rest, were sentenced to be taken from prison on
the next market day, on horseback, without saddles, and with their faces
turned towards the horses’ tails, to the pillory on Cornhill. There they
were to be set "their heddes in the holys" until proclamation of their
crime and sentence was read. The lesser offenders were spared the pillory,
but were condemned to attend on horseback at Cornhill, whence all the
offenders were conducted to the Standard in Fleet Street "by the most high
ways," where the proclamation was again read. The culprits were then taken
back to prison and made to abjure the city on pain of imprisonment at the
pleasure of the mayor and aldermen.(1027) Among the charges brought
against Derby was one to the effect that being on a jury he had received
the sum of ten shillings and "a quarter of ffisshe for his howsehold," a
bribe which a suitor had tendered by the advice and counsel of Thomas
Yong, saddler, who was apparently acting as Derby’s accomplice.(1028)
(M553)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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