that William Jennifon, the elder, and forty-four perfons more, commonly called the hoast-men of the faid town of Newcastle upon Tyne, and brethren of the faid fraternity, and all others, which now are, or hereafter shall be elected, admitted, &c. into the faid guild, or fraternity, of the faid hoaft-men of Newcastle upon Tyne, hereafter, and shall, by one body corporate and po. litic, in law, fact, and name, by the name of governor and stewards, and brethren of the fraternity of the hoast-men in the town of Newcastle upon Tyne, &c. one body corporate and politic, really and at full, for us, our heirs and. fuccessors. We do erect, make, ordain, and create, &c. and that by the fame name, they may, and shall, have a perpetual fucceffion, and are, and shall be in perpetual times to come, persons able and in law capable, to have, purchase, receive, and possess lands, tenements liberties, &c. to them and their fuccessors, in perpetuity, and otherwise, and to give, grant, demife, &c. the fame lands, tenements, and hereditaments, and to do all other things by the name aforefaid, and that by the fame name, they may plead, or be impleaded, &c. in what court foever, &c.

And that the faid governor and stewards, and brethren of the hoaft-men of the town of Newcastle aforesaid, and their fuccessors, that feal at their pleasure, may break, alter, and make, as to them shall feem good. And the queen appointeth, that there be and fhall be for ever hereafter, of the number of the hoast-men, &c. which yearly upon the 4th of January, shall be chofen, &c. by the faid brethren of that fraternity, &c. to be governor, &c. And likewife there shall be for ever hereafter, two honest and difcreet men of the faid number of hoait-men, &c. who shall be the faid 4th of January, choten by the faid governor, steward, and brethren of the faid fraternity, &c. And that the queen's will in the premites, have a more excellent effect, the affigneth, nameth, and createth William Jennifon, the elder, to be the first and modern governor, &c. Moreover she hath affigned, named, conftituted, and appointed Francis Anderíon and John Barker to be the first and modern 'tewards of that fraternity, &c.

The queen urther grants to the faid governor, Rewards, and brethren of the faid fraternity of hoaft-men, &c. and to their fuccers, that the faid governor, stewards, and brethren, &c. and that fuccefors, &e shall have in every fit time, for ever hereafter, funp wer of mectior, in their guild-hall, or in any other place convenient within the faid town, and there to conftitute, make

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fuch laws, institutes, &c. which to the faid governor, stewards, and brethren, &c. good, wholesome, profitable, &c. according to as they shall think good, for the good rule and government of the governor, stewards, and brethren of the faid fraternity, and for declaration, by what means and order, they and their factors, fervants, and apprentices, in their office and businesses, concerning the faid fraternity, they shall have, carry and use, &c. and that the governor, ftewards, and brethren of that fraternity, &c. as often as they grant, make, ordain, or establish such laws, inftitutes, inform, and they may impose such pains, penalties, punishments, and imprisonments of body, or by fines, &c. upon all delinquents against such laws, inftitutes. &c. as to them shall be thought necessary and requifite, and as to them shall be thought beft for the obfervation of the faid laws, ordinances, &c. and the faid fines and amerciaments at their difcretions, they may levy, have and retain to them and their fucceffors, to the use of the governor, ftewards, and brethren aforesaid, without calumny, &c. all which, and fingular laws, ordinances, &c. the faid queen willeth to be observed; fo that the faid laws, ordinances, &c. be not repugnant to the laws or statutes of the kingdom of England.

And further, the queen granteth to the faid governor, stewards, and brethren, &c. and to their successors, that for ever hereafter, they and their fuccessors, &c. may have, and shall have full power, from time to time, at their pleasure, to chuse, name, and ordain other inhabitants and burgesses of the faid town, &c. to be, and shall be brethren of the faid fraternity, &c. who, fo elected, nominated and sworn, shall be named, and be brethren of that fraternity.

Moreover, the faid queen grants licence, power, and authority to the faid governor, stewards, and brethren, &c. and to their fucceffors, that they, for the time being, and their successors, and every of them for ever hereafter, may and shall quietly and peaceably have, hold, use, and enjoy all such liberties, privileges, &c. concerning the loading and unloading, shipping, or unshipping of ftone-coals, pit-coals, grind-ftones, rub-ftones, and whet-stones. And that they may for ever hereafter, load and unload, ship and unship, in or out of any ships or vessels, pit-coals, and ftones aforefaid, within the faid river and port of Tyne, in any place or places, as to them shall be expedient between the faid town of Newcastle, &c. and the aforesaid place, in the aforesaid river, called the Sparhawke, hawke, so nigh to the faid town of Newcastle, &c. as conveniently may be done, according to the intention of these letters patents, as the men and brethren of the faid fraternity, at any time have ufed and accustomed, notwithstanding the statute of king Henry VIII. the third of November, in the 21st year of his reign, and from thence adjourned to Westminster, holden, published, 1559. Intituled an act concerning Newcastle and the port, &c. to the same belonging, or any other act, &c. notwithstanding: Aad the faid queen also willeth, &c. for that express mention, &c. witness the queen, at Westminster, the 22d of March, in the 13th year of her reign.

December 21, 1603, a decree was made by the prefident and council of the north, upon fubmiffion to them, for the government of the town of Newcastle upon Tyne; which ordered, that, upon the ancient day of election, the twelve mysteries should present twenty-four, who should chuse four, the then mayor, and three other burgesses, who had been mayors and aldermen; and for want of which to chuse sheriff-peers, and for want of these last, common burgeffes; which four were to elect seven aldermen, and one that had been sheriff, in all twelve persons: and that as to the other twelve, called the twelve of the latter election, the twelve mysteries should each send one to be presented to the former electors, who were to chuse fix out of the faid twelve. And that the following, called by-trades, viz. masters-mariners, weavers, barbers, chirurgeons, with chandlers, cutlers, shipwrights, house-carpenters, masons, glovers, joiners, millers, curriers, with felt-makers, and armourers, colliers, with earriage-men, flaters, glaziers, with plumbers, and painters; in all, fourteen companies, should each send one and that twelve should be chosen out of this fourteen; out of which twelve, the former eighteen should take fix, making twentyfour

four in all, who were to elect the officers of the corporation. And also twenty-four others, with the mayor, aldermen, and sheriff, to make the commoncouncil; of whom the whole, or the greater number, whereof the mayor and fix aldermen were to be seven, should dispose of the revenues, leases, and offices, and that nothing should pass the common feal without their confent. This decree enjoined also, that the twenty four auditors should be allowed thirteen shillings and fourpence per day; that the mayor and recorder should be of the quorum in the gaoldelivery; and that every free-burgess should be admitted an hoastman, on payment of fifty-three shillings and fourpence; and a freeman's fon, or apprentice, for paying thirty-three shillings; and that the charters should be renewed accordingly.

March 31, 1604, king James I. granted a charter to the mayor and burgesses of Newcattle upon Tyne, which confirmed the mode of electing officers, as by the decree dated at York, December 21, 1603: with this difference, that the by-trades, now encreased one in number, should send fifteen perfons, who were to choose twelve burgesses, as by that decree. This charter further enjoined, that every act, ordinance, or constitution which had been made or agreed upon in guild, either by the mayor and burgesses, affembled to make up any writings, &c. concerning the poffeffions of the faid mayor and burgeffes; unless the fame were with the affent and confent, and in the presence of the mayor and common-council, or the greater part of them, whereof the mayor and fix aldermen were to be seven.

A. D. 1684, Charles II. demanded the charter of the corporation of Newcastle, along with those of all the

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the incorporated towns and cities of the kingdom; which was furrendered accordingly. A new charter was granted them by that prince, but he reserved to himself the power of placing such as he pleased in the magistracy; and accordingly, he displaced the mayor chofen by the corporation, and filled his room with Sir William Creach, a violent papist. A flattering address to the king was figned by him and other aldermen, who were papists; but was negatived by a majority of that body. This so offended James II. that, by a quo warranto, their charter was demanded again; when that prince, unworthy of a throne, abdicated the government, and the ever-memorable revolution took place.

Thus again (fays Mr. Brand) the corporation of Newcastle upon Tyne emancipated from the shackles of a government founded on principles of the most defpotic tyranny, recovered its ancient liberty in the choice of its own officers and magistrates, and immediately exercised that privilege by appointing a new fet of them.

By the above and other charters of less importance, we may fee how the immunities and privileges of the free burgefies of Newcastle have been obtained and fecured from a very remote period; previous to which the town appears to have been the property of the crown in the time of William Rufus, the fon of the conqueror; who, after he had finished the castle, gave the circumjacent lands to the neighbouring inhabitants, whom he invited to fettle here, and build and fortify a new or more extenfive town, which, it is faid, he first converted into a borough, and demised to its own burgesses at a certain annual fee farm.