London (England) -- History -- 17th century; London (England) -- Social life and customs -- 17th century
In 1676 the printing of calicoes was commenced in London. A writer of
the day says that “instead of green say, that was wont to be used for
children’s frocks, is now used painted and Indian and striped calico,
and instead of perpetuam or shalloon to line men’s coats with is used
sometimes glazed calico, which in the whole is not a shilling cheaper,
and abundantly worse.”
An Act passed in 1662 forbade the importation of foreign bone lace, cut
work, embroidery, fringe, band-strings, buttons, and needlework on the
ground that many persons in this country made their living by this work.
The art of tinning plate-iron was brought over from Germany. The first
wire-mill was also put up at this period by a Dutchman.
In short, the development of the arts was largely advanced during the
century, and almost entirely by foreigners—French, German, Venetian,
and Dutch.
The income of the Crown does not belong to the history of London,
except that the City furnished a large part of it. That of Charles
II. was ordered by the Parliament, August 31, 1660, to be made up to
£1,200,000 a year. To raise this sum various Acts were passed. Thus
there was the subsidy called “tonnage” levied upon foreign wine, and
that called “pundage” levied upon the export and import of certain
commodities. These taxes were collected at the Custom House. There
was also the excise upon beer, ale, and other liquors sold within the
kingdom. There was the tax of hearth money, which was two shillings
upon any fire, hearth, or stove in every house worth more than twenty
shillings a year. There were also the Royal lands, such as the Forest
of Dean, the duties on the mines in the Duchy of Cornwall, the
first-fruits and tenths of church benefices, the Post Office, etc.
Other duties were laid occasionally on land, on personal property, on
the sale of wine, etc. It must be remembered, however, that the King
maintained out of this income the Fleet and the Army.
The coinage current in London consisted of more kinds than the present
simpler system. In gold there were sovereigns, half-sovereigns, crowns,
and half-crowns; in silver, crowns, half-crowns, shillings, sixpences,
half-groats, pennies, and halfpennies. To this there were added from
time to time the Thistle crown of four shillings, the Scottish six
pound gold coin valued at ten shillings, the French crown called “The
Sun,” valued at seven shillings. There were also farthing tokens in
lead, tin, copper, and leather.
Ben Jonson shows us what kind of money was carried about. “The man had
120 Edward’s shillings, one old Harry sovereign, three James shillings,
an Elizabeth groat: in all twenty nobles”—a noble was worth 7s. 2d.;
“also he had some Philip and Marias, a half-crown of gold about his
wrist that his love gave him, and a leaden heart when she forsook him.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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