In thesauro due regis Willelmi primi et due de libertatibus regis Ricardi et de eodem rege due carte de kidellis et de rege Johanne due carte de vicecom[itatu], una de libertate et una de kidellis cum sigillo de communi cons[523] (_sic_) habet i cartam regis Johannis de libertate civitatis W. fil’ Ren’ habet i regis Henrici de libertate et H[enricus] de Cornh[illa] aliam, Rog[erus] maior habet cartam Regin[aldi?] de Cornh[illa] de debito civitatis de ccc marcis. The latter portion, it will be observed, describes the custody of the city charters, and is of special value as fixing the date to that of the mayoralty of Roger, who held the office in 1213. The regulations for the watch are decisive, surely, of the functions originally discharged by the “scavengers” of London. They were inspectors of the watch. In his introduction to the ‘Liber Albus’(1859) Mr. Riley held that-- The City Scavagers, it appears, were originally public officers, whose duty it was to attend at the Hythes and Quays for the purpose of taking custom upon the _Scavage_ (_i.e._ Showage) or opening out of imported goods. At a later period, however, it was also their duty, as already mentioned, to see that due precautions were taken in the construction of houses against fire; in addition to which it was their business to see that the pavements were kept in repair.... These officers, no doubt, gave name to the ‘_Scavengers_’ of the present day (p. xli.; cf. iii. 352, 357). Professor Skeat adopts this view in his etymological Dictionary, and develops it at some length, holding that “the _n_ before _g_ is intrusive” as in some other cases, “and scavenger stands for scavager.” He consequently connects the word with our “shew,” through “scavage.” But no evidence whatever is adduced by Mr. Riley for his assertion that the “Scavagers” originally performed the above duty or had anything to do with it.