Transcriber’s notes: In many sections of this book the spelling and punctuation are very inconsistent because the text was originally written before English spelling and punctuation became standardised. Such passages contain numerous shorthand word contractions represented in the original text by superscripted letters, diacritics, and archaic symbols some of which cannot be accurately reproduced with current digital media. In this plain text transcription, paired curly brackets are used to indicate {characters} that were superscripted in the original text, paired tildes denote text that was printed with a ~bold~ blackletter font and paired underscores denote _italicised text_. Depending on which font is being used, the diacritics and archaic symbols might or might not display correctly. Footnotes have been positioned below the relevant paragraphs. Serious readers are strongly recommended to take advantage of the HTML version on a full-sized browser screen. [Illustration: King Henry VIII] THE ANNALS OF THE BARBER-SURGEONS OF LONDON, COMPILED FROM THEIR RECORDS AND OTHER SOURCES, BY SIDNEY YOUNG, ONE OF THE COURT OF ASSISTANTS OF THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF BARBERS OF LONDON, WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY AUSTIN T. YOUNG. ~Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle, That hast so long walk’d hand in hand with time.~ _Shakespeare._ [Illustration] LONDON: BLADES, EAST & BLADES, 23, ABCHURCH LANE, E.C. 1890. ~A mery chylde he was, so god me saue Wel coude he let blood, clyppe, and shaue.~ _Chaucer._ PREFACE. That the foundation of the Commerce, and consequently of the Greatness, of London was laid by the old Livery Guilds--few will question. Much is already known, through the Histories of such of them as have been written--and an apology from me is not needed for a further contribution to so interesting a study. But whilst I make no apology for the contribution, I crave the indulgence of my readers for any shortcomings which, from a literary point of view, may appear in this work; I invite their attention to the matter, rather than to the style in which it is expressed.