Their are quarterly, and in the and , a leopard's head in the and , a covered cup, and in chief round buckles, the tongues fessewise, points to the dexter, all of the . . A demi-lady, her arms extended, , issuing out of clouds of the last, vested garnished , cuffed ar. round her neck a ruff of the last, in her dexter hand a pair of scales of the ; in her sinister hand a touchstone . unicorns or. horned, crined, and hoofed, .

Justitia virtutum regina.

The is of very remote institution, as already noticed, it having been fined as adulterine so early as the year ; yet it was not incorporated till , when Edward the , in consideration of the sum of , granted the members his letters patent, under the title of

The Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Goldsmiths,

This was evidently an extension of a statute made in the of Edward the , which empowered the warden to

assay gold and silver manufactures;

shall be of good and true alloy, and be marked.

In Fabian's Chronicle, under the of Henry the , , is the following relation of a violent affray between the goldsmiths' and taylors' companies.

In this liii. yere in ye moneth of November fyll a varyaunce atwene the felysshyppes of goldsmythes and taylloures of London, whiche grewe to makynge of parties, so that with the goldsmythes take partie the felysshep or craft ofand with the taylloures held ye craft of stayners;

Cordewayners M.S. of Fab. Chron. Brit. Mus.

by meane of this moche people nyghtly gaderyd in the stretes in harneys, and at length, as it were prouyded, the thirde nyght of the sayd parties mette vpon the nombre of V. C. men on both sydes, and ran togyder, with such vyolence that some were slayne, and many wonded. Then outcry was made, so that ye

shyreffes

, with strengthe of other comors, came to the ryddynge of theym, and of theym toke certayne persones, and sent theym vnto dyvers prysons: and upon the morrowe, such serche was made, yt the moste of the chief causers of that fray were taken and put in warde.- Then vpon the Fryday folowynge saynt Katteryns daye, sessyons were kepte at Newgate by the Mayre and Lawrence de Broke justice and other: where xxx. of the sayd persons were arregned of felony, and xiii. of theym caste and hanged: and for

one

Godfrey de Beuerley holpe to arme

one

of the sayde persones, he was also caste amonge the others.

Out of the company of goldsmiths once a year a is taken, consisting of persons who go up to the court; and there in the presence of the lords of the council, some pieces of every sort of money coined the foregoing year, and that had been taken out of the mint, is exactly assayed and weighed.

Goldsmith's.hall, is an extensive and handsome pile, standing in , on the site of a more ancient hall, which had been

Of this company was Nicholas Faringdon, mayor, ; from whom Farringdon ward took its name.

This wealthy community is governed by a prime, and other wardens, and a numerous court of assistants. Its revenues are very considerable; and its disbursements for charitable purposes, are stated to amount to more than annually: this sum is principally expended in the support of alms-houses and free-schools. Before the business of banking became a regular trade, about the middle of the century, and also for many years afterwards, the goldsmiths were the chief bankers, their general opulence occasioning them to be regarded as the most trustworthy of the various classes of tradesmen, that inhabited the city.

[] Crest and supporters granted 1571; whole confirmed 1634.

[] Another motto commonly used by the company was To God only be all glory.

[] Fabian p. 364. Ellis's ed. 1811.

[] Strype's Stow, ii. p. 184.