Ordinances enacted at a meeting of the Common Hall, 3 Jan 1678:
(1) The Master, Wardens and Assistants shall, by order of the Master or, in his absence, the Wardens, hold Court meetings for Company affairs; for the better ordering, ruling and governing of the Company members and also for the correction of abuses or disorders that may happen between members; and shall admit apprentices; and make free of the Company those who have served their term of apprenticeship or otherwise thought fit to admit to the Freedom; and may also at Courts debate Acts concerning the government of the Company: which Courts shall be called Courts of Assistants; and to which Courts the Master, Wardens and Assistants shall come in their gowns; and the Assistants shall not depart without leave of the Master or one of the Wardens; and every member and Assistant shall respond to summons by the Beadle and go to every Court at the times appointed; and shall not depart without leave of the Master or one of the Wardens, on pain that every person so disobeying, without reasonable excuse, shall forfeit to the Company the sum of one shilling for every such offence.
(2) The Master, Wardens and Assistants shall keep four quarterly Courts; to which Courts the Master or Wardens will cause all members to be summoned by the Beadle; all members so summoned shall appear; at which all times the orders and ordinances of the Company shall be read, to better acquaint the members with the same; and that they also be put in mind of keeping the same according to their oaths of Freedom. At the quarter-Courts every member of the Company shall pay to the Renter Warden, or another appointed for the purpose, his quarterage money which will be due to the Company at the rates following (viz.) The Master, Wardens and Assistants shall pay two shillings eight pence yearly, by eight pence a quarter; every person in the livery shall pay two shillings yearly, by six pence a quarter; and every member of the yeomanry shall pay once shilling and four pence yearly, by four pence every quarter. And every person refusing to pay quarterage shall forfeit for every default the following rates (viz.) Every Assistant, eight pence besides quarterage; every liverman, six pence besides quarterage; and every yeoman, four pence besides quarterage.
(3) At the Courts of Assistants every Court member shall keep silence at the command of a Warden; when any matter is moved or debated, only one person can speak at one time; and all debates shall be addressed to the Master or, in his absence, the Chairman (which person is to be chosen by the majority of members present), so that the opinion and judgement of every member may be heard; and every person except the Master or Chairman shall address his discourse to the Master or Chairman: and all debates be serious and without speeches giving offence, upon pain to forfeit the sum of one shilling for every offence.
(4) Full and absolute power of nomination and election of Master, Wardens and Assistants, liverymen and all other officers of the Company shall always be only in the Master, Wardens and Assistants in the Court of Assistants assembled; in which choices they shall observe the ancient ways, time and method of nomination and election which have been used in the Company.
(5) The Master, Wardens and Assistants shall every year elect a discreet, honest and able person, being a member of the Court of Assistants, to be Master for one year next following; which person shall accept the office of Master and take the oath for that purpose appointed, and shall bear the same charges and perform the same duties as other Masters before him; and shall continue for one whole year until a new Master is elected and sworn. And if the Master shall die or be removed before the end of his year, the Court of Assistants may elect a fit person to serve in the office for the remainder of the time that the deceased or removed Master ought to have served. And if any person so chosen shall refuse to accept the office or take the oath (having no reasonable impediment that may hinder him to), then he shall pay to the Company the sum of twenty pounds, unless on application to the Master, Wardens and Assistants they see fit to excuse him upon payment of a more moderate fine, to be by them imposed, not under ten pounds, to be paid to the Company. And the Master, Wardens and Assistants shall upon such a refusal elect another fit person instead of the person so refusing, for such time as the person so refusing was to have been Master; and until a new Master has been chosen who will take office and the oath, the same method of election shall be observed, and penalties incurred for refusal.
(6) The Master, Wardens and Assistants shall elect a Company member to be First or Upper Warden for one year next following; which person shall accept the office and take the oath for that purpose appointed; and shall continue for one whole year until a new Upper Warden is elected and shall bear an equal part with his Under Warden in the making of an election dinner for the Master, Wardens, Assistants and livery (this Company making to him and the Under Warden the same allowance which has usually been made to other Wardens upon the same occasion). And in case of death or removal of the Upper Warden, the Master, remaining Warden and Assistants may elect a fit person to serve in the office for the remainder of the time that the deceased or removed Upper Warden ought to have served. And if any person so chosen shall refuse to accept the office or take the oath (having no reasonable impediment that may hinder him to), then he shall pay to the Company the sum of twenty-four pounds,unless he served or fined for Upper Warden the preceding year, in which case he shall pay only six pounds. But if any person shall be chosen Upper Warden as aforesaid, who never served Upper Warden before, shall make application to the Court of Assistants, the Master, Wardens and Assistants may excuse him from serving the office upon payment of a more moderate fine, not under twelve pounds; And the Master, Wardens and Assistants shall upon such a refusal elect another fit person instead of the person so refusing, for such time as the person so refusing was to have been Upper Warden; and until a new Upper Warden has been chosen who will take office and the oath, the same method of election shall be observed, and penalties incurred for refusal.
(7) The Master, Wardens and Assistants shall elect a Company member to be Second or Under Warden for one year next following; which person shall accept the office and take the oath for that purpose appointed; and shall continue for one whole year until a new Under Warden is elected and shall bear an equal part with his Upper Warden in the making of an election dinner for the Master, Wardens, Assistants and livery (this Company making to him and the Upper Warden the same allowance which has usually been made to other Wardens upon the same occasion). And in case of death or removal of the Under Warden, the Master, remaining Warden and Assistants may elect a fit person to serve in the office for the remainder of the time that the deceased or removed Under Warden ought to have served. And if any person so chosen shall refuse to accept the office or take the oath (having no reasonable impediment that may hinder him to), then he shall pay to the Company the sum of twenty pounds,unless he served or fined for Under Warden the preceding year, in which case he shall pay only five pounds. But if any person shall be chosen Under Warden as aforesaid, who never served Under Warden before, shall make application to the Court of Assistants, the Master, Wardens and Assistants may excuse him from serving the office upon payment of a more moderate fine, not under ten pounds; And the Master, Wardens and Assistants shall upon such a refusal elect another fit person instead of the person so refusing, for such time as the person so refusing was to have been Upper Warden; and until a new Upper Warden has been chosen who will take office and the oath, the same method of election shall be observed, and penalties incurred for refusal.
(8) The Master, Wardens and Assistants may, at a Court of Assistants, may chose such members of the Company (who have paid their fines for not serving, or have served in the office of Renter Warden) as they think fit to be Assistants to the Master and Wardens; and that every person chosen shal, before they take office or sit in a Court of Assistants, take an oath before the Master, Wardens and Assistants. Every such person shall, after being sworn, pay ten shillings to the Clerk for administering the oath and registering his name, and pay five shillings to the Beadle.
(9) Within a convenient time following the election and oath taken by the new Master and Wardens, not exceeding two months, the last Master and Wardens shall give a true and just account in writing (unto such persons appointed by the then Master, Wardens and Assistants) of all jewels, plate, money, linen, charters, deeds, evidences, obligations, writings, books and papers, and all other Company goods and chattels come into his custody; and shall deliver them to the Master and Wardens, together with his keys and anything else belonging to the Company which were in his custody but not accounted for, upon pain of forfeiting to the Company the sum of one hundred pounds for every month that any such person shall neglect to account as aforesaid, or detain any of the premises after the time limited hereby over and above the full value of the same (such person having no just impediment for so doing). And the said accounts with the inventory shall immediately after the auditing and allowance be entered by the Clerk into a book for that purpose provided.
(10) The common seal of the Company, together with the jewels, goods, charters, writings, evidences and all other things belonging to the Company, shall remain in one or more chests that shall stand in the Hall, and to which there shall be three locks and keys, the custody of one of the said keys being of the Master, the custody of another being of the Upper Warden and the custody of the third being of the Under Warden, during their respective offices and until their accounts are audited. And if the Master or either Warden be sick or travel out of the city, or shall absent himself for fourteen consecutive days, then every such Master or Warden shall leave his key with an Assistant: upon pain to forfeit for every such default the sum of five pounds to the Company.
(11) No leases, demises, annuities, grants, gifts or bargains and sales, of any houses, lands, tenements or other things appertaining to the Company, nor an obligations, bills or specialties whatsoever, shall at any time be granted under the common seal of the Company unless the same be ordered by the Master, Wardens and Assistants, upon pain that the Master or Warden offending shall be disfranchised and pay to the Company, over and above the damage received by the Company for such their offence, the sum of one hundred pounds apiece.
(12) The Master, Wardens and Assistants may, at a Court of Assistants, elect and admit into the livery of the Company such persons free of the Company, as they think fit; and after election of anyone into the livery, the Master shall cause the Beadle to put on him so elected a livery gown; and that the Master shall put upon his shoulder a party-coloured hood; after which the Master and Wardens each in their order shall give to such person his and their hands, saying (viz.) Brother, you are admitted to the cloathing of this Company, or words to that effect; and that every person elected of the livery shall upon his admission aforesaid pay to the Company the sum of twenty pounds, and to the Clerk ten shillings, and to the Beadle five shillings; and if any such person elected into the cloathing shall refuse to accept thereof, having no reasonable cause, and to be so allowed by the Master, Wardens and Assistants, he shall pay to the Company the sum of forty pounds.
(13) All those of the livery shall, upon the Beadle's summons, meet at such a place and time as appointed by the Master and Wardens; and every person being duly summoned, and shall make default without a reasonable excuse, or shall depart without leave of the Master or Wardens, shall for every such default pay to the Company the sum of one shilling.
(14) Every year at a Court of Assistants the Master, Wardens and Assistants may elect and choose an honest liveryman of the Company to bear the title of Renter Warden for one year next ensuing, until another be chosen in his place; and in case of death or removal of any Renter Warden, the Master, Wardens and Assistants shall proceed to a new election of another Renter Warden. The person elected will accept the office and attend the Master and Warden upon their summons, and collect and receive all quarterage due from and payable to the Company by all members, and also all rents due to the Company, upon any lease or leases whatsoever, already made or hereafter to be made by the Company; and also within one month after another person being admitted to the office shall give to the Master, Wardens and Assistants a true account, in writing, of all money that he received and disbursements he made for the use of the Company during his time in office, and shall speedily pay what remains in his hands due upon the account, and deliver all books and papers relating to the Company; upon pain that every person offending against this Ordinance shall pay to the Master, Wardens and Commonalty five pounds for each month that he refuses to make such an account; and five pounds for every month's time after such account stated that monies due to the account remain unpaid, if he has no reasonable impediment or excuse for his failure.
(15) After the election of the Renter Warden, if the person so elected refuses to accept the office, having no reasonable impediment or excuse to do so, then such a person shall pay to the Master, Wardens and Commonalty the sum of fifty pounds. But if such a person makes application to the Court of Assistants, the Master, Wardens and Assistants may excuse him for a smaller sum of money, not under the sum of twenty-four pounds. And also every person who shall serve the office of Renter Warden shall every year upon the day of the Lord Mayor of London being sworn at Westminster, in the Common Hall, find and provide a sufficient dinner for the Master, Wardens, Assistants and livery of the Company. And if default be made, then every person making default shall forfeit and pay to the Master, Wardens and Commonalty the sum of fifty pounds.
(16) After the election of any person to be Renter Warden, and his accepting the office, and taking of the oath, then the Master and Wardens shall proceed to the election of an assistant Renter Warden, who is to be assistant upon all necessary occasions to the present Renter Warden, which said assistant Renter Warden the next year following (or sooner, if the present Renter Warden sould die or be removed) shall be elected for the succeeding year, if the Master, Wardens and Assistants think fit.
(17) The Master, Wardens and Assistants shall elect a fit person to be Clerk of the Company, for the entering and registering of all decrees, ordinances, acts, agreements, orders and things whatsoever, made or to be made in their Courts aforesaid, to do all other things pertinent to the office; which person so elected shall forthwith take the oath for that purpose appointed; and also the Master, Wardens and Assistants may upon just and reasonable cause remove such Clerk from his office, and elect another fit person for the execution thereof.
(18) The Master, Wardens and Assistants shall elect a fit person to be Beadle of the Company, to be attendant upon the The Master, Wardens and Assistants in Court and the Master and Wardens out of Court, when required; and also summon every Assistant to attend the Courts or other meetings appointed by the Master or Wardens; and also the Master, Wardens and Assistants may upon just and reasonable cause remove such Beadle from his office, and elect another fit person for the execution thereof.
(19) The Master and Wardens shall elect yearly such persons to attend the Master, Wardens, Assistant and livery as whifflers or ushers in any servcies to which they shall be appointed, at such times and manner as appointed by the Master or Wardens, upon pain that every person refusing to attend as aforesaid shall pay to the Master, Wardens and Commonalty the sum of ten shillings.
(20) Every Company member shall contribute his proportion of all charges, sums of money and taxes which shall at any time be charged upon the Company, or shall be expended for the welfare and good estate of the Company; which proportionable part shall be assessed and imposed upon him by the Master, Wardens and Assistants; and that every person who shall refuse or delay to pay his share of the money shall pay to the Master, Wardens and Commonalty a fine not exceeding five pounds, over and above any so much money as shall be assessed as aforesaid for any of the uses aforesaid, as the Master, Wardens and Assistants think fit.
(21) None of the Company members shall at any time revile, abuse or defame the Master, Wardens and Assistants, or any other member of the Company, but shall at all times well demean themselves and be of good behaviour and civil conversation in word and deeds. And if any person of the Court of Assistants or Common Council shall infringe this ordinance, he shall be liable to be expelled as an Assistant or one of the Common Council; and after such expulsion shall not be capable of being chosen again, until he shall pay to the Master and Wardens a fine not exceeding five pounds; and also upon pain that every Company member offending against this ordinance shall forfeit and pay to the Master, Wardens and Commonalty a fine not exceeding twenty shillings.
(22) If any member of the Court of Assistants or the livery, when commanded to attend in his gown and hood, shall be disobedient to the Master, Wardens and Assistants, or shall hold any private meeting, or give counsel or confederate with any persons to resist or oppose the Master, Wardens and Assistants, or shall do anything that may prejudice the Company or tend to the breach of any of the aforesaid lawful constitutions and ordinances, Then every person so offending shall pay to the Master, Wardens, Assistants and Commonalty a fine not exceeding five pounds.
(23) If the Master, Wardens and Assistants, or any of them, or any other Company member, shall reveal, disclose or make known any of the lawful secrets, conferences or consultations of the Company, to the discredit, damage or prejudice of the Company or any of the governors, officers or members thereof, That any person so offending shall be excluded from the Court of Assistants or Common Council until he has paid a fine not exceeding five pounds. And every other member so offending shall pay to the Master, Wardens, Assistants and Commonalty a fine not exceeding forty shillings.
(24) When any differences shall arise between Company members for copyright or anything relating to printing, book selling or book binding, That before any suit be commenced, they shall first apply to the Master, Wardens and Assistants, and give true information of the ground and occasion of such difference or controversy; which said Master, Wardens and Assistants are authorised to hear all parties concerned, and to use their utmost endeavours to compose such difference without the trouble and charge of going to Law; upon pain that every member that shall for any of the causes aforementioned commence any suits, without application made aforesaid, shall pay to the Master, Wardens, Assistants and Commonalty the sum of ten pounds.
(25) Whereas since the making of the Act of Parliament intitled 'An Act for preventing the frequent abuses in Printing Seditious, Treasonable and Unlicensed Books and Pamphlets, and for regulating of Printing and Printing-presses', several Company members have erected presses contrary to the said Act, and have printed several seditious, treasonable, schismatical, scandalous and unlicensed books and pamphlets, to the great scandal of the Company and the government thereof: For the future prevention thereof, no Company member shall hereafter erect or cause to be erected any presses for printing, or any printing-house; nor shall knowingly demise, let or use any house, vault or cellar for a printing-house, unless they give notice to the Master and Wardens of the erecting of such presses or printing-houses, upon pain of forfeiting the sum of ten pounds for every offence committed contrary to this ordinance, and forty shillings a day during every day that the same shall continue to be paid to the Master, Wardens, Assistants and Commonalty to the use of the poor of the Company.
(26) No Company member shall henceforth erect, or cause or suffer to be erected any private presses commonly called a 'Presses in a hole', nor countenance or contribute towards the erecting of any such private presses, or shall knowingly furnish or supply any private presses with paper or any other printing materials, or contribute towards the same, or pay or contribute towards the payment of any wages, salary or hire for the working of such private presses, or towards the payment of any rent for any house where such private presses shall be erected and set up, or conceal any such private presses, houses or names of persons erecting or contributing towards erecting, furnishing, supplying, working at or preparing work for any such private presses, or shall knowingly buy, barter or contract any impression of any books, or knowingly bind, stitch, publish, disperse etc. any book or pamphlet imprinted in such private presses, upon pain that every member in any of the said cases offending shall be liable to be disfranchised for such offence, or to pay to the Master, Wardens, Assistants and Commonalty a reasonable fine not exceeding fifty pounds. And for better discovery of such private printing presses, every person that shall discover such a private printing press to the Master and Wardens shall have the sum of five pounds, or what more the Master or Wardens think fit, as a reward for his service, to be paid to him out of the common stock of the Company, aand shall be allowed out of their accounts.
(27) No Company member or members shall employ to work at the case or press, or otherwise about his printing, any journeyman printer, freeman or foreigner, or any other person, that has offended in any of the cases mentioned in the last two beforementioned ordinances, for the space of three months next after due proof thereof made, either by confession or otherwise to the Court of Assistants, and notice thereof given to the several master-printers of the Company, without licence from the Master or Wardens first obtained; upon pain that every member so offending shall pay to the Master, Wardens, Assistants and Commonalty the sum of ten shillings for every month that he shall employ such an offender aforesaid.
(28) No Company member shall knowingly permit his apprentice or apprentices, or covenant servants, to work at any press, any matter or thing prohibited by the said Act, and the aforementioned two ordinances: And that if any such master printer shall discover or know that any of his apprentices or covenant servants shall offend in any of the said cases, That any such master printer shall cause such apprentices or covenant servants to be brought to the Chamberlain of the City of London for the time being, and make complaint of all their offences, to the end that such offenders may be punished according to ancient custom of the City, upon pain that every master printer not effectively putting in execution this ordinance, or faintly prosecuting the same, shall pay to the Master, Wardens, Assistants and Commonalty the sum of forty shillings.
(29) No master printer, or other printer or workman, being a Company member, shall teach any person other than his own legitimate son, the art of printing, who is not actually bound as an apprentice to some lawful authorised printer; Upon pain that every person so offending shall pay to the Master, Wardens, Assistants and Commonalty the sum of five pounds.
(30) No Company members shall erect, cause ot be erected or contribute to the erecting or setting up of any printing presses for any new printing-house, or shall supply or furnish the same with any printing materials until the now legal master printers and their printing-houses be reduced according to the direction of the said Act, upon pain of forfeiting the sum of fifty pounds for every such offence, and twenty pounds a month for every month that the same shall continue, to be paid to the Master, Wardens, Assistants and Commonalty.
(31) If any journeyman printer, or other person, being a Company member, shall work at any private illegal press, and not discover the same within two days after such working, to the Master and Wardens; or shall knowingly work upon the printing of any seditious or scandalous book, pamphlet or paper, or any other book imprinted wrongfully and without leave or assignment of the lawful owner, the sole printing belonging to the Company or to any other person; or shall knowingly bind, stitch or sow together any such books, That then such journeyman printer, or other person aforesaid or their widows, shall not in any wise be admitted a pensioner to the Company.
(32) No person, being a Company member (except his Majesty's printers, or their assigns, who pretend an interest in the statutes and abridgement of statutes by grant from the King), shall at any time print or cause to be printed the statute books or common law-books hereinafter named; 'Poultons Statute', 'Coke upon Littleton', 'Cokes Entries or Report', or any other law-books whatsoever, whereunto Edward Atkins Esq. or his assigns, by virtue of letters patents to him granted, upon pain that every Company member (except the King's Printers and their assigns aforesaid) offending in the premises shall pay to the Master, Wardens, Assistants and Commonalty, for every impression of the said books beforenamed, or of any other law-books granted in the said patent to the said Edward Atkins, printed contrary to the meaning of this order, the sum of two hundred pounds, in trust for the said Edward Atkins.
(33) [A resume of the by-laws relating to unlicenced printing, as read at the administering of the Freeman's Oath]
Following (33) are recited the oaths of the Master, Wardens, Freemen, Clerk, Beadle, Partners and Assistants.
Witnessed and signed by Heneage Lord Finch, Lord High Chancellor of England, Sir Richard Rainsford, Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench and Sir Francis North, Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas.
