London (England) -- Description and travel; London (England) -- History -- 16th century -- Sources; London (England) -- Surveys
The said Robert, and his heirs, ought to be, and are chief bannerers
of London, in fee of the chastilarie, which he and his ancestors had
by Castle Baynard, in the said city. In time of war the said Robert,
and his heirs, ought to serve the city in manner as followeth: that is,
The said Robert ought to come, he being the twentieth man of arms on
horseback, covered with cloth, or armour, unto the great west door of
St. Paul, with his banner displayed before him of his arms; and when he
is come to the said door, mounted and apparelled, as before is said, the
mayor with his aldermen and sheriffs armed in their arms, shall come out
of the said church of St. Paul, unto the said door, with a banner in his
hand, all on foot, which banner shall be gules, with the image of St.
Paul, gold, the face, hands, feet, and sword, of silver; and as soon as
the said Robert shall see the mayor, aldermen, and sheriffs, come on
foot out of the church, armed with such a banner, he shall alight from
his horse, and salute the mayor, and say to him,--“Sir mayor, I am come
to do my service, which I owe to the city.” And the mayor and aldermen
shall answer,--“We give to you, as our bannerer of fee in this city,
this banner of this city to bear, and govern to the honour and profit
of the city to our power.” And the said Robert and his heirs shall
receive the banner in his hands, and shall go on foot out of the gate
with the banner in his hands; and the mayor, aldermen, and sheriffs,
shall follow to the door, and shall bring a horse to the said Robert
worth twenty pounds, which horse shall be saddled with a saddle of the
arms of the said Robert, and shall be covered with sandals of the said
arms. Also they shall present to him twenty pounds sterling money, and
deliver it to the chamberlain of the said Robert for his expenses that
day. Then the said Robert shall mount upon the horse which the mayor
presented to him, with the banner in his hand, and as soon as he is up,
he shall say to the mayor, that he cause a marshal to be chosen for the
host, one of the city; which marshal being chosen, the said Robert shall
command the mayor and burgesses of the city to warn the commoners to
assemble together, and they shall all go under the banner of St. Paul,
and the said Robert shall bear it himself unto Aldgate, and there the
said Robert and mayor shall deliver the said banner of St. Paul from
thence, to whom they shall assent or think good. And if they must make
any issue forth of the city, then the said Robert ought to choose two
forth of every ward, the most sage personages, to foresee to the safe
keeping of the city after they be gone forth. And this counsel shall be
taken in the priory of the Trinity near unto Aldgate. And before every
town or castle which the host of London besiege, if the siege continue a
whole year, the said Robert shall have for every siege of the commonalty
of London an hundred shillings for his travail, and no more. These
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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