of our Company, it will be well to introduce a very remarkable
letter, which was written by Thomas Arundell, Archbishop of Canterbury
(formerly of York), to the Mayor, etc., of London, in which he
complained that the Barbers, being, alas! “without zeal for the law of
God,” kept their shops open on the Sabbath days, and he besought the
Mayor and Aldermen (his “sons in Christ, and dearest friends”) to put a
stop to this practice. No trade, perhaps, has from the earliest days,
down to our own times, owned such persistent breakers of the Fourth
Commandment as have the Barbers. Our records abound with by-laws,
enacted and renewed over and over again on this subject, and details
of the delinquencies of numerous Barbers in this respect, and of their
punishments by fine and imprisonment crop up everywhere.
The Archbishop’s letter reveals to us the fact, that nearly 500 years
ago, men were constituted much as they are now; in that “that which
touches the body or the purse, is held more in dread than that which
kills the soul,” and he shrewdly suggests that the clerical punishment
of “the greater excommunication,” should be augmented by a fine to be
levied by the Civil authority. This letter is so deeply interesting
that no apology is needed for reproducing it here. The original is to
be found in _Letter-Book I._ 125.
1413. On the 24th day of July, in the first year, etc. (Henry V) the
Reverend Father in Christ, and Lord, Thomas, by Divine permission,
Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of all England, and Legate of
the Apostolic See, sent here, to the Mayor and Aldermen of the City
of London, certain Letters Close of his, containing words as follow:--
“Sons in Christ and dearest friends.--We know that you do seek for
the things which are of above, and that you will the more readily
incline to our desires, the more surely that the things as to which
we write are known to tend to the observance of the Divine law,
the maintenance of public propriety, and the rule of the Christian
profession. We do therefore write unto you on this occasion, to
intimate that when we were presiding of late in our Provincial
Council, holden at London, with our venerable brethren, the
Suffragan Bishops, and our clergy of the Province of Canterbury, it
was publicly made known unto us with universal reprobation, that
the Barbers of the City of London, over the governance of which
city you preside, being without zeal for the law of God, and not
perceiving how that the Lord hath blessed the seventh day and made
it holy, and hath commanded that it shall be observed by no abusive
pursuit of any servile occupations, but rather by a disuse thereof,
in their blindness do keep their houses and shops patent and open on
the seventh day, the Lord’s Day, namely, and do follow their craft
on the same, just as busily, and just in the same way, as on any
day in the week, customary for such work. Wherefore we, with the
consent and assent of our said Suffragans and clergy, in restraint
of such temerity as this, have determined that there must be made
solemn prohibition thereof in the City aforesaid, and that, of our
own authority, and that of our said Provincial Council; and not there
only, but also throughout the Diocese of London, and each of the
cities both of our own Diocese and of our Province of Canterbury; to
the effect, that such barbers must not keep their houses and shops
patent or open, or follow their craft, on such Lord’s Days for the
future, on pain of the greater excommunication; in the same manner as
it has been enacted and observed of late in our time, as to the City
and Diocese of York, as we do well recollect. But, dearest children,
seeing that so greatly has the malice of men increased in these days,
a thing to be deplored--that temporal punishment is held more in
dread than clerical, and that which touches the body or the purse
more than that which kills the soul, we do heartily intreat you, and,
for the love of God and of His law, do require and exhort you, that,
taking counsel thereon, you will enact and ordain a competent penalty
in money, to be levied for the Chamber of your City, or such other
purpose as you shall think best, upon the Barbers within the liberty
of your City aforesaid, who shall be transgressors in this respect;
that so at least, those whom fear of the anger of God does not avail
to withold from breach of His law, may be restrained by a scourge
inflicted upon their purse, in the way of pecuniary loss; knowing
that we in the meantime, after taking counsel hereon, will devise
measures for the prevention of this, and for the due publication of
our Provincial enactment aforesaid. Fare you well always in Christ.
Written at Ikham[46] on the 13th day of the month of July.
[46] Near Wingham, Kent.
THOMAS, Archbishop of Canterbury.”
An Ordinance was forthwith made thereupon, to the effect, that no
barber, his wife, son, daughter, apprentice, or servant, should work
at such craft on Sundays within the liberty of the city, either in hair
cutting or shaving, on pain of paying 6_s._ 8_d._ for each offence;
5_s._ thereof to go to the new work at the Guildhall, and the remainder
to the Wardens or Masters of the Barbers within the city.[47]
[47] Riley p. 594.
1422. In August of this year Henry V died, and thirty-two of the City
Companies assisted at his obsequies, going in procession and carrying
torches. From an entry in _Letter-Book K._ 1{B.}, it appears that the
Barbers bore four torches on this occasion.
1447. This year the Company seem to have contributed 40_s._ towards
the cost of the Roof of the Chapel at Guildhall, as appears by the
following entry in _Journal IV_, 198 (25th October, 26 Henry VI)--
Itmˀ gardiani misterˀ barbitonsoꝜ & importaverunt in Cur xl{s.}
sterlingoꝜ pˀse & misterˀ sua ad coopturam Guyhaɫd Sc̃. Capelle.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE BARBERS INCORPORATE.
Hitherto we have considered two distinct and somewhat hostile
fraternities, the Surgeons on the one hand, and on the other the
Barbers (consisting of Barbers and Barber-Surgeons), both of them
City Guilds, existing by prescription, having independent rules and
Ordinances for their government and the scrutiny and correction of
abuses in their respective Crafts, the former Company few in number,
the latter far more numerous and popular; the Surgeons without, and the
Barbers with, a Livery.
Of these two fraternities, the Barbers by the regular and every day
nature of their calling, as shavers and hair cutters, together with the
practice of Surgery combined by so many of them, were the most likely
to become the more popular Company; their fees would surely be on a
lower scale than those of the more aristocratic Surgeons, and their
numbers and constant intercourse with the citizens, in their capacity
as Barbers, enabled them easily to extend their connection as Surgeons.
In all their contentions with the Surgeons’ Guild, as far as we know,
they held their own well, and thus it was that their place in the City,
as a Livery Guild of at that time an ancient standing, their position
as the professors of useful and scientific arts, their numbers and
presumable affluence, all rendered it desirable that they should be
placed upon the same footing as the better class of Guilds, by their
acquisition of a Charter of Incorporation, which they accordingly
obtained from the young King Edward IV in the first year of his reign
(1462).
Thomas Knot (Master, 1555) has recorded in one of our books, a
Translation of this Charter, which Mr. J. Flint South (who does not
appear to have seen the original Latin one) has transcribed, and this
has been adopted by Mr. D’Arcy Power (page 326). Thomas Knot wrote a
good hand, and was a zealous champion of the Barber-Surgeons in his
time, but he made egregious blunders in some of the writings recorded
over his signature, and although there is not great fault to be found
with him in this instance, it is suggested that the Translation given
below, is perhaps a more literal one than that which Knot has handed
down.
The Charter is still preserved at our Hall, and is contained on a small
skin of parchment; the initial letters of the title, which were at the
time left to be illuminated have never been filled in, and the document
is therefore not the work of art which one is accustomed to see in
Charters of this period; it bears signs of having been frequently used,
the ink in some places being worn, and the words only legible with the
aid of a magnifying glass. The great seal pendant is not quite perfect,
but is a beautiful specimen and highly artistic. The following is the
text of the Charter:--
(E)DWARDUS dei grã (R)ex (A)nglie & (F)rancie & (D)ominus (H)ibñie.
(O)mnibus ad quos pˀsentes lrẽ pˀuenint saltm̃ (S)ciatis q̃d
nos considerantes qualitˀ Diɫci nõb prˀbi & liᵬi hoiẽs mistere
BarbitonsoꝜ Ciuitatis nr̃e london vtentes mistera siue facultate
SirurgicoꝜ tam circa vulña plagas lesiones & alias infirmitates
ligeoꝜ nroꝜ ibidem curandˀ & Sauandˀ q{a}m in extracc͠oe sanguinis
& denc̃iu hˀmꝰ ligeoꝜ nrõꝜ g{a}ndes & multiplices intendencias &
labores pˀ longa tempora sustinuerunt & supportauerunt indiesqʒ
sũtinere & supportare non desistunt qualitˀ etiam pˀ ignoranciam
negligenciam & insipienciam nonnulloꝜ hˀmꝰ barbitonsoꝜ tam liᵬoꝜ
hõim Ciuitatis nr̃e pˀdc̃e q{a}m alioꝜ SirurgicoꝜ forincecoꝜ & non
liᵬoꝜ hõim eiusdem Ciuitatis indies ad eandem Ciuitatem confluenciũ
& in mistera SirurgicoꝜ minus sufficientˀ eruditoꝜ q{a}m plurima ac
quasi infinita mala diuˀsis ligeis nr̃is in vulnĩbʒ plagis lesionibʒ
& aliis infirmitatibʒ suis pˀ huius modi Barbitonsores & Sirurgicos
sauandis & curandis ob eoꝜ defc̃m ante hec tempora euenerunt quoꝜ
quidem ligeoꝜ nroꝜ alii ea de causa viam vniuˀse carnis sunt
ingressi alii autem eadem causa tanq{a}m insanabiles & incurabiles
sunt ab omĩbʒ derelecti similia qʒ mala vel peiora infuturˀ in hac
parte euenire formidatˀ nisi remedm̃ congruũ supˀ hoc pˀ nos cicius
pˀuidetuˀ Nos enim attendentes & intime adũtentes qˀd huiusmodi
mala ligeis nr̃is ob defc̃tuˀ debit supˀuis scrutinii correccõis &
punicõis huiusmodi barbitonsoꝜ & SirurgicoꝜ minus sufficientˀ in
eisdem misteris siue facultatibʒ vt pˀdcm̃ est eruditˀ & instructˀ
euenire contingunt. Ad humilem supplicacoẽm dilc̃oꝜ nobˀ pˀdcoꝜ
pˀboꝜ & liᵬoꝜ hõim pˀdcẽ mistere BarbitonsoꝜ in Ciuitate nr̃a pˀdcã
concessimꝰ eis qˀd mistera illa & omẽs hoiẽs eiusdem mistere de
Ciuitate p’dc̃a sint in re & noiẽ vnũ corpus & vna Coitãs pˀpetua. Et
qˀd duo principales eiusdem Coitãtis vna cũ assensu duodecim vel octo
pˀsonaꝜ ad minus Coitãtis illius in mistera Sirurgie maxime expert
singulis annis eligˀe possint & facˀe de Cõitate illa duos magr̃os
siue Gubñatores in mistera Sirurgicˀ maxime exp̃tˀ. Ad supˀuidendˀ
regendˀ & gubñandˀ misterˀ & Cõitatem pˀdictˀ & omẽs hoiẽs eiusdem
mistere negociti eoꝜdem imp̃pm̃. ET QˀD QˀDEM mãgri siue guᵬnatores
& Coit̃as heañt successionem pˀpetuam & coẽ sigillum negociis dcẽ
Coit̃atis impˀpm̃ sˀuiturˀ. Et qˀd ip̃i & successores sui impˀpm̃
sint pˀsone habiles & capaces ad pˀquirendˀ & possidendˀ in feodo &
pˀpetuitate trãs tenˀ redditus & alias possessiones quascunqʒ usqʒ
ad valorem quinqʒ marcaꝜ pˀ annũ ult{a} reprisas et qˀd ip̃i noiã
magr̃oꝜ siue GuᵬnatoꝜ & Coit̃atis mistere barbitonsoꝜ london pˀlitare
& imp̃litari possint coram quibuscuqʒ indicibʒ in Curiis & acciõbʒ
quibuscuqʒ ET QˀD pˀdci magr̃i siue Guᵬnatores & Coit̃as & eoꝜ
successores congregacoẽs licitas & honestas de seipˀis̃ ac statuta &
ordinacoẽs pˀ salubri gubnacoẽ supˀuisu & correccõe misteria pˀdictˀ
sˀcdm̃ necessitatis exigenciam quociens & quando opus fuit̃ facẽ
valeant licite & impune siue occõne vel impedimento nr̃i heredimi
vel successoꝜ nr̃oꝜ Justicˀ EscacioꝜ Vicecomitum CoronatoꝜ aut alioꝜ
BalliuoꝜ vel ministroꝜ nr̃oꝜ heredemi vel successoꝜ nr̃oꝜ quoꝜcuqꝜ
dum̃odo statuta & ordinacoẽs illa contˀ leges & consuetudines regni
nr̃i Anglˀ nullo modo existant. PRETERIA VOLUMꝰ & concedimꝰ pˀ
nos heredbʒ & successoribʒ nrĩs quantũ in noᵬ est qˀd magr̃i siue
Guᵬnatores pˀdcẽ Coit̃atis pˀ tempore existenˀ & eoꝜ successores
impp̃m h̃eant supˀuisum scrutinm̃ correccoˀem & guᵬnacoˀem om̃i
& singuloꝜ liᵬoꝜ h̃oim̃ dcẽ Ciuitatꝭ SirurgicoꝜ vtencm̃ mistera
BarbitonsoꝜ in eadem Ciuitate ac alioꝜ SirurgicoꝜ forincecoꝜ quoꝜ
cuq̃ʒ mistera illa Sirurgicꝭ aliquo modo frequentancm̃ & vtencm̃
infra eandem Ciuitatem & suburbia eiusdem ac punicoẽm eoꝜdem tam
liᵬoꝜ q{a}m forincecoꝜ pˀ delictis suis in non pˀfecte exequendꝰ
faciendꝰ & vtendꝰ mistera illa necnon supˀuisum & scrutinm̃ omim̃odoꝜ
instrumentoꝜ emplastoꝜ & aliaꝜ medicinaꝜ & eoꝜ receptꝭ pˀdcos̃
Barbitonsores & Sirurgicꝭ huiusmodi ligeis nris̃ pˀ eoꝜ plagis &
vulnibʒ lesionibʒ & huiusmodi infirmitatibʒ curandꝰ & sauandꝰ dandꝰ
imponendꝰ & vtendꝰ quociens & quando opus fuit pˀ comõdo & vtilitate
eoꝜdem ligeoꝜ nr̃oꝜ ita qˀd punicio huiusmodi BarbitonsoꝜ vtencm̃
dc̃a mistera Sirurgicꝭ ac huiusmodi Sirurgicꝭ forincecoꝜ sit in
pˀmissis delinquencm̃ pˀ fines am̃ciamenta & imprisonamenta corpoꝜ
suoꝜ & pˀ alias vias rõnabiles & congruas exequaturꝰ. Et qˀd nullus
BarbitonsoꝜ vtens dcã mistera Sirurgicꝭ infra dcãm Ciuitatem aut
suburᵬ eiusdem aut alius Sirurgicus forincecus quicuq̃ʒ & exequendꝰ
faciendꝰ & exẽcendꝰ eandem misteram Sirurgicꝰ aliquo modo infuturꝰ
in eadem Ciuitate vel Suburᵬ eiusdem admittat{a} nisi primicũs pˀ
dcõs magr̃os siue guᵬnatores vel eoꝜ successores ad hoc habiles
& sufficientes in mistera illa eruditus approbetꝭ & pˀ plenarˀ
comprobac͠one sua in hac parte maiori Ciuitatis pˀdictꝰ pˀ tempore
existenꝰ pˀ eosdem magrõs siue Guᵬnatores ad hoc pˀsentet{a.}
VOLUMUS eciam & concedimꝰ pˀ noᵬ heredibʒ & successoribʒ nr̃is
quant̃u in noᵬ est qˀd dc̃i magr̃i siue guᵬnatores ac Coit̃as pᵭc
mistere BarbitonsoꝜ nec successores sui nec eoꝜ aliquis quoquo modo
infuturꝰ infra Ciuitatem nr̃am pˀdcañ & Suburᵬ eiusdem sumoniunt{a}
aut ponant{a} neqʒ eoꝜ aliquis sumoniat{a} aut ponat{a} in aliquibʒ
assisis iuratis enquestis inquisicõibʒ attinctis aut aliis
recognic̃oibʒ infra dc̃am Ciuitatem & Suburᵬ eiusdem impostimi coram
maiore aut vicecountꝭ seu Coronatꝭ dc̃e Ciuitatis nr̃e pˀ tempore
existenꝰ capiendꝰ aut pˀ aliquem officiariũ siue ministm̃ sũu vel
officiarios siue ministros suos sum̃oniandˀ licet iidem Jurati
inquisicões seu recognic͠oes sum̃ fuiñt supˀ br̃i vel briᵬʒ nr̃i
vel heredimi nroꝜ de recto SED qˀd dc̃i mag̃ri siue Guᵬnatores ac
coit̃as mistere antedc̃e & successores sui ac eoꝜ quiᵬt vˀsus nos
heredes & successores nr̃os ac vˀsus maiorem & vicecomites Ciuitatis
nr̃e pˀdcẽ pˀ tempore existenꝰ & quoscũqʒ Officiarꝰ & ministros suos
sint inde quieti & penitus exonãti impp̃m pˀ pˀsentes. ET VLTERIUS
nos considerac͠oe pˀmissoꝜ de gr̃a nr̃a sˀpaɫi concessimꝰ pˀ noᵬ &
successoribʒ nr̃is pˀfatis mag̃ris siue Guᵬnatoribʒ ac Coit̃ati dcẽ
Mistera BarbitonsoꝜ & successoribʒ suis hanc liᵬtatem viᵭelt qˀd ip̃i
pˀpetuis futuris temporibʒ pˀsonas habiles & sufficientꝰ eruditos &
informatos in dct̃i mistera Sirurgicꝰ & pˀ mag̃ros siue Guᵬnatores
mistera illius pˀ tempore existenꝰ in forma pˀdc̃ti approbatꝰ &
maiore Ciuitatis pˀdc̃e pˀ tempore existenꝰ vt pˀdc̃am est pˀsentat
in eandem misteram BarbitonsoꝜ ad libtat̃es dc̃e Ciuitatis hẽndꝰ
& gaudendꝰ scᵭm consuetudinem dc̃e Ciuitatis admittẽ & recipˀe
valeant & non alias pˀsonas quascũqʒ neqʒ alio Modo aliquo mandato
aut requisic͠oe nr̃i heredimi seu successoꝜ nroꝜ pˀ brãs inscriptꝭ
vel alitꝭ qualitꝭ cumqʒ incontrm̃ factꝭ seu faciendꝭ non obstantꝭ
ET LICET iidem mag̃ri siue Guᵬnatores ac Coiãtas & eoꝜ successores
hac liᵬtate continue in futurꝭ vsi fũint cont{a.} aliquod mandatum
sine requisicõem nr̃i heredũ seu successoꝜ nroꝜ aut aliquoꝜ alioꝜ
quoꝜcuq̃ʒ in forma pˀdc̃a fiendꝭ ip̃i tamen finem contempt̃u
depˀditum erga nos heredes seu successores nrõs aut dampñu vel malum
aliquod in bonis seu corporibʒ suis erga quoscumqʒ alios ea occ̃one
nullo modo incurrant nec eoꝜ aliquis incurrat. ET hoc absqʒ fine seu
feodo pˀ pˀmissis seu sigillac͠oe pˀsentum noᵬ faciendꝭ soluendꝭ vel
aliqualitꝭ reddendꝭ aliquo statuto ordinac͠oe vel actu incontrm̃ ante
hec tempora editꝭ factꝭ ordinatꝭ seu pˀuis non obstantꝭ. IN cuius rei
testimonm̃ has lrãs nr̃as fieri fecimꝰ patentes. TESTE me ip̃o apud
Westm̃ vicesimo quarto die ffebruarii Anno regni nr̃i primo.
PEKHAM.
[Illustration]
pˀbrẽ de priuato sigillo de datꝭ pˀdct̃ auctoritate parliamenti & pˀ
decem libris soluitꝭ in hanapˀio
(Endorsed.)
Irt̃o in Curꝰ Domini Regis in Cam̃a Guihalde Ciuitatꝭ Londõn in libro
signatꝭ cum lit̃ta. l. folˀ tercio decimo. Anno regni Regis Edwardi
quarti post conquestum Tercio.
TRANSLATION.