The Story of LondonWheatley, Henry B. (Henry Benjamin)
History
The Story of London
Wheatley, Henry B. (Henry Benjamin)
London (England) -- History
Punishments and fines were frequent. Cheats and fraudulent tradesmen
were promptly punished, and those who had a sharp tongue soon found that
the free use of it was dangerous. The authorities, who had the making of
the laws, had no fancy for being maligned. Such entries as these are
frequent in Riley's _Memorials_: Process against Roger Torold for
abusing the Mayor, 1355; Punishment or imprisonment for reviling the
Mayor, 1382; Pillory and whetstone for slandering the Mayor, 1385;
Pillory for slandering an alderman, 1411; Punishment for insulting
certain aldermen; Pillory for insulting the Recorder, 1390. The pillory
was freely used for cheats, users of false dice, false chequer boards
(1382), swindlers, forgers of title-deeds, bonds, papal bulls, etc.,
impostors pretending to be dumb, etc. False measures, false materials
and unwholesome food were confiscated and publicly burnt. Dishonest
tradesmen appear to have been very reckless, and punishment was
constantly awarded for the sale of putrid fish, food and meat. Enhancers
of the price of wheat were specially obnoxious to the citizens, and some
of the cheats connected with bread-making were curious, such as
inserting iron in a loaf to increase the weight (1387), and stealing
dough by making holes in the baker's moulding-boards (1327). The seller
of unsound wine was punished by being made to drink it (1364).
Night-walkers (male and female) were very summarily treated, but they
must have been mostly connected with the dangerous classes, for we read
of notorious persons with swords and bucklers and frequenters of taverns
after curfew, 'contrary to peace and statutes.' We may presume that
quiet, inoffensive persons, who were known to be law-abiding citizens,
were not necessarily hauled up for being in the streets after regulation
hours. Mr. Riley, in his valuable Introduction to the _Liber Albus_,
makes special reference to these night-walkers: 'It being found that the
houses of women of ill-fame had become the constant resort of thieves
and other desperate characters, it was ordered by royal proclamation,
_temp._ Edward I., that no such women should thenceforth reside within
the walls of the city under pain of forty days' imprisonment. A list,
too, was to be taken of all such women by the authorities, and a certain
walk assigned to them. The Stews of Southwark are once, and only once,
alluded to in this volume, and the result of this enactment was no doubt
to drive the unfortunates thither.' Ordinances of later date appear to
have been still more stringent. The Tun, a round-house or prison on
Cornhill, was so called from its having been 'built somewhat in fashion
of a tun standing on the one end.' It was built in 1282 for the special
reception of night-walkers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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