What are the "ancient liberties" of the City of London?
score:16
Here's a lengthy recent paper entitled "Liberties and Customs of the City of London – Are There any Left?", that seems to answer the question in great detail and with lots of citations:
http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ilr/article/download/28685/17142
The core points:
in exchange for frequent loans and gifts of money, the City would often receive specific Crown privileges not given to their fellow countrymen.
more specifically:
The liberties granted to the City in charters from various sovereigns (see Appendix) as well as those arising from custom, fit into certain general categories. They may be summarised as follows:
- Taxes and Tolls. The City obtained exemption from various taxes (scot and lot, danegeld) as well as fines (murdrum, childwite, jeresgive, scotale, miskenning). It also gained the right to pay the same tallage and aids as other citizens as well as an exemption from tolls and a maximum sum for amercements;
- Judicial Rights. The City obtained the right to be tried by their own courts, that is, ‘within the walls’. Also, freedom from ‘wager by battle’ as well as the rights of infangthef, outfangthef, escheat, waifs, estrays and treasure trove. Also, certain legal rights distinct from the common law in respect of: lands, promises, debts, wills as well as orphans, apprentices, feme sole, hostlers and defamatory words. The mayor and aldermen obtained the right to be justices of the peace (JP’s) and the mayor, a justice of goal delivery and of oyer and terminer;
- War and Billeting. The City obtained exemption from being compelled to provide troops for war outside the City and to be free of billeting;
- Officials. The City obtained the right to appoint a mayor, sheriffs, chamberlain, common clerk and common sarjeant. Provision was also made for the annual election of aldermen;
- Offices of the Mayor. The mayor obtained the offices of : escheator, bailiff of the Thames, admiral of the port of London, clerk of the market, keeper of the great beam, gauger of merchandise, outroper, coroner, registrar of pawns, custodian of Bedlam, assistant to the butler at the coronation and lord lieutenant;
- Merchants and Markets. The City obtained the right to impose various restrictions on merchants as well as brokers. Also, the right to have: their own clerk of the market, courts of piepowder, market overt and freedom for purveyance. Further, the ability to impose: charges on the weighing, carriage, survey (ie. inspection) and the measurement of goods and coals;
- Miscellaneous. The City obtained the right to bear maces of gold and silver. Also, confirmation of their hunting rights.
Interestingly,
This article argues that - in modern times - we need modern law. Law that is understandable to laymen as well as lawyers. It also argues that all these charters granted to the City of London are palpably obsolete and should be cancelled.
Upvote:7
The following paper is a pretty detailed treatment:
Liberties and Customs of the Port of London
Note that the spiritual precursor to the Magna Carta was the Charter of Liberties issued by Henry.
Anciently, the City of London and Five Ports were supposed to be free from duty and this supposedly was given by charters from Edward the Confessor. However, no charter to London from Edward is extant. The known and recorded rights chartered to London are roughly as follows (all provisions pertain to the citizens of London):
(1) confirmation of rights unknown granted by Edward [William the Conqueror]
(2) children shall inherit their father's estate [William the Conqueror]
(3) the crown will protect scions from being suborned [William the Conqueror]
(4) citizens collectively may rent Middlesex for 300 pounds [William the Conqueror]
(5) right to appoint their own sheriffs [William the Conqueror]
(6) children shall inherit their father's estate [William the Conqueror]
(7) the crown will protect scions from being suborned [William the Conqueror]
(8) citizens collectively may rent Middlesex for 300 pounds [Henry Beauclerc]
(9) right to appoint their own sheriffs [Henry Beauclerc]
(10) right to appoint their own justices of the peace [Henry Beauclerc]
(11) all pleadings of the crown will be the right of the such justices [Henry Beauclerc]
(12) no justices will be appointed to London other than their own [Henry Beauclerc]
(13) to be free from the tax of Scot and lot [Henry Beauclerc]
(14) to be free from the tax of the Dane gold [Henry Beauclerc]
(15) localities within the city are to be free from murder fines [Henry Curtmantle]
(16) to be exempt from conscription [Henry Curtmantle]
(17) to be immune from counter-suits against the crown [Henry Curtmantle]
(18) no forces of the crown are to be quartered involuntary [Henry Curtmantle]
(19) to be free from all personal property taxes [Henry Curtmantle]
(20) to be exempt from tolls of passage throughout England [Henry Curtmantle]
(21) to be exempt from all lading charges throughout England [Henry Curtmantle]
(22) to be exempt from all import duties throughout England [Henry Curtmantle]
(23) all hostelry taxes locally charged shall not be interfered with [Henry Curtmantle]
(24) no fine shall exceed 100 shillings [Henry Curtmantle]
(25) no pleading shall have its venue changed [Henry Curtmantle]
(26) the courts must be in session at least one day a week on Monday [Henry Curtmantle]
(27) no creditors shall have their debts interfered with [Henry Curtmantle]
(28) private property shall not be sequestered [Henry Curtmantle]
(29) if any citizen illegally tolled anywhere in England, then the citizen may recover the amount lost from the borough in question [Henry Curtmantle]
(30) all debts must be paid in the city [Henry Curtmantle]
(31) that if a debtor to a citizen takes refuge outside the city, then the creditor may recover the amount of the debt from the borough harboring the welcher [Henry Curtmantle]
(32) the citizens will retain their traditional hunting grounds in Middlesex, St. Albans and Surrey [Henry Curtmantle]
(33) immunity from domestic counter suits brought outside city, with the exception of agents of the crown [Henry Curtmantle]
(34) If anyone takes a toll of a citizen who is unable to recover it otherwise, then the toll taker, if coming to London, may have their goods or money seized to answer the claim [Henry Curtmantle]
(35) immunity from having to pay child support to a bondmaid
(36) freedom from any taxes or charges for taking an office [Henry Curtmantle]
(37) no alehouse of the crown or the king's men shall require subscriptions [Henry Curtmantle]
(38) no dams shall be placed on the Thames [Richard the Lionhearted]
(39) no taxes shall be collected in the name of a dam on the Thames [Richard the Lionhearted]
(40) London shall have power over all the sheriffs of Middlesex and the city at large for 300 pounds per year [John Lackland]
(41) any sheriff accused of crime shall only be tried before citizens of the city and a justice of the city treasury [John Lackland]
(42) there shall be no dams in either the Thames or the Medway [John Lackland]
(43) anyone putting up a dam in the Thames or the Medway shall be fined 10 pounds [John Lackland]
(44) all the money formerly exacted by the Tower of London as dam money shall be rebated to the city [John Lackland]
(45) the barons of the city shall be empowered to choose the mayor [John Lackland]
(46) the offical posts of the city shall be under its own control with the exception of the Chamberlain, who may be appointed by the king [John Lackland]
(47) the guild of weavers shall be banned from the city in lieu of the payment of 20 marks to the crown (where formerly the guild paid 18) [John Lackland]
More post
- 📝 What was the name of Delhi during the period of Akbar ruling in parts of India?
- 📝 Did anything come from Sparta, besides fitness and war?
- 📝 Why did the German Military and Police not intervene during the years of NSDAP ascend?
- 📝 What was character of Chmielnitski's rise?
- 📝 What is the origin of these assertions about The Palaces of Qin shih Huang?
- 📝 UK Tories vs Whigs in the 19th century: broad political classification?
- 📝 Why didn't Delhi became part of Pakistan?
- 📝 Why was the year 1816 so incredibly cold?
- 📝 How many people lived in the Mexican territories annexed by the US?
- 📝 Were communists opposed to Jews in France?
- 📝 Was it worthwhile for Britain to side with the USA in the Canada-Alaska border dispute?
- 📝 What other one word responses have been made to military ultimatums besides "Nuts!", "Mokusatsu" and "If"?
- 📝 Why was January put around 450 BC as the first month?
- 📝 Did Portuguese fisherman visit New England prior to 1492?
- 📝 Who stood for the Roman consulship in absentia?
- 📝 Did George McGovern publicly support Jimmy Carter in 1976?
- 📝 Was the interior of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople ever covered with mosaic icons?
- 📝 How did Tenures Abolition Act of 1660 change feudalism in England?
- 📝 How do kings secure their treasury?
- 📝 Why was the bald eagle chosen as the national bird of the United States?
- 📝 How long did it take biologists to adopt the theory of evolution?
- 📝 Why is this column in Pompeii constructed in two parts?
- 📝 Is it true that Newton ordered the hanging of counterfeiters?
- 📝 Why did Russia give up its claims to the Oregon Country?
- 📝 Is this excerpt from an AI-generated answer re Portugal in WWII based on any real events?
- 📝 During the Siege of Alesia, why were certain Roman forts located outside the circumvallation lines?
- 📝 Who was the Kilroy?
- 📝 What were the incentives for war during the Warring States Period?
- 📝 How to cite sources in a way thats translateable
- 📝 What did the Japanese military do to maintain their fighting edge during the Edo era/Bakufu (1603-1868)?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What are the "ancient liberties" of the City of London?
- 📝 What are the factors that caused the new world civilizations to be less technologically advanced than the old world?
- 📝 Are there any documented examples of wooden ships which were in active service for 100 years or more? If not, what is the longest?
- 📝 What are the text and subtext of this 1949 Soviet cartoon?
- 📝 What are some Chinese sources testifying the extreme weather events of 535-536 CE?
- 📝 Who are the three men standing and what are they holding at this University of Paris Doctors' Meeting?
- 📝 What was the relatively most populous city in history?
- 📝 What is the London Enemies List 1775?
- 📝 What are the primary sources for the Mongol sack of Baghdad?
- 📝 What are the hay effigies in this Japanese movie?
- 📝 What are all fantastic creatures on The Nile mosaic of Palestrina?
- 📝 What are the most comprehensive historical references for ancient India?
- 📝 What (primary) sources are there on the life of female slaves in Classical Greece, more specifically Athens?
- 📝 What are the origins of Pakistani laws on "blasphemy?"
- 📝 What are the problems archaeologists face in deciphering the Indus Valley writing?
- 📝 What are those X in top of the flag?
- 📝 What are the reasons of the ethnical fragmentation of the Caucasus?
- 📝 What are the origins of sizing a squad in modern foot drill?
- 📝 What are the main reasons historians give for the Soviet Union's collapse?
- 📝 What are the historical reasons for the conventional map orientation?
- 📝 What are the historical reasons for religious and political negative attitudes towards h*m*sexuality?
- 📝 What are the origins of knife and fork language etiquette?
- 📝 What are the tabs/spaces for in the Beowulf text
- 📝 What are the social preconditions for division of labour, when compared in different emerging civilizations?
- 📝 What are the counterarguments to calling German nazism a right-wing movement?
- 📝 What are the French gains after the American Revolutionary War
- 📝 What are the dates of these panoramas of Paris?
- 📝 What are these hats and the function of those wearing them (worn by the Russian imperial army at Borodino)?
- 📝 What are the occurences of total war in the Native Americans?
- 📝 What Are the Dynamics of A "Forced March?"