Part 15

1632. The fabric of old St. Paul’s being in a lamentable state of decay, the celebrated Archbishop Laud wrote a letter to the Barber-Surgeons asking a contribution towards its repair. Ever ready to assist in good works, the Company cheerfully devoted a very considerable sum towards that object, notwithstanding the comparative poverty to which they had been reduced (in consequence of the grievous impositions made upon them by the authorities in the shape of forced loans and other unconstitutional demands). Moreover, they recorded their benefaction, in a delightfully expressed minute, which will be found at the end of the following letter.

9th April, 1632. The letter written by William Lord Bishopp of London and directed to this Court concerneing our contribuc͠on towardꝭ the repaire of St Paulls Church in London being now much ruined was here in Court reade, the teno{r} whereof is as followeth, vidz{t}

To the right worp{ll} my very worthy ffreindꝭ the Maister Wardeins and Assistantꝭ of the Companie of Barbar surgions London, theis

S. in xp̃o.[117] After my verie hartie comendac͠ons, you cannot but take notice of his Ma{t}ꝭ most hon{ble} and pious intention for the Repaire of the decayes of S{t} Pawles Church here in London, being the Mother Church of this Citty and Diocess, and the greate Cathedrall of this Kingdome. A greate dishono{r} it is not onely to this Citty but to the whole State to see that Auncient and goodly Pyle of building soe decayed as it is, but it will be a farr greater if care should not be taken to prevent the fall of it into ruin, And it would be noe lesse disgrace to Religion happily established in this Kingdome, if it should have soe litle power over the mindes of men as not to prevaile with them to keepe those eminent places of Gods service in due and decent repaire which their fforefathers buylt in tymes by their owne confession not soe full of the knowledge of gods truth as this present age is. I am not ignorant how many worthy workes have bene done of late in and about this Citty towardꝭ the building and repayring of Churches which makes me hope that every mans purse will open to this greate and necessary worke (according to Gods blessinge upon him) soe much tending to the service of God and the hono{r} of this nation. The generall body of the Cittye have done verie worthily in their bounty allready as alsoe the lord Maio{r} Aldermen and Sheriffes severally for their owne pˀsons. Theis are therefore accordinge to their examples hartily to pray and desire you the Maister Wardeins and other Assistants of the worthy Company of Barbar Surgions to contribute out of y{e} publicke Stock, to the worke aforesaid what you out of y{r} Charitye and devotion shall thinke fitt, and to pay the Summe resolved on by you into the Chamber of London at or before our Lady Day next, praying you that I may receave by any servant of yo{r} Companye a note what the Summe is which you resolve to give. And for this Charity of yo{rs} whatsoever it shall prove to be, I shall not onely give you harty thankes, but be as ready to serve you and every of you, as you are to serve God and his Church. Soe not doubting of yo{r} love and forwardnes to this greate worke, I leave you to the grace of God, and shall soe rest

[117] Health in Christ.

Yo{r} very loving ffreind

GUIL: LONDON:

London house, January 30. 1632.

And thereupon this Court deepely considering the contentꝭ of that letter together with the pˀnte ruines and dilapidac͠ons of the said Church, and as faithfull and charitable members obliged largely to contribute to soe pious and religious a worke Doe nowe order that out of the stock and revenew of this house there shalbe paid into the Chamber of london towardꝭ the said repaire x{li} pˀntely and x{li} yearely for nine yeares followeing to make it upp compleate a C{li} as of the free guift of this house. And if att any tyme hereafter the worke doe cease that then our payementꝭ to cease likewise.

1633. This year the Company built a granary at the Hall, for the store of Corn.

12th July, 1633. A new set of By-Laws was framed and allowed by the proper authorities. These are extant on twelve great skins of parchment, more wordy and of greater length than those of 4th James I! They are, however, very similar to those, with technical alterations and amendments here and there, and provision is made for Lectures on Surgery, demonstrations of anatomy, and for the better Examination of Surgeons. Clause 19 provides that any freemen of the mystery who shall use any arts, trades or sciences other than Surgery “shall be accepted, reputed, adjudged and taken for Barbars.” Empirics and impostors were to be rigorously dealt with, and the Court was to have supervision over _all_ Navy Surgeons, their chests, medicines and instruments. No Barbers or Surgeons were to be impressed for the Navy without license of the Court, and numerous regulations were made for the government of the Company.

The document is signed by Richard Earl of Portland, Lord Treasurer; Sir Thomas Richardson and Sir Robert Heath, the Lords Chief Justices; the seals of the first two are still pendant, but that of Sir Robert Heath is missing.

1636. Spurred into further action for the advancement of the science of Surgery, which their extended powers under the new By-Laws had conferred upon them, the Company determined upon building a Theatre for the delivery of Lectures, and for anatomical purposes, etc. This they set about in 1636, employing the great Inigo Jones as their Architect, who about this period also designed and carried out the present beautiful Court Room or Parlour, one of the best proportioned and prettiest rooms in London.

11th February, 1636. Upon the moc͠on of o{r} M{r} to this Court concerneing the want of a publique Theater for Anatomycall exercises and Sceletons and a lesser roome for private discections, This Court doth order that if the M{rs} or Governo{rs} upon their petic͠on to the Lord Maio{r} and Aldrẽn they have the bullwarke & long stripp of ground lieing betwixt the gould smiths tenement & clothw: tenemtꝭ & london wall at the one end & the Companies hall & pˀlor & london wall at the other end, by purchase in fee farme or a long lease from the Cittie, that then a Theater to the largenes of the upper ground betwixt the goldsmithes tenem̃t & the clothworkers tenem{t} on the one side & london wall on the other side shalbe be ovally built for the Wor̃p[118] and comiditie of this Companie at the Charge of this house.

[118] Worship.

The piece of ground on which it was proposed to erect the Theatre was then on lease to the Company from the City. The Lease was dated 29th March, 7 Charles I (1631), and made between the Mayor, &c., of London, of the one part and the Masters, &c., of the Barber-Surgeons, of the other part. In consideration of £20 paid by the Company the City leased to them lwark and the houses Roomes and buildings therein or thereupon made or erected, And all that ground or garden plott with thappurtenñces scituat lyinge and beinge in the parish of St Olave in Silver Street in the Citie of London next unto the Wall of the same Citie there of the one side, and the landes of the saide Maisters or Governors and others on the other side late in the tenure or occupac͠on of the right honoro{ble} Henry late Lord Wyndsor deceased or of his assignes and now in the tenure or occupac͠on of the said Maisters,” etc., from the feast of the Annunciation, 1631, for forty-one years at a rent of £3. The lease contained the usual covenants of a repairing lease, as also one “that neither they the saide Masters or Governors their successors nor assigns shall or will att any time or times during the said Terme suffer any Inmate or Inmates to dwell in any part of the premises afore demised.”

5th May, 1636. There is an Indenture of Lease of this date made between the Mayor, &c., of London, and the Masters, &c., of the Barber-Surgeons, which after reciting the last mentioned lease proceeds: “And whereas the said Maisters or Governors of the Misterie and Comonaltie of Barbars and Surgians of London for the better enhableing of them in the Arte of Surgerie Doe intend to erect and build a decent Roome or Theatre on part of the premisses for the keeping therein A learned and constant Lecture in the Theorie and practiqʒ partꝭ of Surgerie As also to pˀforme their publique operac͠ons of Anatomies and other exercises thereunto belonging, Which will be verie chargeable to them Wherein the said Maior and Cominaltie and Citizens are desirous and willinge to aide and further the saide Maisters or Governors in the setting forward of soe necessarie and comendable a worke tendinge to the generall good of the whole kingdome,” wherefore the Mayor, &c., leased the said premises to the Company for a further term of 200 years upon the expiry of the lease then running, at the same rent of £3 per annum, the Lessees covenanting to build the Theatre within seven years.

16th May, 1636. Upon o{r} M{rs} report to this Court that the Lord Maio{r} & Aldrẽn have freely graunted to this house a new lease of CC yeares comenceing from the expirac͠on of o{r} lease now in being It is ordered with the generall consent of the whole Court here present that the Theater shalbe proceeded in and built according to the plotts drawne by his Ma{t}ꝭ Surveigher.

3rd August, 1636. It is ordered by this Court that the Companies Armes with Helmett Crest supporters and mantlings shalbe sett up in Portland Stone under the Cantilaver does of the Theater being over the Windowe next the Granarye.

Alsoe the mottoe viz{t.} SPECIOSUM HOC THEATRUM ANATOMICUM ERECTÑ FUIT MICHAELE ANDREWS CHIRURGO REGIO AC COMUNIONI BARBITONSOꝜ ET CHIRURGOꝜ Pˀ TEMPORE PRÆFECTO, GUARDIANIS VERO JOANNE WARDE NICOLAS HEATH ET WILHELMO HUCKLE ANNO AB EXHIBITO IN CARNE MESSIÆ SUPRA MILLESIMUM SEXCENTESIMUM TRIGESIMO SEXTO shalbe engraven in the voyde stone worke over the greate doore into the Theater.

A plan of the Theatre is preserved in a collection of the works of Inigo Jones, at Worcester College, Oxford, and a short description of it is found in Hatton’s New View of London, 1708. The curiosities in the Barber-Surgeons’ museum of those days will excite a smile when compared with the collection now at Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Hatton says that the Theatre was built in “an elliptical form, and commodiously fitted up with four degrees of seats of cedar wood, and adorned with the figures of the seven liberal sciences, and the twelve signs of the zodiac. Also containing the skeleton of an ostrich, put up by Dr. Hobbs, 1682, with a busto of King Charles I. Two humane skins on the wood frames, of a man and a woman, in imitation of Adam and Eve, put up in 1645; a mummy skull, given by Mr. Loveday, 1655. The sceleton of Atherton with copper joints (he was executed) given by Mr. Knowles in 1693. The figure of a man flead, where all the muscles appear in due place and proportion, done after the life. The sceletons of Cambery Bess and Country Tom (as they then call them), 1638; and three other sceletons of humane bodies.”

Hogarth has, in ghastly style depicted the dissection of a criminal in this Theatre, in which the skeletons above referred to are seen in niches in the wall.

The plan of the Company’s Estate, has been kindly supplied for this work by Mr. Charles John Shoppee, as surveyed by him in 1869, previous to the demolition of the old Livery Hall, Kitchen, etc. The Theatre had been pulled down in 1784, and houses erected on its site; the Theatre is, however, shewn upon this plan, as being more interesting than the houses which supplanted it. In 1636 the Company commenced the erection of the Livery Hall and present Court Room, the work being carried out from the designs and under the superintendence of the celebrated Inigo Jones, the Livery Hall was, however, burnt in 1666, and that shown upon the plan is the one which was erected after the Great Fire.

5th September, 1636. The Plague was again abroad in London, and the Court, for fear of infection by meeting together, resolved as follows:

In regard of the now greate visitac͠on of the plague This Court doth deferre the Courts for the daye of Rules the Vew daye & other publique Courts till it shall please God to cease the Sicknes.

23rd September, 1636. The Lord Mayor having requested the Company to nominate “twoe Surgians to take care of those that were infected with the plague in this Cittie & liberties,” the Court thought that two was a wholly insufficient number and nominated six Surgeons to be presented to the Court of Aldermen.

2nd October, 1636. £5 was ordered to be paid in to the Chamber of London towards the relief of the poor, stricken with the Plague.

30th March, 1637. The Company were assessed to pay £10 “ship money,” whereupon an order was made that they should forbear to pay it, and a Committee appointed to wait on the Court of Aldermen to petition against the assessment. The application was, however, unsuccessful, as by an Order of Court, 29th March, 1638, the money was directed to be paid.

8th November, 1638. The Court of Aldermen having assessed the Company to furnish 80 quarters of corn in lieu of 60 as heretofore provided, it was resolved to petition against it. This would be a very important matter to the Company as the assessments for all public purposes were made upon the City Companies _pro rata_ with their corn quarterages, and if the 80 quarters were allowed to stand, it would raise all the future assessments 33 per cent. The result however, of the protest does not appear in the minutes.

28th October, 1640. On receipt of a precept from the Lord Mayor, it was ordered that three barrels of Gunpowder should be bought and stored.

1640. The Company unwillingly agreed to lend the King £400, and were put to great inconvenience in raising the money, which was required by Charles for his campaign in Scotland.

After several skirmishes with the Scots, the English Army was at length disbanded, and the King went himself to Scotland to negotiate the difference which had arisen by his attempted interference in Church matters in that Kingdom; he returned to London in November, 1641, and the following minute refers to the preparations made by our Company to meet him.

22nd November, 1641. Upon reading the Lord Maiors precepts for the Companyes enterteyning the King upon his returne from Scotland It is ordered that the Ma{r} and Wardens, Mr. Serjeant Clowes, Mr. Richard Wateson, Mr. Woodall, Mr. Powell, Mr. Burgin, Mr. Heath, Mr. Henry Wateson, Mr. Bignall, Mr. Dye, Mr. Arris, Henry Boone, and Thomas Turner, shalbe attendant on Twesday next well mounted on Horseback in plush or Velvett with Chaines of Gold, and that John Perkins shall beare the Pendon with our Coate of Armes on Horseback and that these 18 ffree men shalbe Decently cladd in the Companyes Colours of White and Greene, each of them with a greene flatt Cap with a white Ribbon about it, a greene Cassock and Drawers of the same Stuffe Whiffler like laced with a white Lace a white ribaning and a greene Ribbin athwart theire Brests, and each of them a Truncheon in theire hands in the forenoone, and in the aftˀnoone each of them 2 Torches, and these 18 to attend perticulerly one of them to each of the Horsemen, viz{t.}

(Then follows a list of the freemen chosen.)

The “Riding out” on this occasion must have been a magnificent sight, if all of the Companies spent proportionately to the outlay of ours, which was no less than £39 17_s._ 10_d._ upon decorations, etc., for those taking part in the procession. Strype informs us that--

The Lord Mayor on horesback wearing a gown of crimson velvet & a collar of SS, and attended by his suite, rode in the front of the procession to meet the King. Then followed the Aldermen in scarlet gowns and the City council and chief officers in black gowns. Upon reaching Moorfields, there waited in a readiness to attend his Lordship and the service, about five hundred horsemen selected out of the Liveries of the several Companies, being Masters, Wardens, and prime men of each Company in velvet or plush coats and suits, with chains of gold, being well horsed and gallantly furnished, every Company having a horseman in the front carrying a pendant with that Company’s arms to which he did belong (for distinction sake), and a footman to attend each horseman of the Livery with truncheons and torches as before, both horsemen with the pendants and footmen being suited cap-a-pee with the Company’s colours on which they waited. There were also fourteen Trumpeters, with trumpets, banners and scarfs, who were placed two between every hundred of the horse, and four at the head of the troop. The procession moved on to Kingsland, where the Lord Mayor and Aldermen and the Companies awaited the Kings approach, while the Sheriffs attended by seventy-two men in Scarlet Cloaks trimmed with silver lace (the colours of the City) with javelins and feathers and four trumpeters, rode as far as Stamford Hill, and there met their Majesties and escorted them to Kingsland.

His Majesty was accompanied by the Queen, the Prince, the Duke of York, the Princess Mary and the Prince Elector Palatine, and after receiving an address, the Royal party joined the civic procession to London, entering it at Moorgate, and proceeded through London Wall, Bishopsgate Street, Cornhill and Cheapside, to the banquet at Guildhall, amidst the City Companies in their formalities and stands on each side of the streets, the City conduits running with a diversity of wines.

1643. The relations between the King and the City having become estranged in the fearful distractions of these times, Charles endeavoured to conciliate the citizens with a message, which was publicly read at Guildhall on the 13th January, and later on he sent a circular letter to the Masters of the several Companies requiring them to call their freemen and apprentices together, to read to them a copy of a letter which he had sent to the City on the 17th January. The Court of the Barber-Surgeons met on Tuesday, 24th inst., and cautiously record that they would have summoned their freemen for the next day, but that it was a fast day and that in the interim an order had come from the Committee of Safety that the letter, etc., should not be read.

24th January, 1643. The Kings Letter sent to the M{rs} & Wardens of this Company was read in Court and the printed Letter in it and the Cittyes Petic͠on and his Ma{ties} gracious answer unto it. And but that the morrow was fast day being the last Wednesday in this Moneth the ffreemen and apprentices of this Company could not be summoned to appeare then, it should have bin read. Soe that in the Interim an Order of Comand from the Lords and Comõns was directed to this Company to countermaund the said Letters in these words,

Die Martis 24{to} Januarii, 164-2/3. At the Comittee of Lords and Comõns for the safety of the Kingdome.

Whereas there are divers Letters pretended to be sent by his Ma{tie} to the M{rs} and Wardens of the severall Halls in the city of London with Two litle Bookes therein closed the one intituled The humble Petic͠on of the Maior, Aldermen and Comõns of the City of London to his Ma{tie.} And the other intituled his Ma{ties} Letter and declarac͠on to the Sheriffes and City of London Dated the 17{th} of January, which evidently tendeth to sedition and setting of the whole State in a Combustion. These are therefore strictly to charge & comand the M{rs} and Wardens of every Hall in the City to whome the said Letters and Bookes inclosed shalbe directed to forbeare to publish or open any of them till both the Houses of Parliament shall give further order therein. And the M{rs} and Wardens of every Hall are required to bring the said Letters with the Messengers thereof to this Comittee which they will take to be an Argument of theire good Affection to the Parliament

Pembroke Montgomery Bolingbroke Ed: Manchester W. Say & Seale Ed: Howard Jo: Evelin Jo: Pym Antho: Nicoll.

17th January, 1644. It is ordered that in respect of the greate troubles and distractions of these times there shalbe noe publique Anatomy this yeare dissected.

1644. The Company seem to have become greatly impoverished by the venture in Ireland, the rebuilding of their premises, and the forced loans to the King and the Parliament. In a certificate given by the Master and Wardens (5th September, 1644) to be produced in a suit in which they were defendants, they state that their debts are £3,000, and that they can get no return of any of the money lent for public purposes, or even the interest of it.

If the Stuarts acted in an unconstitutional manner in their oppressive demands upon the Companies, the Roundheads were as bad, with just this difference, that, with all their pretensions to purity, piety and high-mindedness, they did not hesitate to practise actual dishonesty in their _modus operandi_ of squeezing the Companies, as the following painful incident from our books testifies:--The Company had borrowed from Mr. Richard Wateson, one of the Assistants, £1,200 upon sealed bonds, for the express purpose of meeting the demands which had been made upon them by the King and Parliament from time to time. Mr. Wateson having been declared a “Papist and Delinquent,” his property was seized, and the Bonds of the Barber-Surgeons, found in his strong chest, were taken to the Committee for Gloucester and Hereford, sitting at Grocers’ Hall. These worthies, in conjunction with the Committee for Sequestrations, came down upon the Company and demanded payment of the £1,200 for which they had given their bonds to their brother, Mr. Wateson. The Court deeming this a monstrous piece of injustice, hesitated to comply, whereupon the Committees threatened to seize the Company’s entire estate; and then the Court resolved to petition Parliament, but the House not sitting for some time the petition could not be prosecuted, and the Committee being urgent, the Company most reluctantly agreed to pay down £400 and to have the bonds cancelled. Although these shameful terms were definitely agreed upon, the Committees a few days later broke faith, demanding £400 cash and the Company’s bond for another £100, to which the Company, like the lamb with the wolf at its throat, _nolens volens_, consented. The iniquity of this business was made apparent to the Committees, who were well aware that the Company had incurred the debt to Mr. Wateson in order to meet the previous rapacity of themselves, and yet they hesitated not to compel the Company to submit to a further fine of £500 for having complied with their demands in the past, besides manifesting the dishonesty proposed by them in offering to cancel the debt due by the Company to Mr. Wateson.