AN ANCIENT CUSTOM.
Yesterday (says the Times of the Bfch December), in accordance with a very ancient civic custom, presents of black livery cloth of the finest material, each yards long, were forwarded on the part of the Corporation of London to the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice, the Master of the Rolls, the Lord Chamberlain, the Yice-Chamber-lain, the Lord Steward, the Treasurer and Comptroller of the Household, the Home Secretary, the Foreign Secretary, the Attorney-General, the SolicitorGeneral, the Recorder, the Town Clerk, and the Common Serjeant. The origin
of is thus explained :—ln the party periods of i our history the retainer- of great lords wearing their livferiea were so numerous as to be dangerous both to the King, and the laws. The disorders arising from them re* quired all the vigor of the King and the Legislature to restrain, and many: statutesextending from 1377 to 1504 were .passed for that purpose. An exception was introduced in the prohibition in favor of guilds and fraternities and men of the mysteries of cities- and boroughs. This probably gave rise to the “ liverymen ” of the various companies, and is supposed to be the origin * of this gift of “ livery cloth/’ as it-is . called.
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Bibliographic details
Kumara Times, Issue 1363, 12 February 1881, Page 2
Word Count
203AN ANCIENT CUSTOM. Kumara Times, Issue 1363, 12 February 1881, Page 2
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