The Story of LondonWheatley, Henry B. (Henry Benjamin)
History
The Story of London
Wheatley, Henry B. (Henry Benjamin)
London (England) -- History
The fraudulent baker had a bad time, for he was sometimes carried about
in a tumbrell, and at other times he was put in the pillory. For his
first offence the culprit was drawn upon a hurdle from Guildhall through
the most populous and most dirty streets, with the defective loaf
hanging from his neck. On a second occasion he was drawn from the
Guildhall 'through the great streets of Chepe' to the pillory, which was
usually erected in Cheap or Cheapside, and there he was exposed for one
hour. For the third offence he was again drawn on the hurdle, his oven
was pulled down, and he was compelled to forswear the trade in London
for ever. The use of the hurdle was discontinued in favour of the
pillory in the reign of Edward II. Another offence punished by exposure
in the pillory, besides short weight and bad quality was the putting of
iron in a loaf of bread to increase its weight.[329]
In the famine of 1258, when the Earl of Cornwall's sixty cargoes of
grain arrived, the first thing the King had to do was to issue an
ordinance against the greed of the middlemen, known as forestallers and
regrators.
No words appear to have been found too strong to hurl at these
unfortunate middlemen, but the regratresses or female retailers who
bought bread at the markets, and delivered it from house to house, were
contented with a small profit. These dealers were privileged by law to
receive thirteen batches for twelve, hence the expression 'a baker's
dozen.' This seems to have been the extent of their profits. It was once
the practice of the baker to give to each regratress who dealt with him
sixpence on Monday morning by way of _estrene_ or present, and
threepence on Friday as _curtasie_ money, but this was forbidden by
public ordinance, and the bakers were ordered to let all such payments
in future go towards increasing the size of the loaf, 'to the profit of
the people.'[330]
Corn used to be stored by the city and the companies against times of
scarcity, but the origin of the practice is obscure, and no obligation
to provide corn appears to have been imposed upon any of the companies
by the terms of their charters. Sir Simon Eyre, Mayor in 1435, formed a
public granary in Leadenhall. Stow and Fuller eulogise Sir Stephen
Brown, who, in 1438, was energetic in his endeavours to get corn stored
in the city granaries. In 1578 the farmers of the Bridge House divided
the store into twelve equal parts, and the same by lots were
appropriated to the twelve companies, to each of them an equal part for
the bestowing and keeping of the said corn.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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