The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-11-07 00:00:00

QUAINT CIVIC CUSTOM.

In London, on Saturday (Oct. 31), in accordance
with an ancient custom observed annually, the Solici-
tors to the Corporation of the City of London (Mr. T.
J. Nelson), and the Secondary of London ('Mr. De
Jersey), accompanied by Mr. Beard, one of the Under-
Sheriffs in the now expiring mayoralty, appeared be-
fore the Queen's Remembrancer to account as to rent
services due to the Crown and to be rendered on behalf
of the Corporation.
The ceremony is not only quaint in itself, but
hardly intelligible at the resell, day. It consists
simply of the presentation and filing of certain war-
rants in relation to the rent services referred to.
These the Secondary el London reds, and then, in
conformity with usage, requests fat they be filed and
recorded, which the Queen's Ilemembrancer orders to
be done accordingly. Then follows the quaintest part
of the ceremony of all. Solemn proclamation is first '
made by an officer of the Queen's Remembancer in
these words :—"Tenants and occupiers of a piece of
wage Enoitud called "rho Moors,' in the county of '
Salop, come forth and do your service." Upon that,
as the representative of the Corporation, the City
Solicitor, in conformity with a time-honoured custom,
cut "one fagot with a hatchet and another with a bill- I
hook."
That feat accomplished, a second proclamation was
made as follows ' Tenants and occupiers of a certain
tenement called 'the Forge,' in the parioh of Saint
Clement Danes, in the county of Middlesex, come
forth and do your service." Thereupon, in due form, ,
the City Solicitor counted "six horse shoes and sixty. '
one nails," the Queen's Remembrancer saying as he
did so, according to custom, "Good number."
With that the ceremony, which has been observed I
annually from time immemorial, terminated, and the I
gentlemen present took their leave.

In connection with the above, The Tithes publishes the
following letter :
Sir' —A few words upon the paragraph may be of
Borne little interest to certaiu of your readers who take
a delight in such old world matters. The contributor
of the account of the quaint old quit rent services ren-
dered to the Crown n Saturday last, at the Queen's
Remembruncer's Office in Chancery-lane, is in error
when he speaks of this ceremony dating "from time
immemorial," as the dates at which both grants of land
were made are perfectly well known. On he Great
Roll of the Exchequer of the 19th year of Henry 111.
appears an entry to the effectthat one Walter le Brun,
farrier at the Strand, in Middlesex, was to have a
piece of ground in the parish of Saint 'Clement to place
a forge there; he xendering yearly at the Exchequer
six horse oboes and 61 nails for it.
„ „ .

-„.
The plot of ground called "the Moors," in the
county of Salop, for which Mr. City Solicitor did
service by chopping through one small bundle of sticks
with a billhook and another with a hatchet, was
granted to Nicholas de Mora, in the 25th year of Henry
111., with this condition as rental—viz., " reddit ad
Scaccarium 2 cultellos, unum bonum et alterum
pessimum," wherewith to divide two faggots. How
the good and very bad knives became exchanged tor a
hatchet and a billhook I have not been able to trace.
In process of time both these plots of ground came
into the possession of the Corporation of London, who
still, after the lapse of more than six centuries from
the date of the original grant, continue to render these
quaint quit rentals annually to the Crown.
Some few years ago it was proposed that, if the
Crown consented to forego these rentals, the Corpora-
tion of London should cease to render them; but the
citizens elected to stand by the ancient custom of
annually paying them, although all traceof the where-
abouts of each parcel of land has long since been lost.
—I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
Itionasn HAWKINS.
Queen's Remembrancer's Office, 58, Chancery-lane, Nov. 2.