THE MANSION HOUSE.
The Palace of the Lord Mayor--The old Stocks' Market--A Notable
Statue of Charles II.--The Mansion House described--The Egyptian
Hall--Works of Art in the Mansion House--The Election of the Lord
Mayor--Lord Mayor's Day--The Duties of a Lord Mayor--Days of the
Year on which the Lord Mayor holds High State--The Patronage of the
Lord Mayor--His Powers--The Lieutenancy of the City of London--The
Conservancy of the Thames and Medway--The Lord Mayor's Advisers--The
Mansion House Household and Expenditure--Theodore Hook--Lord Mayor
Scropps--The Lord Mayor's Insignia--The State Barge--The _Maria
Wood_.
The Lord Mayors in old times often dwelt in the neighbourhood of the Old
Jewry; but in 1739 Lord Mayor Perry laid the first stone of the present
dull and stately Mansion House, and Sir Crisp Gascoigne, 1753, was the
first Lord Mayor that resided in it. The architect, Dance, selected the
Greek style for the City palace.
The present palace of the Lord Mayor stands on the site of the old
Stocks' Market, built for the sale of fish and flesh by Henry Walis,
mayor in the 10th year of the reign of Edward I. Before this time a pair
of stocks had stood there, and they gave their name to the new market
house. Walis had designed this market to help to maintain London Bridge,
and the bridge keeper had for a long time power to grant leases for the
market shops. In 1312-13, John de Gisors, mayor, gave a congregation of
honest men of the commonalty the power of letting the Stocks' Market
shops. In the reign of Edward II. the Stocks let for L46 13s. 4d. a
year, and was one of the five privileged markets of London. It was
rebuilt in the reign of Henry IV., and in the year 1543 there were here
twenty-five fishmongers and eighteen butchers. In the reign of Henry
VIII. a stone conduit was erected. The market-place was about 230 feet
long and 108 feet broad, and on the east side were rows of trees "very
pleasant to the inhabitants." On the north side were twenty-two covered
fruit stalls, at the south-west corner butchers' stalls, and the rest of
the place was taken up by gardeners who sold fruit, roots, herbs and
flowers. It is said that that rich scented flower, the stock, derived
its name from being sold in this market.
"Up farther north," says Strype, "is the Stocks' Market. As to the
present state of which it is converted to a quite contrary use; for
instead of fish and flesh sold there before the Fire, are now sold
fruits, roots and herbs; for which it is very considerable and much
resorted unto, being of note for having the choicest in their kind of
all sorts, surpassing all other markets in London." "All these things
have we at London," says Shadwell, in his "Bury Fair," 1689; "the
produce of the best corn-fields at Greenhithe; hay, straw, and cattle at
Smithfield, with horses too. Where is such a garden in Europe as the
Stocks' Market? where such a river as the Thames? such ponds and decoys
as in Leadenhall market for your fish and fowl?"
"At the north end of the market place," says Strype, admiringly, "by a
water conduit pipe, is erected a nobly great statue of King Charles II.
on horseback, trampling on slaves, standing on a pedestal with dolphins
cut in niches, all of freestone, and encompassed with handsome iron
grates. This statue was made and erected at the sole charge of Sir
Robert Viner, alderman, knight and baronet, an honourable, worthy, and
generous magistrate of this City."
This statue of Charles had a droll origin. It was originally intended
for a statue of John Sobieski, the Polish king who saved Vienna from
the Turks. In the first year of the Restoration, the enthusiastic Viner
purchased the unfinished statue abroad. Sobieski's stern head was
removed by Latham, the head of Charles substituted, and the turbaned
Turk, on whom Sobieski trampled, became a defeated Cromwell.
"Could Robin Viner have foreseen
The glorious triumphs of his master,
The Wood-Church statue gold had been,
Which now is made of alabaster;
But wise men think, had it been wood,
'Twere for a bankrupt king too good.
"Those that the fabric well consider,
Do of it diversely discourse;
Some pass their censure of the rider,
Others their judgment of the horse;
Most say the steed's a goodly thing,
But all agree 'tis a lewd king."
(_The History of Insipids; a Lampoon, 1676, by the Lord Rochester._)
The statue was set up May 29, 1672, and on that day the Stocks' Market
ran with claret. The Stocks' Market was removed in 1737 to Farringdon
Street, and was then called Fleet Market. The Sobieski statue was taken
down and presented by the City in 1779 to Robert Viner, Esq., a
descendant of the convivial mayor who pulled Charles II. back "to take
t'other bottle."
"This Mansion House," says Dodsley's "Guide to London," "is very
substantially built of Portland stone, and has a portico of six lofty
fluted columns, of the Corinthian order, in the front; the same order
being continued in pilasters both under the pediment, and on each side.
The basement storey is very massive and built in rustic. In the centre
of this storey is the door which leads to the kitchens, cellars, and
other offices; and on each side rises a flight of steps of very
considerable extent, leading up to the portico, in the midst of which is
the door which leads to the apartments and offices where business is
transacted. The stone balustrade of the stairs is continued along the
front of the portico, and the columns, which are wrought in the
proportions of Palladio, support a large angular pediment, adorned with
a very noble piece in bas-relief, representing the dignity and opulence
of the City of London, by Mr. Taylor."
The lady crowned with turrets represents London. She is trampling on
Envy, who lies struggling on her back. London's left arm rests on a
shield, and in her right she holds a wand which mightily resembles a
yard measure. On her right side stands a Cupid, holding the cap of
Liberty over his shoulder at the end of a staff. A little further lolls
the river Thames, who is emptying a large vase, and near him is an
anchor and cable. On London's left is Plenty, kneeling and pouring out
fruit from a cornucopia, and behind Plenty are two naked boys with bales
of goods, as emblems of Commerce. The complaint is that the principal
figures are too large, and crowd the rest, who, compelled to grow
smaller and smaller, seem sheltering from the rain.
Beneath the portico are two series of windows, and above these there
used to be an attic storey for the servants, generally known as "the
Mayor's Nest," with square windows, crowned with a balustrade. It is now
removed.
The Mansion House is an oblong, has an area in the middle, and at the
farthest end of it is situated the grand and lofty Egyptian Hall (so
called from some Egyptian details that have now disappeared). This noble
banquet-room was designed by the Earl of Burlington, and was intended to
resemble an Egyptian chamber described by Vitruvius. It has two
side-screens of lofty columns supporting a vaulted roof, and is lit by a
large west window. It can dine 400 guests. In the side walls are the
niches, filled with sculptured groups or figures, some of the best of
them by Foley. "To make it regular in rank," says the author of "London
and its Environs" (1761), "the architect has raised a similar building
on the front, which is the upper part of a dancing-gallery. This rather
hurts than adorns the face of the building." Near the end, at each side,
is a window of extraordinary height, placed between complex Corinthian
pilasters, and extending to the top of the attic storey. In former times
the sides of the Mansion House were darkened by the houses that crowded
it, and the front required an area before it. It has been seriously
proposed lately to take the Poultry front of the Mansion House away, and
place it west, facing Queen Victoria Street. In a London Guide of 1820
the state bed at the Mansion House, which cost three thousand guineas,
is spoken of with awe and wonder.
There are, says Timbs, other dining-rooms, as the Venetian Parlour,
Wilkes's Parlour, &c. The drawing-room and ball-room are superbly
decorated; above the latter is the Justice-room (constructed in 1849),
where the Lord Mayor sits daily. In a contiguous apartment was the state
bed. There is a fine gallery of portraits and other pictures. The
kitchen is a large hall, provided with ranges, each of them large enough
to roast an entire ox. The vessels for boiling vegetables are not pots,
but tanks. The stewing range is a long, broad iron pavement laid down
over a series of furnaces. The spits are huge cages formed of iron bars,
and turned by machinery.
At the close of the Exhibition of 1851, the Corporation of London, with
a view to encourage art, voted L10,000 to be expended in statuary for
the Egyptian Hall. Among the leading works we may mention "Alastor" and
"Hermione," by Mr. J. Durham; "Egeria" and "The Elder Brother," in
"Comus," by Mr. J.H. Foley; Chaucer's "Griselda," by Mr. Calder
Marshall; "The Morning Star," by Mr. G.H. Bailey; and "The Faithful
Shepherdess," by Mr. Lucas Durrant. In the saloon is the "Caractacus" of
Foley, and the "Sardanapalus" of Mr. Weekes.
The duties of a Lord Mayor have been elaborately and carefully condensed
by the late Mr. Fairholt, who had made City ceremonies the study of half
his life.
"None," says our authority, "can serve the office of Lord Mayor unless
he be an alderman of London, who must previously have served the office
of sheriff, though it is not necessary that a sheriff should be an
alderman. The sheriffs are elected by the livery of London, the only
requisite for the office being, that he is a freeman and liveryman of
the City, and that he possesses property sufficient to serve the office
of sheriff creditably, in all its ancient splendour and hospitality, to
do which generally involves an expenditure of about L3,000. There are
fees averaging from L500 to L600 belonging to the office, but these are
given to the under-sheriff by all respectable and honourable men, as it
is considered very disreputable for the sheriff to take any of them.
"The Lord Mayor has the privilege, on any day between the 14th of April
and the 14th of June, of nominating any one or more persons (not
exceeding nine in the whole) to be submitted to the Livery on Midsummer
Day, for them to elect the two sheriffs for the year ensuing. This is
generally done at a public dinner, when the Lord Mayor proposes the
healths of such persons as he intends to nominate for sheriffs. It is
generally done as a compliment, and considered as an honour; but in
those cases where the parties have an objection to serve, it sometimes
gives offence, as, upon the Lord Mayor declaring in the Court of
Aldermen the names of those he proposes, the macebearer immediately
waits upon them, and gives them formal notice; when, if they do not
intend to serve, they are excused, upon paying, at the next Court of
Aldermen, four hundred guineas; but if they allow their names to remain
on the list until elected by the livery, the fine is L1,000.
[Illustration: THE MANSION HOUSE KITCHEN.]
"The Lord Mayor is elected by the Livery of London, in Common Hall
assembled (Guildhall), on Michaelmas Day, the 29th of September,
previous to which election the Lord Mayor and Corporation attend church
in state; and on their return, the names of all the aldermen who have
not served the office of Lord Mayor are submitted in rotation by the
Recorder, and the show of hands taken upon each; when the sheriffs
declare which two names have the largest show of hands, and these two
are returned to the Court of Aldermen, who elect one to be the Lord
Mayor for the year ensuing. (The office is compulsory to an alderman,
but he is excused upon the payment of L1,000.) The one selected is
generally the one next in rotation, unless he has not paid twenty
shillings in the pound, or there is any blot in his private character,
for it does not follow that an alderman having served the office of
sheriff must necessarily become Lord Mayor; the selection rests first
with the livery, and afterwards with the Court of Aldermen; and in case
of bankruptcy, or compounding with his creditors, an alderman is passed
over, and even a junior put in his place, until he has paid twenty
shillings in the pound to all his creditors. The selection being made
from the nominees, the Lord Mayor and aldermen return to the livery, and
the Recorder declares upon whom the choice of the aldermen has fallen,
when he is publicly called forth, the chain put round his neck, and he
returns thanks to the livery for the honour they have conferred upon
him. He is now styled the 'Right Honourable the Lord Mayor elect,' and
takes rank next to the Lord Mayor, who takes him home in the state
carriage to the Mansion House, to dine with the aldermen. This being his
first ride in the state coach, a fee of a guinea is presented to the
coachman, and half-a-guinea to the postilion; the City trumpeters who
attend also receive a gratuity. The attention of the Lord Mayor elect is
now entirely directed to the establishment of his household, and he is
beset by applications of all sorts, and tradesmen of every grade and
kind, until he has filled up his appointments, which must be done by the
8th of November, when he is publicly installed in his office in the
Guildhall.
"The election of mayor is subject to the approbation of the Crown, which
is communicated by the Lord Chancellor to the Lord Mayor elect, at an
audience in the presence of the Recorder, who presents him to the Lord
Chancellor for the purpose of receiving Her Majesty's pleasure and
approbation of the man of the City's choice. This ceremony is generally
gone through on the first day of Michaelmas term, previous to receiving
the judges. The Lord Mayor elect is attended to the Chancellor's
private residence by the aldermen, sheriffs, under-sheriffs, the
swordbearers, and all the City officers. In the evening he gives his
first state dinner, in robes and full-dressed.
[Illustration: THE MANSION HOUSE IN 1750. (_From a Print published for
Stow's "Survey._")]
"On the 8th of November the Lord Mayor elect is sworn into office
publicly in Guildhall, having previously breakfasted with the Lord Mayor
at the Mansion House; they are attended at this ceremony, as well as at
the breakfast, by the members and officers of the Court of the Livery
Company to which they respectively belong, in their gowns. After the
swearing in at Guildhall, when the Mayor publicly takes the oaths,
accepts the sword, the mace, the sceptre, and the City purse, he
proceeds with the late Mayor to the Mansion House, and they conjointly
give what is called the 'farewell dinner;' the Lord Mayor elect
proceeding to his own private residence in the evening, a few days being
allowed for the removal of the late Lord Mayor.
"The next day, being what is popularly known as 'Lord Mayor's day,' and
which is observed as a close holiday in the City, the shops are closed,
as are also the streets in all the principal thoroughfares, except for
the carriages engaged in the procession. He used formerly to go to
Westminster Hall by water, in the state barge, attended by the state
barges of the City Companies, but now by land, and is again sworn in, in
the Court of Exchequer, to uphold and support the Crown, and make a due
return of all fines and fees passing through his office during the year.
He returns in the same state to Guildhall about three o'clock in the
afternoon (having left the Mansion House about twelve o'clock), where,
in conjunction with the Sheriffs, he gives a most splendid banquet to
the Royal Family, the Judges, Ministers of State, Ambassadors, or such
of them as will accept his invitation, the Corporation, and such
distinguished foreigners as may be visiting in the country. At this
banquet the King and Queen attend the first year after their coronation;
it is given at the expense of the City, and it generally costs from
eight to ten thousand pounds; but when the City entertained the Prince
of Wales, afterwards George IV., and the allied Sovereigns in 1814, it
cost twenty thousand pounds. On all other Lord Mayor's days the expense
is borne by the Lord Mayor and the Sheriffs, the former paying half, and
the latter one-fourth each; the Mayor's half generally averaging from
twelve to fourteen hundred pounds.
"The next morning the new Lord Mayor enters upon the duties of his
office. From ten to twelve he is engaged in giving audience to various
applications; at twelve he enters the justice-room, where he is often
detained until four in the afternoon, and this is his daily employment.
His lordship holds his first Court of Aldermen previous to any other
court, to which he goes in full state; the same week he holds his first
Court of Common Council, also in state. He attends the first sessions of
the Central Criminal Court at Justice Hall, in the Old Bailey; being the
Chief Commissioner, he takes precedence of all the judges, and sits in a
chair in the centre of the Bench, the swordbearer placing the sword of
justice behind it; this seat is never occupied in the absence of the
Lord Mayor, except by an alderman who has passed the chair. The Court is
opened at ten o'clock on Monday; the judges come on Wednesday; the Lord
Mayor takes the chair for an hour, and then retires till five o'clock,
when he entertains the judges at dinner in the Court-house, which is
expected to be done every day during the sitting of the Court, which
takes place every month, and lasts about eight days; the Lord Mayor and
the sheriffs dividing the expenses of the table between them.
"Plough Monday is the next grand day, when the Lord Mayor receives the
inquest of every ward in the City, who make a presentment of the
election of all ward officers in the City, who are elected on St.
Thomas's Day, December 21st, and also of any nuisances or grievances of
which the citizens may have to complain, which are referred to the Court
of Aldermen, who sit in judgment on these matters on the next Court day.
In former times, on the first Sunday in Epiphany, the Lord Mayor,
Aldermen, and Corporation, went in state to the Church of St. Lawrence,
Guildhall, and there received the sacrament, but this custom has of late
years been omitted.
"If any public fast is ordered by the King, the Lord Mayor and
Corporation attend St. Paul's Cathedral in their black robes; and if a
thanksgiving, they appear in scarlet. If an address is to be presented
to the throne, the whole Corporation go in state, the Lord Mayor wearing
his gold gown. (Of these gowns only a certain number are allowed, by Act
of Parliament, to public officers as a costly badge of distinction; the
Lord Chancellor and the Master of the Rolls are among the privileged
persons.) On Easter Monday and Tuesday the Lord Mayor attends Christ
Church (of which he is a member), on which occasion the whole of the
blue-coat boys, nurses, and beadles, master, clerk, and other officers,
walk in procession. The President, freemen, and other officers of the
Royal Hospital attend the church to hear the sermon, and a statement of
the income and expenditure of each of the hospitals, over which the
Mayor has jurisdiction, is read from the pulpit. A public dinner is
given at Christ's Hospital on the Monday evening, and a similar one at
St. Bartholomew's on the Tuesday. On the Monday evening the Lord Mayor
gives the grandest dinner of the year in the Egyptian Hall, at the
Mansion House, to 400 persons, at which some of the Royal Family often
attend, a ball taking place in the evening. The next day, before going
to church, the Lord Mayor gives a purse of fifty guineas, in sixpences,
shillings, and half-crowns, to the boys of Christ's Hospital, who pass
before him through the Mansion House, each receiving a piece of silver
(fresh from the Mint), two plum buns, and a glass of wine. On the first
Sunday in term the Lord Mayor and Corporation receive the judges at St.
Paul's, and hear a sermon from the Lord Mayor's chaplain, after which
his lordship entertains the party at dinner, either on that day or any
other, according to his own feeling of the propriety of Sunday dinners.
"In the month of May, when the festival of the Sons of the Clergy is
generally held in St. Paul's, the Lord Mayor attends, after which the
party dine at Merchant Taylors' Hall. Some of the Royal Family generally
attend; always the archbishop and a great body of the clergy. In the
same month, the Lord Mayor attends St. Paul's in state, to hear a sermon
preached before the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, at which
all the bishops and archbishops attend, with others of the clergy; after
which the Lord Mayor gives them a grand dinner; and on another day in
the same month, the Archbishop of Canterbury gives a similar state
dinner to the Lord Mayor, aldermen, sheriffs, and the bishops, at
Lambeth Palace." In June the Lord Mayor used to attend the anniversary
of the Charity Schools in St. Paul's in state, and in the evening to
preside at the public dinner, but this has of late been discontinued.
"On Midsummer Day, the Lord Mayor holds a common hall for the election
of sheriffs for the ensuing year; and on the 3rd of September, the Lord
Mayor, aldermen, and sheriffs used to go in state to proclaim
Bartholomew Fair, now a thing of the past. They called at the gaol of
Newgate on their way, and the governor brought out a cup of wine, from
which the Lord Mayor drank.
"On St. Matthias' Day (21st September) the Lord Mayor attends Christ's
Hospital, to hear a sermon, when a little Latin oration is made by the
two senior scholars, who afterwards carry round a glove, and collect
money enough to pay their first year's expenses at college. Then the
beadles of the various hospitals of which the Lord Mayor is governor
deliver up their staves of office, which are returned if no fault is to
be attributed to them; and this is done to denote the Mayor's right to
remove them at his will, or upon just cause assigned, although elected
by their respective governors."
On the 28th of September, the Lord Mayor swears in the sheriffs at
Guildhall, a public breakfast having been first given by them at the
hall of the Company to which the senior sheriff belongs. On the 30th of
September, the Lord Mayor proceeds with the sheriffs to Westminster, in
state; and the sheriffs are again sworn into office before the Barons of
the Exchequer. The senior alderman below the chair (the next in rotation
for Lord Mayor) cuts some sticks, delivers six horse-shoes, and counts
sixty-one hob-nails, as suit and service for some lands held by the City
under the Crown. The Barons are then invited to the banquet given by the
sheriffs on their return to the City, at which the Lord Mayor presides
in state.
"The patronage of the Lord Mayor consists in the appointment of a
chaplain, who receives a full set of canonicals, lives and boards in the
Mansion House, has a suite of rooms and a servant at command, rides in
the state carriage, and attends the Lord Mayor whenever required. He is
presented to the King at the first levee, and receives a purse of fifty
guineas from the Court of Aldermen, and a like sum from the Court of
Common Council, for the sermons he preaches before the Corporation and
the judges at St. Paul's the first Sundays in term. The next appointment
the Lord Mayor has at his disposal is the Clerk of the Cocket Office,
whom he pays out of his own purse. If a harbour master, of whom there
are four, dies during the year, the Lord Mayor appoints his successor.
The salary is L400 a year, and is paid by the Chamberlain. He also
appoints the water-bailiff's assistants, if any vacancy occurs. He
presents a boy to Christ's Hospital, in addition to the one he is
entitled to present as an alderman; and he has a presentation of an
annuity of L21 10s. 5d., under will, to thirteen pensioners, provided a
vacancy occurs during his year of office. L4 is given to a poor soldier,
and the same sum to a poor sailor.
"The powers of the Lord Mayor over the City, although abridged, like the
sovereign power over the State, are still much more extensive than is
generally supposed. The rights and privileges of the chief magistrate of
the City and its corporation are nearly allied to those of the
constitution of the State. The Lord Mayor has the badges of royalty
attached to his office--the sceptre, the swords of justice and mercy,
and the mace. The gold chain, one of the most ancient honorary
distinctions, and which may be traced from the Eastern manner of
conferring dignity, is worn by him, among other honorary badges; and,
having passed through the office of Lord Mayor, the alderman continues
to wear it during his life. He controls the City purse, the Chamberlain
delivering it into his hands, together with the sceptre, on the day he
is sworn into office. He has the right of precedence in the City before
all the Royal Family, which right was disputed by the Prince of Wales,
in St. Paul's Cathedral, during the mayoralty of Sir James Shaw, but
maintained by him, and approved and confirmed by the King (George III.).
The gates of the City are in his custody, and it is usual to close the
only one now remaining, Temple Bar, on the approach of the sovereign
when on a visit to the City, who knocks and formally requests admission,
the Mayor attending in person to grant it, and receive the visit of
royalty; and upon proclaiming war or peace, he also proceeds in state to
Temple Bar, to admit the heralds. Soldiers cannot march through the
City, in any large numbers, without the Mayor's permission, first
obtained by the Commander-in-chief.
"The Lieutenancy of the City of London is in commission. The Lord Mayor,
being the Chief Commissioner, issues a new commission, whenever he
pleases, by application to the Lord Chancellor, through the Secretary of
State. He names in the commission all the aldermen and deputies of the
City of London, the directors of the Bank, the members for the City, and
such of his immediate friends and relations as he pleases. The
commission, being under the Great Seal, gives all the parties named
therein the right to be styled esquires, and the name once in the
commission remains, unless removed for any valid reason.
"The Lord Mayor enjoys the right of private audience with the Crown; and
when an audience is wished for, it is usual to make the request through
the Remembrancer, but not necessary. When Alderman Wilson was Lord
Mayor, he used to apply by letter to the Lord Chamberlain. In attending
levees or drawing-rooms, the Lord Mayor has the privilege of the
_entree_, and, in consideration of the important duties he has to
perform in the City, and to save his time, he is allowed to drive direct
into the Ambassadors' Court at St. James's, without going round by
Constitution Hill. He is summoned as a Privy Councillor on the death of
the King; and the Tower pass-word is sent to him regularly, signed by
the sovereign.
"He has the uncontrolled conservancy of the river Thames and the waters
of the Medway, from London Bridge to Rochester down the river, and from
London Bridge to Oxford up the river. He holds Courts of Conservancy
whenever he sees it necessary, and summons juries in Kent, from London
and Middlesex, who are compelled to go on the river in boats to view and
make presentments. In the mayoralty of Alderman Wilson, these courts
were held in the state barge, on the water, at the spot with which the
inquiry was connected, for the convenience of the witnesses attending
from the villages near. It is usual for him to visit Oxford once in
fourteen, and Rochester once in seven years.[9]
"Alderman Wilson, in 1839, was the last Lord Mayor (says Fairholt, whose
book was published in 1843) who visited the western boundary; and he, at
the request of the Court of Aldermen, made Windsor the principal seat of
the festivities, going no farther than Cliefden, and visiting Magna
Charta island on his return. Alderman Pirie was the last who visited the
eastern boundary, the whole party staying two days at Rochester. The
Lord Mayor is privileged by the City to go these journeys every year,
should he see any necessity for it; but the expense is so great (about
L1,000) that it is only performed at these distant periods, although
Alderman Wilson visited the western boundary in the thirteenth, and
Alderman Pirie in the fifth year. A similar short view is taken as far
as Twickenham yearly, in the month of July, at a cost of about L150,
when the Lord Mayor is attended by the aldermen, the sheriffs, and their
ladies, with the same show and attendance as on the more infrequent
visits. His lordship has also a committee to assist in the duties of his
office, who have a shallop of their own, and take a view up and down the
river, as far as they like to go, once or twice a month during summer,
at an expense of some hundreds per annum.
"The Lord Mayor may be said to have a veto upon the proceedings of the
Courts both of Aldermen and Common Council, as well as upon the Court of
Livery in Common Hall assembled, neither of these courts being able to
meet unless convened by him; and he can at any time dissolve the court
by removing the sword and mace from the table, and declaring the
business at an end; but this is considered an ungracious display of
power when exercised.
"The Lord Mayor may call upon the Recorder for his advice whenever he
may stand in need of it, as well as for that of the Common Serjeant, the
four City pleaders, and the City solicitor, from whom he orders
prosecutions at the City expense whenever he thinks the public good
requires it. The salary of the Recorder is L2,500 per annum, besides
fees; the Common Serjeant L1,000, with an income from other sources of
L843 per annum. The solicitor is supposed to make L5,000 per annum.
"The Lord Mayor resides in the Mansion House, the first stone of which
was laid the 25th of October, 1739. This house, with the furniture, cost
L70,985 13s. 2d., the principal part of which was paid from the fines
received from persons who wished to be excused from serving the office
of sheriff. About L9,000 was paid out of the City's income. The plate
cost L11,531 16s. 3d., which has been very considerably added to since
by the Lord Mayors for the time being, averaging about L500 per annum.
"Attached to the household is--
_L s. d._
The chaplain, at a salary of 97 10 0
The swordbearer 500 0 0
The macebearer 500 0 0
Water-bailiff 300 0 0
City marshal 550 0 0
Marshal's man 200 0 0
Clerk of the Cocket Office 80 0 0
Gate porter 6 6 0
Seven trumpeters 29 9 0
"These sums, added to the allowance to the Lord Mayor, and the
ground-rent and taxes of the Mansion House (amounting to about L692 12s.
6d. per annum), and other expenses, it is expected, cost the City about
L19,038 16s. 10d. per annum. There are also four attorneys of the
Mayor's court, who formerly boarded at the Mansion House, but are now
allowed L105 per annum in lieu of the table. The plate-butler and the
housekeeper have each L5 5s. per annum as a compliment from the City,
and in addition to their wages, paid by the Lord Mayor (L45 per annum to
the housekeeper, and L1 5s. per week to the plate-butler). The marshal's
clothing costs L44 16s. per annum, and that of the marshal's man L13 9s.
6d.
"There is also--
_L s. d._
A yeoman of the chamber, at 270 0 0
Three Serjeants of ditto,[10] each 280 0 0
Master of the ceremonies 40 0 0
Serjeant of the channel 184 10 0
Yeoman of the channel 25 0 0
Two yeomen of the waterside, each 350 0 0
Deputy water-bailiff 350 0 0
Water-bailiff's first young man 300 0 0
The common hunt's young man 350 0 0
Water-bailiff's second young man 300 0 0
Swordbearer's young man 350 0 0
"These sums and others, added to the previous amount, make an annual
amount of expense connected with the office of Lord Mayor of L25,034 7s.
1d.
"Most of the last-named officers walk before the Lord Mayor, dressed in
black silk gowns, on all state occasions (one acting as his lordship's
train-bearer), and dine with the household at a table provided at about
15s. a head, exclusive of wine, which they are allowed without
restraint. In the mayoralty of Alderman Atkins, some dispute having
arisen with some of the household respecting their tables, the City
abolished the daily table, giving each of the officers a sum of money
instead, deducting L1,000 a year from the Lord Mayor's allowance, and
requiring him only to provide the swordbearer's table on state days."
The estimate made for the expenditure at the Mansion House by the
committee of the Corporation, is founded upon the average of many years,
but in such mayoralties as Curtis, Pirie, and Wilson, far more must have
been spent. It is said that only one Lord Mayor ever saved anything out
of his salary.
"Sir James Saunderson, Mayor in 1792-3, left behind him a minute account
of the expenses of his year of office, for the edification of his
successors. The document is lengthy, but we shall select a few of the
more striking items. Paid--Butcher for twelve months, L781 10s. 10d.;
one item in this account is for meat given to the prisoners at Ludgate,
at a cost of L68 10s. 8d. The wines are, of course, expensive.
1792--Paid, late Lord Mayor's stock, L57 7s. 11d.; hock, 35 dozen, L82
14s. 0d.; champagne, 40 ditto, at 43s., L85 19s. 9d.; claret, 154 ditto,
at 34s. 10d. per dozen, L268 12s. 7d.; Burgundy, 30 ditto, L76 5s. 0d.;
port, 8 pipes, 400 dozen, L416 4s. 0d.; draught ditto, for Lord Mayor's
day, L49 4s. 0d.; ditto, ditto, for Easter Monday, L28 4s. 3d.--L493
12s. 3d.; Madeira, 32 dozen, L59 16s. 4d.; sherry, 61 dozen, L67 1s.
0d.; Lisbon, one hogshead, at 34s. per dozen, L62 12s. 0d.; bottles to
make good, broke and stole, L97 13s. 6d.; arrack, L8 8s. 0d.; brandy, 25
gallons, L18 11s. 0d.; rum, 6-1/2 ditto, L3 19s. 6d. Total, L1,309 12s.
10d."
[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE EGYPTIAN HALL.]
"These items of costume are curious:--Lady Mayoress, November 30.--A
hoop, L2 16s. 0d.; point ruffles, L12 12s. 0d.; treble blond ditto, L7
7s. 0d.; a fan, L3 3s. 0d.; a cap and lappets, L7 7s. 0d.; a cloak and
sundries, L26 17s. 0d.; hair ornaments, L34 0s. 0d.; a cap, L7 18s. 0d.;
sundries, L37 9s. 1d. 1793, Jan. 26.--A silk, for 9th Nov., 3-1/2
guineas per yard, L41 6s. 0d.; a petticoat (Madame Beauvais), L35 3s.
6d.; a gold chain, L57 15s. 0d.; silver silk, L13 0s. 0d.; clouded
satin, L5 10s. 0d.; a petticoat for Easter, L29 1s. 0d.; millinery, for
ditto, L27 17s. 6d.; hair-dressing, L13 2s. 3d. July 6th.--A petticoat,
L6 16s. 8d.; millinery, L7 8s. 8d.; mantua-maker, in full, L13 14s. 6d.;
milliner, in full, L12 6s. 6d. Total, L416 2s. 0d. The Lord Mayor's
dress:--Two wigs, L9 9s. 0d.; a velvet suit, L54 8s. 0d.; other clothes,
L117 13s. 4d.; hats and hose, L9 6s. 6d.; a scarlet robe, L14 8s. 6d.; a
violet ditto, L12 1s. 6d.; a gold chain, L63 0s. 0d.; steel buckles, L5
5s. 0d.; a steel sword, L6 16s. 6d.; hair-dressing, L16 16s. 11d.--L309
2s. 3d. On the page opposite to that containing this record, under the
head of 'Ditto Returned,' we read 'Per Valuation, L0 0s. 0d.' Thus, to
dress a Lord Mayor costs L309 2s. 0d.; but her Ladyship cannot be duly
arrayed at a less cost than L416 2s. 0d. To dress the servants cost L724
5s. 6d."
Then comes a grand summing-up. "Dr. The whole state of the account,
L12,173 4s. 3d." Then follow the receipts per contra:--" At
Chamberlain's Office, L3,572 8s. 4d.; Cocket Office, L892 5s. 11d.;
Bridge House, L60; City Gauger, L250; freedoms, L175; fees on
affidavits, L21 16s. 8d.; seals, L67 4s. 9d.; licences, L13 15s.;
sheriff's fees, L13 6s. 8d.; corn fees, L15 13s.; venison warrants, L14
4s.; attorneys, Mayor's Court, L26 7s. 9d.; City Remembrancer, L12 12s.;
in lieu of baskets, L7 7s.; vote of Common Council, L100; sale of horses
and carriages, L450; wine (overplus) removed from Mansion House, L398
18s. 7d. Total received, L6,117 9s. 8d. Cost of mayoralty, as such, and
independent of all private expenses, L6,055 14s. 7d."
[Illustration: THE "MARIA WOOD." (_See page 447._)]
That clever but unscrupulous tuft-hunter and smart parvenu, Theodore
Hook, who talked of Bloomsbury as if it was semi-barbarous, and of
citizens (whose wine he drank, and whose hospitality he so often shared)
as if they could only eat venison and swallow turtle soup, has left a
sketch of the short-lived dignity of a mayor, which exactly represents
the absurd caricature of City life that then pleased his West-end
readers, half of whom had derived their original wealth from the till.
Scropps, the new Lord Mayor, cannot sleep all night for his greatness;
the wind down the chimney sounds like the shouts of the people; the
cocks crowing in the morn at the back of the house he takes for trumpets
sounding his approach; and the ordinary incidental noises in the family
he fancies the pop-guns at Stangate announcing his disembarcation at
Westminster. Then come his droll mishaps: when he enters the state
coach, and throws himself back upon his broad seat, with all imaginable
dignity, in the midst of all his ease and elegance, he snaps off the
cut-steel hilt of his sword, by accidentally bumping the whole weight of
his body right--or rather, wrong--directly upon the top of it.
"Through fog and glory," says Theodore Hook, "Scropps reached
Blackfriars Bridge, took water, and in the barge tasted none of the
collation, for all he heard, saw, and swallowed was 'Lord Mayor' and
'your lordship,' far sweeter than nectar. At the presentation at
Westminster, he saw two of the judges, whom he remembered on the
circuit, when he trembled at the sight of them, believing them to be
some extraordinary creatures, upon whom all the hair and fur grew
naturally.
"Then the Lady Mayoress. There she was--Sally Scropps (her maiden name
was Snob). 'There was my own Sally, with a plume of feathers that half
filled the coach, and Jenny and Maria and young Sally, all with their
backs to _my_ horses, which were pawing with mud, and snorting and
smoking like steam-engines, with nostrils like safety valves, and four
of _my_ footmen behind the coach, like bees in a swarm.'"
Perhaps the most effective portion of the paper is the _reverse_ of the
picture. My lord and lady and their family had just got settled in the
Mansion House, and enjoying their dignity, when the 9th of November came
again--the consummation of Scropps' downfall. Again did they go in state
to Guildhall; again were they toasted and addressed; again were they
handed in and led out, flirted with Cabinet ministers, and danced with
ambassadors; and at two o'clock in the morning drove home from the scene
of gaiety to the old residence in Budge Row. "Never in the world did
pickled herrings or turpentine smell so powerfully as on that night when
we re-entered the house.... The passage looked so narrow; the
drawing-room looked so small; the staircase seemed so dark; our
apartments appeared so low. In the morning we assembled at breakfast. A
note lay upon the table, addressed 'Mrs. Scropps, Budge Row.' The girls,
one after the other, took it up, read the superscription, and laid it
down again. A visitor was announced--a neighbour and kind friend, a man
of wealth and importance. What were his first words? They were the first
I had heard from a stranger since my job. 'How are you, Scropps? Done
up, eh?'
"Scropps! No obsequiousness, no deference, no respect. No 'My lord, I
hope your lordship passed an agreeable night. And how is her ladyship,
and her amiable daughters?' No, not a bit of it! 'How's Mrs. S. and the
_gals_?' This was quite natural, all as it had been. But how unlike what
it _was_ only the day before! The very servants--who, when amidst the
strapping, stall-fed, gold-laced lackeys of the Mansion House, and
transferred, with the chairs and tables, from one Lord Mayor to another,
dared not speak, nor look, nor say their lives were their own--strutted
about the house, and banged the doors, and spoke of their _missis_ as if
she had been an old apple-woman.
"So much for domestic miseries. I went out. I was shoved about in
Cheapside in the most remorseless manner. My right eye had a narrow
escape of being poked out by the tray of a brawny butcher's boy, who,
when I civilly remonstrated, turned round and said, 'Vy, I say, who are
_you_, I wonder? Why are you so partiklar about your _hysight_?' I felt
an involuntary shudder. 'To-day,' thought I, 'I am John Ebenezer
Scropps. Two days ago I was Lord Mayor!'"
"Our Lord Mayor," says Cobbett, in his sensible way, "and his golden
coach, and his gold-covered footmen and coachmen, and his golden chain,
and his chaplain, and his great sword of state, please the people, and
particularly the women and girls; and when they are pleased, the men and
boys are pleased. And many a young fellow has been more industrious and
attentive from his hope of one day riding in that golden coach."
"On ordinary state occasions," says "Aleph," in the _City Press_, "the
Lord Mayor wears a massive black silk robe, richly embroidered, and his
collar and jewel; in the civic courts, a violet silk robe, furred and
bordered with black velvet. The wear of the various robes was fixed by a
regulation dated 1562. The present authority for the costumes is a
printed pamphlet (by order of the Court of Common Council), dated 1789.
"The jewelled collar (date 1534)," says Mr. Timbs, "is of pure gold,
composed of a series of links, each formed of a letter S, a united York
and Lancaster (or Henry VII.) rose, and a massive knot. The ends of the
chain are joined by the portcullis, from the points of which, suspended
by a ring of diamonds, hangs the jewel. The entire collar contains
twenty-eight SS, fourteen roses, thirteen knots, and measures sixty-four
inches. The jewel contains in the centre the City arms, cut in cameo of
a delicate blue, on an olive ground. Surrounding this is a garter of
bright blue, edged with white and gold, bearing the City motto, 'Domine,
dirige nos,' in gold letters. The whole is encircled with a costly
border of gold SS, alternating with rosettes of diamonds, set in silver.
The jewel is suspended from the collar by a portcullis, but when worn
without the collar, is hung by a broad blue ribbon. The investiture is
by a massive gold chain, and, when the Lord Mayor is re-elected, by two
chains."
Edward III., by his charter (dated 1534), grants the mayors of the City
of London "gold, or silver, or silvered" maces, to be carried before
them. The present mace, of silver-gilt, is five feet three inches long,
and bears on the lower part "W.R." It is surmounted with a royal crown
and the imperial arms; and the handle and staff are richly chased.
There are four swords belonging to the City of London. The "Pearl"
sword, presented by Queen Elizabeth when she opened the first Royal
Exchange, in 1571, and so named from its being richly set with pearls.
This sword is carried before the Lord Mayor on all occasions of
rejoicing and festivity. The "Sword of State," borne before the Lord
Mayor as an emblem of his authority. The "Black" sword, used on fast
days, in Lent, and at the death of any of the royal family. And the
fourth is that placed before the Lord Mayor's chair at the Central
Criminal Court.
The Corporate seal is circular. The second seal, made in the mayoralty
of Sir William Walworth, 1381, is much defaced.
"The 'gondola,' known as the 'Lord Mayor's State Barge,'" says "Aleph,"
"was built in 1807, at a cost of L2,579. Built of English oak, 85 feet
long by 13 feet 8 inches broad, she was at all times at liberty to pass
through all the locks, and even go up the Thames as far as Oxford. She
had eighteen oars and all other fittings complete, and was profusely
gilt. But when the Conservancy Act took force, and the Corporation had
no longer need of her, she was sold at her moorings at Messrs. Searle's,
Surrey side of Westminster Bridge, on Thursday, April 5th, 1860, by
Messrs. Pullen and Son, of Cripplegate. The first bid was L20, and she
was ultimately knocked down for L105. Where she is or how she has fared
we know not. The other barge is that famous one known to all City
personages and all civic pleasure parties. It was built during the
mayoralty of Sir Matthew Wood, in 1816, and received its name of _Maria
Wood_ from the eldest and pet daughter of that 'twice Lord Mayor.' It
cost L3,300, and was built by Messrs. Field and White, in consequence of
the old barge _Crosby_ (built during the mayoralty of Brass Crosby,
1771) being found past repairing. _Maria Wood_ measures 140 feet long by
19 feet wide, and draws only 2 feet 6 inches of water. The grand saloon,
56 feet long, is capable of dining 140 persons. In 1851 she cost L1,000
repairing. Like her sister, this splendid civic barge was sold at the
Auction-mart, facing the Bank of England, by Messrs. Pullen and Son, on
Tuesday, May 31, 1859. The sale commenced at L100, next L200, L220, and
thence regular bids, till finally it got to L400, when Mr. Alderman
Humphrey bid L410, and got the prize. Though no longer civic property,
it is yet, I believe, in the hands of those who allow it to be made the
scene of many a day of festivity."
FOOTNOTES:
[9] A new Act for the conservancy of the Thames came into operation on
September 30th, 1857, the result of a compromise between the City and
the Government, after a long lawsuit between the Crown and City
authorities.
[10] These functionaries carve the barons of beef at the banquet on Lord
Mayor's Day.