Old and New London, A Narrative of its History, its People and its Places. Illustrated with Numerous Engravings from the Most Authentic Sources. vol I
Thornbury, Walter
1872-78
Cheapside Shows And Pageants.
Cheapside Shows And Pageants.
We do not hear much in the old chronicles of tournaments and shivered spears in , but of gorgeous pageants much. On coronation days, and days when our kings rode from the Tower to , or from Castle Baynard. eastward, blossomed at once with flags and banners, rich tapestry hung from every window, and the very gutters ran with wine, so loyal and generous were the citizens of those early days. Costume was bright and splendid in the Middle Ages, and heraldry kept alive the habit of contrasting and mingling colours. Citizens were wealthy, and, moreover, lavish of their wealth. | |
In these processions and pageants, was always the very centre of the show. There velvets and silks trailed; there jewels shone; there spearheads and axe-heads glittered; there breastplates and steel caps gleamed; there proud horses fretted; there bells clashed; there the mob clamoured; there proud, warlike, and beautiful face; showed, uncapped and unveiled, to the seething, jostling people; rand there mayor and aldermen grew hottest, bowed most, and puffed out with fullest dignity. | |
In order to celebrate the birth of the heir of England (the Black Prince, ), a great tournament was proclaimed in London. Philippa and all the female nobility were invited to be present. knights were engaged on each side, and the tournament was held in , between and ; the highway was covered with sand, to prevent the horses' feet from slipping, and a grand temporary wooden tower was erected, for the accommodation of the Queen and her ladies. But scarcely had this fair company entered the tower, when the scaffolding suddenly gave way, and all present fell to the ground with the Queen. Though no was injured, all were terribly frightened, and great confusion ensued. | |
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When the young king saw the peril of his wife, he flew into a tempest of rage, and vowed that the careless carpenters who had constructed the building should instantly be put to death. Whether he would thus far have stretched the prerogative of an English sovereign can never be known (says Miss trickland), for his angelic partner, scarcely recovered from the terror of her fall, threw herself on her knees before the incensed king, and so effectually pleaded for the pardon of the poor men, that Edward became pacified, and forgave them. | |
When the young princess, Anne of Bohemia, the wife of the royal prodigal, Richard II., entered London, a castle with towers was erected at the upper end of . On the wooden battlements stood fair maidens, who blew gold leaf on the King, Queen, and retinue, so that the air seemed filled with golden butterflies. This pretty device was much admired. The maidens also threw showers of counterfeit gold coins before the horses' feet of the royal cavalcade, while the sides of the tower ran fountains of red wine. | |
On the great occasion when this same Anne, who had by this time supped full of troubles, and by whose entreaties the proud, reckless young king, who had, as it were, excommunicated the City and now forgave it, came again into Chepe, red and white wine poured in fountains from a tower opposite the Great Conduit. The King and Queen were served from golden cups, and at the same place an angel flew down in a cloud, and presented costly golden circlets to Richard and his young wife. | |
days before the opening of Parliament, in , Katherine of Valois, widow of Henry V., entered the city in a chair of state, with her child sitting on her knee. When they arrived at the west door of , the Duke Protector lifted the infant king from his chair and set him on his feet, and, with the Duke of Exeter, led him between them up the stairs going into the choir; then, having knelt at the altar for a time, the child was borne into the churchyard, there set upon a fair courser, and so conveyed through to his own manor of . | |
Time went on, and the weak young king married the, fair amazon of France, the revengeful and resolute [extra_illustrations.1.316.1] . At the marriage pageant maidens acted, at the conduit, a play representing the wise and foolish virgins. Years after, the corpse of the same king passed along the same street; but no huzzas, no rejoicing now. .It was on the day after the restoration of Edward IV., when people dared not speak above a breath of what might be happening in the Tower, that the corpse of Henry VI. was borne through to , barefaced, on a bier, so that all might see it, though it was surrounded by more brown bills and glaives than torches. | |
By-and-by, after the fierce retribution of Bosworth, came the Tudors, culminating and ending with Elizabeth. | |
As [extra_illustrations.1.316.2] (Henry VII.'s consort) went from the Tower to to be crowned, the citizens hung velvets and cloth of gold from the windows in Chepe, and stationed children, dressed like angels, to sing praises to the Queen as she passed by. When the Queen's corpse was conveyed from the Tower, where she died, in were stationed virgins, the number corresponding with the Queen's age, all dressed in white, wearing chaplets of white and green, and bearing lighted tapers. | |
As [extra_illustrations.1.316.3] [extra_illustrations.1.316.4] , during her short felicity, proceeded from the Tower to , on the eve of her coronation, the conduit of ran, at end white wine, and at the other red. At Cross stood all the aldermen, from amongst whom advanced Master Walter, the City Recorder, who presented the Queen with a purse, containing a of gold, which she very thankfully accepted, with many goodly words. At the Little Conduit of was a rich pageant, full of melody and song, where Pallas, Venus, and Juno gave the Queen an apple of gold, divided into compartments, typifying wisdom, riches, and felicity. | |
When Queen Elizabeth, young, happy and regal, proceeded through the City the day before her coronation, as she passed through , she smiled; and being asked the reason, she replied, When she came to the grand allegory of Time and Truth, at the Little Conduit, in , she asked, who an old man was that sat with his scythe and hour-glass. She was told
she repeated;
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In this pageant she spied that Truth held a Bible, in English, ready for presentation to her; and she bade Sir John Perrot (the knight nearest to her, who held up her canopy, and a kinsman, afterwards beheaded) to step forward and receive it for her; but she was informed such was not the regular manner of presentation, for it was to be let down into her chariot by a silken string. She therefore told Sir John Perrot to stay; and at the proper crisis, some verses being recited by Truth, the book descended, All the houses in were dressed with banners and streamers, and the richest carpets, stuffs, and cloth of gold tapestried the streets. At the upper end of Chepe, the Recorder presented the Queen from the City, with a handsome crimson satin purse, containing a in gold, which she most graciously pocketed. There were trumpeters at the Standard in Chepe, and the City waits stood at the porch of , . The City companies stretched in rows from to the Little Conduit in Chepe, behind rails, which were hung with cloth. | |
On an occasion when James I. and his wife visited the City, at the Conduit, , there was a grand display of tapestry, gold cloth, and silks; and before the structure
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[extra_illustrations.1.317.1] , that pretty, wilful queen of Charles I., accompanied by the Duke of Buckingham and Bassompierre, the French ambassador, went to what the latter calls , to view the Lord Mayor's procession. She also came to a masquerade at the Temple, in the costume of a City lady. Mistress Bassett, the great lace-woman of , went foremost of the Court party at the Temple carnival, and led the Queen by the hand. | |
But what are royal processions to the Lord Mayor's Show? | |
The earliest civic show on record, writes Mr. Fairholt, who made a specialty of this subject, took place in , on the passage of Henry III. and Eleanor of Provence through the City to . They were escorted by the mayor, aldermen, and mounted citizens, apparelled in robes of embroidered silk, and each carrying in their hands a cup of gold or silver, in token of the privilege claimed by the City for the lord mayor to officiate as chief butler at the king's coronation. On the return of Edward I. from the Holy Land the citizens, in the wildness of their loyalty, threw, it is said, handfuls of gold and silver out of window to the crowd. It was on the return of the same king from his Scotch victories that the earliest known City pageant took place. Each guild had its show. The Fishmongers had gilt salmon and sturgeon, drawn by horses, and -and- knights riding sea-horses, followed by St. Magnus (it was St. Magnus' day), with horsemen. | |
Mr. Fairholt proved from papers still preserved by the Grocers' Company that water processions took place at least years earlier than the usual date () set down for their commencement. Sir John Norman is mentioned by the City poet as the Lord Mayor that rowed to . He had silver oars, and so delighted the London watermen that they wrote a ballad about him, of which lines only still exist--
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In the troublous reign of Henry VI. the Goldsmiths made a special stand for their privileges on Lord Mayor's day. They complained loudly that they had always ridden with the mayor to and back, and that on their return to Chepe they sit on horseback The guilds submitted to the Lord Mayor's arbitration, whereupon the Mayor ruled, that the Goldsmiths should retain possession of their ancient stand. | |
The Lord Mayor's pageant described by the old chroniclers is that when Anne Boleyn Hall expressly says that the water procession on that occasion resermbled. that of Lord Mayor's Day. The Mayor's barge, covered with red cloth (blue except at royal ceremonies), was' garnished with goodly banners and streamers, and the sides hung with emblazoned targets. In the barge were barges, filled with the various companies, followed, marshalled and kept in order. by light wherries with officers. Before the Mayor's barge came another barge, full of ordnance and containing a huge dragon (emblematic of the Rouge Dragon in the Tudor arms), which vomited wild fire; and round about it stood terrible monsters and savages, also vomiting fire, discharging squibs, and making By the side of the Mayor's barge was | |
318 | the bachelors' barge, in which were trumpeters and other musicians. The decks of the Mayor's barge, and the sail-yards, and top-castles were hung with flags and rich cloth of gold and silver. At the head and stern were great banners, with the royal arms in beaten gold. The sides of the barge were hung with flags and banners of the Haberdashers' and Merchant Adventurers' Companies (the Lord Mayor, Sir Stephen Peacock, was a haberdasher). On the outside of the barge shone dozen illuminated royal escutcheons. On the left hand of this barge came another boat, in which was a pageant. A white falcon, crowned, stood upon a mount, on a golden rock, environed with white and red roses (Anne Boleyn's device), |
and about the mount sat virgins, The Mayor's company, the Haberdashers, came , then the Mercers, then the Grocers, and so on, the barges being garnished with banners and hung with arras and rich carpets. In - the water procession was very costly, and of gunpowder were burned. This is the show of which a detailed account exists, and it is to be found recorded in the books of the Ironmongers' Company. | |
A curious and exact description of a Lord Mayor's procession in Elizabeth's reign, written by William Smith, a London haberdasher in , is still extant. The day after Simon and Jude the Mayor went by water to , attended | |
319 320 | by the barges of all the companies, duly marshalled and hung with emblazoned shields. On their return they landed at , where they took horse, The road was cleared by beadles and men dressed as devils, and wild men, whose clubs discharged squibs. came great standards, bearing the arms of the City and of the Lord Mayor's company; then drums, a flute, and an ensign of the City, followed by or poor men, by , in blue gowns with red sleeves, each bearing a pike and a target, with the arms of the Lord Mayor's company. These were succeeded by more banners, a set of hautboys playing; after these came wyfflers, or clearers of the way, in velvet coats and gold chains, and with white staves in their hands. After the pageant itself paced trumpeters, more wyfflers to clear the way, and after them the bachelors-, , or --of the Lord Mayor's company, in long gowns, with crimson satin hoods. These bachelors were to wait on the Mayor. Then followed more trumpeters and the drums and flutes of the City, an ensign of the Mayor's company, the City waits in blue gowns, red sleeves, and silver chains; then the honourable livery, in long robes, each with his hood, half black, half red, on his left shoulder. After them came sheriffs' officers and Mayor's officers, the common serjeant, and the chamberlain. Before the Mayor went the swordbearer in his cap of honour, the sword, in a sheath set with pearls, in his right hand; while on his left came the common cryer, with the great gilt club and a mace on his shoulder. The Mayor wore a long scarlet gown, with black velvet hood and rich gold collar about his neck; and with him rode that fallen dignitary, the ex-Mayor. Then followed all the aldermen, in scarlet gowns and black velvet tippets, those that had been mayors wearing gold chains. The sheriffs came last of all, in scarlet gowns and gold chains. About persons sat down to dinner at Guildhall-a feast which cost the Mayor and the sheriffs , whereof the Mayor disbursed . Immediately after dinner they went to evening prayer at , the poor men aforementioned carrying torches and targets. The dinner still continues to be eaten, but the service at , as interfering with digestion, was abandoned after the Great Fire. In the evening farewell speeches were made to the Lord Mayor by allegorical personages, and painted posts were set up at his door. |
of the most gorgeous Lord Mayor's shows was that of (James I.) devised by Anthony Munday, of the great band of Shakesperean dramatists, who wrote plays in partnership with Drayton. The drawings for the pageant are still in the possession of the Fishmongers' Company. The new mayor was John Leman, a member of that body (knighted during his mayoralty). The pageant represented a buss, or Dutch fishing-boat, on wheels. The fishermen in it were busy drawing up nets full of live fish and throwing them to the people. On the mast and at the head of the boat were the insignia of the company-St. Peter's keys and arms supporting a crown. The pageant was a gigantic crowned dolphin, ridden by Arion. The pageant was the king of the Moors riding on a golden leopard, and scattering gold and silver freely round him. He was attended by tributary kings in gilt armour on horseback, each carrying a dart and gold and silver ingots. his pageant was in honour of the Fishmongers' brethren,the Goldsmiths. The pageant was the usual pictorial pun on the Lord Mayor's name and crest. The car bore a large lemon-tree full of golden fruit, with a pelican in her nest feeding her young (proper). At the top of the tree sat children, representing the senses. The boys were dressed as women, each with her emblemeeing, by an eagle; Hearing, by a hart; Touch, by a spider; Tasting, by an ape; and Smelling, by a dog. The pageant was Sir William Walworth's bower, which was hung with the shields of all lord mayors who had been Fishmongers. Upon a tomb within the bower was laid the effigy in knightly armour of Sir William, the slayer of Wat Tyler. mounted knights attended the car, and a mounted man-at-arms bore Wat Tyler's head upon a dagger. In attendance were trumpeters and halberdiers, arrayed in light blue silk, emblazoned with the Fishmongers' arms on the breast and Walworth's on the back. Then followed an angel with golden wings and crown, riding on horseback, who, on the Lord Mayor's approach, with a golden rod awoke Sir William from his long sleep, and the then became speakers in the interlude. | |
The great central pageant was a triumphal car drawn by mermen and mermaids. In the highest place at a guardian angel defending the crown of Richard II., who sat just below her. Under the king sat female personifications of the royal virtues, Truth, Virtue, Honour, Temperance, Fortitude, Zeal, Equity, Conscience, beating down reason and Mutiny, the last being enacted In a seat corresponding with the king's sat Justice, and below her Authority, Law, Vigilance, Peace, Plenty, and Discipline. | |
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Shirley, the dramatist (Charles I.) has described the Show in his (). Clod, a sturdy countryman, exclaims, In , Shirley has again repeated this humorous and graphic description of the land and water pageants of the good citizens of the day; he has, however, abridged the general detail, and added some degree of indelicacy to his satire. He alludes to the wild men that cleared the way, and their fireworks, in these words:
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Pepys, always curious, always chatty, has, of course, several notices of Lord Mayors' shows; for instance:--
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In was the title of Jordan's pageant for Sir Robert Hanson, of the Grocers' Company. The Mayor, just against Bow Church, was saluted by pageants; on the side stages were placed griffins (the supporters of the Grocers' arms), upon which were seated negroes, Victory and Gladness attending; while in the centre or principal stage behind reigned Apollo, surrounded by Fame, Peace, Justice, Aurora, Flora, and Ceres. The god addressed the Mayor in a very high-flown strain of compliment, saying- Next was displayed a wilderness, with moors planting and labouring, attended by pipers and several kitchen musicians that played upon tongs, gridirons, keys, Above all, upon a mound, sat America, who delivered a lengthy speech, which concluded the exhibition for that day. | |
In the pageant in , which dignified Sir Thomas Davies' accession as Lord Mayor, was in which sat a fierce Tamburlain, of terrible aspect and morose disposition, who was, however, very civil and complimentary upon the present occasion. He was attended by Discipline, bearing the king's banner, Conduct that of the Mayor, Courage that of the City, while Victory displayed the flag of the Drapers' Company. The lions of the Drapers' arms drew the car, led by The pageant was in which the goddess sat with Prosperity, Gladness, Peace, Plenty, Honour, and Riches. A lamb stood in front, on which rode a boy, The pageant was a kind of full of shepherds and others preparing cloth, dancing, tumbling, and curvetting, being intended to represent confusion. | |
In the show of giants, Gogmagog and Corineus, feet high (whose ancestors were probably destroyed in the Great Fire), appeared in chariots, Their predecessors are spoken of by Marston, the dramatist, Stow, and Bishop Corbet. In (says Mr. Fairholt) the present giants were carved by Richard Saunders. In Alderman Lucas exhibited wickerwork copies of Gog and Magog, feet high, their faces on a level with the -floor windows of , and these monstrosities delighted the crowd. | |
In (William III.) Sir William Gore, mercer, being Lord Mayor, displayed at his pageant the famous of the Mercers' Company. It was drawn by white horses, ridden by allegorical personages- representing the quarters of the world, the other the retinue of Fame--and all sounding remorselessly on silver trumpets. pages, & c., attended the horses, while lictors in silver helmets and attendants cleared a way for the procession. The royal virgin in the chariot was attended by Truth and Mercy, besides kettle-drummers and trumpeters. The quaintest thing was that at the banquet the virgin, surrounded by all her ladies and pages, dined in state at a separate table. | |
The last Lord Mayor's pageant of the old school was in (Queen Anne), when Sir Samuel Dashwood, vintner, entertained her Majesty at the . Poor Elkanah Settle (Pope's butt) wrote the , in hopes to revive a festival then On his return from , the Mayor was met at the Black. friars Stairs by St. Martin, patron of the Vintners, in rich armour and riding a white steed. The generous saint was attended by dancing satyrs, with tambourines; halberdiers, with rustic music; and Roman lictors. At St. | |
323 | Paul's Churchyard the saint made a stand, and, drawing his sword, cut off half his crimson scarf, and gave it to some beggars and cripples who importuned him for charity. The pageants were fanciful enough, and poor Settle must have cudgelled his dull brains well for it. The was an Indian galleon crowded by. Bacchanals wreathed with vines. On the deck of the'grape-hung yessel sat Bacchus himself, The pageant was the chariot of Ariadne, drawn by panthers. Then came St. Martin, as a bishop in a temple, and next followed an eightarched structure, with termini of satyrs and ornamented with vines. Within was a bar, with a beautiful person keeping it, with drawers (waiters), and gentlemen sitting drinking round a tavern table. On seeing the Lord Mayor, the bar-keeper called to the drawers-
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In , the year of the reign of King [extra_illustrations.1.323.1] , the king, queen, and royal family having received a humble invitation from the City to dine at , their Majesties, the Princess Royal, and her Royal Highness the [extra_illustrations.1.323.2] , came into about o'clock in the afternoon, attended by the great officers of the court and a numerous train of the nobility and gentry in their'coaches, the streets being lined from by the militia of London, and the balconies adorned with tapestry. Their Majesties and the princesses saw the Lord Mayor's procession from a balcony near Bow Church. Hogarth has introduced a later royal visitor-Frederick, Prince of Wales--in a balcony, hung with tapestry, in his (plate xii.). A train-band man in the crowd is firing off a musket to express his delight. | |
Sir Samuel Fludyer, Lord Mayor of London in the year , the year of the marriage of good King George III., appears to have done things with thoroughness.. In a contemiporary chronicle we find a very sprightly narrative of Sir Samuel's Lord Mayor's show, in which the king and queen, with participatedtheir Majesties, indeed, not getting home from the ball until in the morning. Our sight-seer was an early riser. He found the morning foggy, as is common to this day in London about the gth of November, but soon the fog cleared away, and the day was brilliantly fine--an exception, he notes, to what had already, in his titme become proverbial that the Lord Mayor's day is almost invariably a bad . He took boat on the Thames, that he--might accompany the procession of state barges on their way to . He reports as being quite covered with boats and gilded barges. The barge of the Skinners' Company was distinguished by the outlandish dresses of strange-spotted skins and painted hides worn by the rowers. The barge belonging to the Stationers' Company, after having passed through of the narrow arches of , and tacked about to do honour to the Lord Mayor's landing, touched at and took on board, from the archbishop's palace, a hamper of claret--the annual tribute of theology to learning. The tipple must have been good, for our chronicler tells us that it was He did not care to witness the familiar ceremony of swearing in the Lord Mayor in Hall, but made the best of his way to the , where it was the custom of the Lord Mayor to land on the conclusion of the aquatic portion of the pageant. There he found some of the City companies already landed, and drawn up in order in , between rows of the train-bands, Other of the companies were wiser in their generation; they did not land prematurely to cool their heels in , while the royal procession was passing along , but remained on board their barges regaling themselves comfortably. The Lord Mayor encountered good Samaritans in'the shape of the master and benchers of the Temple, who invited him to come on shore and lunch with them in the Temple Hall. | |
Every house from to was crowded from top to bottom, and many had scaffoldings besides; carpets and rich hangings were hung out on the fronts all the way along; and our friend notes that the citizens were not mercenary, but
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The royal procession, which set out from at noon, did not get to . until near , when in the short November day it must have been getting dark. Our sight-seer, as the royal family passed his window, counted between and coaches-and- belonging to then and to their attendants, besides those | |
324 | of the foreign ambassadors, officers of state, and the principal nobility. There preceded their Majesties the Duke of Cumberland, Princess Amelia, the Duke of York, in a new state coach the Princes William Henry and Frederic, the Princess Dowager of Wales, and the Princesses Augusta and Caroline in coach, preceded by footmen with black caps, followed by guards and a grand retinue. The king and queen were in separate coaches, and had separate retinues. Our friend in the window of the was in luck's way. From a booth at the eastern end of the churchyard the children of Hospital paid their respects to their Majesties, the senior scholar of the grammar school reciting a lengthy and loyal address, after which the boys chanted At last the royal family got to the house of Mr. Barclay, the Quaker, from the balcony of which, hung with crimson silk damask, they were to see, with what daylight remained, the civic procession that presently followed; but in the interval came Mr. Pitt, in his chariot, accompanied by Earl-Temple. The great commoner was then in the zenith of his popularity, and our sight-seer narrates how,
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The Lord Mayor's state coach was drawn by beautiful iron-grey horses, gorgeously caparisoned, and the companies made a grand appearance. Even a century ago, howeveri degeneracy had set in. Our sight-seer complains that the Armourers' and Braziers', the Skinners' and Fishmongers' Companies were the only companies that had anything like the pageantry exhibited of old on the occasion. The Armourers sported an archer riding erect in his car, having his bow in his left hand, and his quiver and arrows hanging behind his left shoulder; also a man in complete armour. The Skinners were distinguished by of their company being dressed in fur, having their skins painted in the form of Indian princes. The pageant of the Fishmongers consisted of a statue of St. Peter finely gilt, a dolphin, mermaids, and a couple of seahorses; all which duly passed before Georgius Rex as he leaned over the balcony with his Charlotte by his side. | |
Our chronicler understood well the strategic movements indispensable to the zealous sight-seer. As soon as the Lord Mayor's procession had passed him, he and got to the in advance of the Lord Mayor. He had procured a ticket for the banquet through the interest of a friend, who | |
325 326 | was of the committee for managing the entertainment, and also a It is explained that this was a kind of nickname given to the common councilmen, on account of their wearing mazarine blue silk gowns. He learned that the doors of the hall had been opened at in the morning for the admission of ladies into the galleries, who were the friends of the committee men, and who got the best places; and subsequently at for the general reception of all who had a right to come in. What a terrible spell of waiting those fortunate unfortunates comprising, the earliest batch must have had!. The galleries presented a very brilliant show, and among the company below were all the officers of state, the principal nobility, and the foreign ambassadors. The Lord Mayor arrived at half-past , and the sheriffs went straight to Mr. Barclay's to conduct the royal family to the hall . The passage from the hall-gate to steps leading to the King's Bench was lined by mazarines with candles in their hands, by aldermen in their red gowns, and gentlemen pensioners with their axes in their hands. At the bottom of the steps stood the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress, with the entertainment committee, to receive the members of the royal family as theyarrived. The princes and princesses; as they successively came in, waited in the body of the hall until their Majesties' entrance. On their arrival being announced, the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress, as the chronicler puts it, advanced to the great door of the hall; and at their Majesties' entrance, the Lord Mayor presented the City sword, which being returned, he carried before the King, the Queen following, with the Lady Mayoress behind her. The King, at all events, was more than almost. animated; he volubly praised the splendour of the scene, and was very gracious to the Lord Mayor on the way to the council chamber, followed by the royal family and the reception committee. This room reached, the Recorder. delivered the inevitable addresses, and the wives and daughters of the aldermen were presented. These ladies had the honour of being saluted by his Majesty, and of kissing the Queen's hand, then the sheriffs were knighted, as also was the brother of the Lord Mayor. [extra_illustrations.1.326.1] |
After half an hour's stay in the council chamber, the royal party returned into the hall, and weere conducted to the upper end of it, called the hustings, where a table was provided for them, at which they sat by themselves. There had been, it seems, a knotty little, question of etiquette. The ladiesin-waiting on the Queen had claimed the right of custom to dine at the same table with her Majesty, but this was disallowed; so they dined at the table of the Lady Mayoress in the King's Bench. The royal table and. a superb canopy was placed over their Majesties' heads at the upper end. For the Lord Mayor, aldermen, and their ladies, there was a table on the lower hustings. The privy councillors, ministers of state, and great nobles dined at a table on the right of this; the foreign ministers at on the left. For the mazarines and the general company there were tables laid out in the.body of the hall, while the judges, serjeants, aid other legal celebrities, dined in the old council chamber, and the attendants of the distinguished visitors were regaled in the Court of Common Pleas. | |
George and his consort must have got up a fine appetite between noon and o'clock, the hour at which the dinner was served. The aldermen on the committee acted as waiters at the royal table. he Lord Mayor stood behind the King, in the same capacity, but soon after seats were taken they were graciously sent to their seats. The dinner consisted of courses, besides the dessert, and the purveyors were Messrs. Horton and Birch, the same house which in the present day supplies most of the civic banquets. The illustration which we give on the previous page is from an old print of the period representing this celebrated festival, and is interesting not merely on account of the scene which it depicts, but also as a view of at that period. | |
The bill of fare at the royal table on this occasion is extant, and as it is worth a little study on the part of modern epicures, we. give it here at full length for their benefit:--
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In all, not including the dessert, there were placed on the tables dishes, hot and cold. Wine was varied and copious. In the language of the chronicler, When the course was being laid on, the toasts began. The common crier, standing before the royal table, demanded silence, then proclaimed aloud that their Majesties drank to the health and prosperity of the Lord Mayor, aldermen, and common council of the City of London. Then the common crier, in the name of the civic dignitaries, gave the toast of health, long life, and prosperity to their most gracious Majesties. After dinner there was no tarrying over the wine-cup. The royal party retired at once to the council chamber, What became of the rest of the company is not mentioned, but clearly the could have been no place for them. That was summarily occupied by an army of carpenters. The tables were struck and carried out. The hustings, where the great folks had dined, and the floor of which had been covered with rich carpeting, was covered afresh, and the whole hall rapidly got ready for the ball, with which the festivities were to conclude. On the return of their majesties, and as soon as they were seated under the canopy, the ball was opened by the Duke of York and the Lady Mayoress. It does not appear that the royal couple took the floor, but
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About midnight Georgius Rex, beginning probably to get sleepy with all this derangement of his ordinarily methodical way of living, signified his desire to take his departure; but things are not always possible even when kings are in question. Such was the hurry and confusion outside-at least that is the reason assigned by the chronicler-that there was great delay in fetching up the royal carriages to the door. Our own impression is that the coachmen were all drunk, not excepting the state coachman himself. Their Majesties waited half an hour before their coach could be brought up, and perhaps, after all the interchange of civilities, went away in a tantrum at the end. It is clear the Princess Dowager of Wales did, for she waited some time in the temporary passage, There was no procession on the return from the City. The royal people'trundled home as they best might, and according as their carriages came to hand. But we are told that on the return journey, past midnight as it was, the crowd in some places was quite as great as it had been in the daytime, and that Mr. Pitt was vociferously cheered all the way to his own door. The King and Queen did not get home to St. James's till o'clock in the morning, and it is a confirmation of the suggestion that the coachman must have been drunk, that in turning under the gate of the glasses of their coach was broken by the roof of the sentry-box. As for the festive people left behind in the , they kept the ball up till o'clock, and we are told that Indeed, Sir Samuel Fludyer's Lord Mayor's day appears to have been a triumphant success. His Majesty himself, we are told, was pleased to declare The foreign ministers in general expressed their wonder, and of them politely said in French, that this entertainment was only fit for king to give to another. | |
of the Barclays has left a pleasant account of this visit of George III. to the. City to see the Lord Mayor's Show:-- says the lady, (the canopy, it is to be presumed)
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says Dr. Doran,
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The most important feature of the modern show, says Mr. Fairholt very truly, is the splendidly carved and gilt coach in which the Lord Mayor rides; and the paintings that decorate it may be considered as the relics of the ancient pageants that gave us the living representatives of the virtues and attributes of the chief magistrate here delineated. Cipriani was the artist who executed this series of paintings, in ; and they exhibit upon the panel of the right door, Fame presenting the Mayor to the genius of the City; on the left door, the same genius, attended by Britannia, who points with her spear to a shield, inscribed On each side of the doors are painted Truth, with her mirror; Temperance, holding a bridle; Justice, and Fortitude. The front panel exhibits Faith and Hope, pointing to ; the back panel Charity, female figures, typical of Plenty and Riches; casting money and fruits into her lapwhile a wrecked sailor and sinking ship fill up the background. By the kind permission of the Lord Mayor we are enabled to give a representation of the ponderous old vehicle, which is still the centre of attraction every . | |
The carved work of the coach is elaborate and beautiful, consisting of Cupids supporting the City arms, & c. The roof was formerly ornamented in the centre with carved work, representing boys supporting baskets of fruit, & c. These were damaged by coming into collision with an archway leading into Hall, about years ago; some of the figures were knocked off, and the group was entirely removed in consequence. This splendid coach was paid for by a subscription of from each of the junior aldermen, and such as had not passed the civic chair-its total cost being Subsequently each alderman, when sworn into office, contributed that sum to keep it in repair; for which purpose, also, each Lord Mayor gave £ioo, which was allowed to him in case the cost of the repairs during his mayoralty rendered it requisite, This arrangement was not, however, complied with for many years; after which the whole expense fell upon the Lord Mayor, and in year it exceeded . This outlay being considered an unjust tax upon the mayor for the time being, the amount over £ioo was repaid to him, and the coach became the property of the corporation, the expenses ever since being paid by the Committee for General Purposes. Even so early as years after its construction it was found necessary to repair the coach at an expense of ; and the average expense of the repairs during years of the present century is said to have been as much as . Hone justly observes,
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Of a later show gives a pleasant account. he says,
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The men in armour were from time immemorial important features in the show, and the subjects of many a jest. Hogarth introduces them in of his series, and has cast many a missile at those disconsolate warriors, who all but perished under their weight of armour, degenerate race that we are! | |
The suits of burnished mail, though generally understood to be kindly lent for the occasion by the custodian of the Tower armoury, seem now and then to have been borrowed from the playhouse, possibly for the reason that the imitation accoutrements were more showy and superb than the real. | |
This was at any rate the case (says Mr. Dutton Cook) in , when Sir Claudius Hunter was Lord Mayor, and Mr. Elliston was manager of the . A melodramatic play was in preparation, and for this special object the manager had provided, at some considerable outlay, magnificent suits of brass and steel armour of the century, expressly manufactured for him by Mr. Marriott of . No expense had been spared in rendering this harness as complete and splendid as could be. Forthwith Sir Claudius applied to Elliston for the loan of the new armour to enhance the glories of the civic pageant. The request was acceded to with the proviso that the suit of steel could only be lent in the event of the ensuing proving free from damp and fog. No such condition, however, was annexed to the loan of the brass armour; and it was understood that Mr. John Kemble had kindly undertaken to furnish the helmets of the knights with costly plumes, and personally to superintend the arrangement of these decorations. Altogether, it would seem that the mayor stood much indebted to the managers, who, willing to oblige, yet felt that their courtesywas deserving of some sort of public recognition. At least this was Elliston's view of the matter, who read with chagrin sundry newspaper paragraphs, announcing that at the approaching inauguration of Sir Claudius some of the royal armour from the Tower would be exhibited, but ignoring altogether the loan of the matchless suits of steel and brass from the . The manager was mortified; he could be generous, but he knew the worth of an advertisement. He expostulated with the future mayor. Sir Claudius replied that he did not desire to conceal the transaction, but rather than it should go forth to the world that so high a functionary as an alderman of London had made a request to a theatrical manager, he thought it advisable to inform the public that Mr. Elliston had offered the use of his property for the procession of the . This was hardly a fair way of stating the case, but at length the following paragraph, drawn up by Elliston, was agreed upon for publication in the newspapers:-- It would seem also, according to another authority, that the wearers of the armour were members of the Surrey company. | |
On the Elliston was absent from London, but he received from left--in charge of his interests a particular account of the proceedings of the day:-- | |
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This was bad enough, but in addition to this the narrator makes further revelation of the behind-the-scenes secrets of a civic pageant years ago. On the arrival of the procession it was found that no accommodation had been arranged for nor were any refreshments proffered them. At length the compassion, or perhaps the sense of humour, of certain of the diners was moved by the forlorn situation of the knights in armour, and bumpers of wine were tendered them. The man in steel discreetly declined this hospitable offer, alleging that after so long a fast he feared the wine would affect him injuriously. It was whispered that his harness imprisoned him so completely that eating and drinking were alike im- | |
[extra_illustrations.1.330.1] |
practicable to him. His comrade in brass made light of these objections, gladly took the proffered cup into his gauntleted hands, and as though he had been of the famous knights of Branksome Tower. It was soon apparent that the man in brass was intoxicated. He became obstreperous; he began to reel and stumble, accoutred as he was, to the hazard of his own bones and to the great dismay of bystanders. It was felt that his fall might entail disaster upon many. Attempts were made to remove him, when he assumed a pugilistic attitude, and resolutely declined to quit the hall. Nor was it possible to enlist against him t e ser. vices of his brother warrior. The man in steel sided with the man in brass, and the heroes thus formed a powerful coalition, which was only overcome at last by the onset of numbers. The scene altogether was of a most scandalous, if comical, description. It was some time past midnight when Mr. Marriot, the armourer, arrived at , and at length succeeded in releasing the half-dead warriors from their coats of mail. |
After all, these famous suits of armour never returned to the wardrobe of the , or gleamed upon its stage. From they were taken to Mr. Marriott's workshop. This, with all its contents, was accidentally consumed by fire. But the armourer's trade had taught him chivalry. At his own expense, although he had lost some by the fire, he provided Elliston with new suits of armour in lieu of those | |
331 | that had been destroyed. To his outlay the Lord Mayor and the City authorities contributednothing! although but for the procession of the the armour had never been in peril. |
The most splendid sight that ever glorified mediaeval was the Midsummer Marching Watch, a grand City display, the description of which makes even the, brown pages of old Stow glow with light and colour, seeming to rouse in the old London chronicler recollections of his youth. | |
says Stow,
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Footnotes: [extra_illustrations.1.316.1] Margaret of Anjou [extra_illustrations.1.316.2] Elizabeth of York [extra_illustrations.1.316.3] Anne Boleyn [extra_illustrations.1.316.4] Anne Boleyn's Autograph [extra_illustrations.1.317.1] Henrietta Maria [extra_illustrations.1.323.1] George II. [extra_illustrations.1.323.2] Princess Carolina [extra_illustrations.1.326.1] Costume of Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress [extra_illustrations.1.330.1] Lord Mayor's Coachman |