Aldermen of the City of London: Broad Street ward

BROAD STREET.

[This Ward was originally called Lothbury.]

Note A.—It is not quite clear when Wotton succeeded Framlyngham as Alderman of Broad Street, and I am not fully satisfied that he held the Aldermanry of that Ward, though it appears most probable that such was the case. The facts recorded in the Letter Books and Husting Rolls at Guildhall are as follows: Framlyngham is described as Alderman of Broad Street under dates December 24, 1401 [H.R. 138 (67)], February 28, 1402 [H.R. 130 (66)], July 1, 1403 [H.R. 131 (73)], August 23, 1403 [H.R. 132 (85)], and as Alderman of the Ward in which certain property within the parish of St. Mildred, Poultry, was situate, February 24, 1407 [H.R. 134 (104)] That parish comprised portions of the Wards of Cheap and Broad Street. He was present at Courts of Aldermen held on October 13 (the day of election of Mayor) in the years 1402, 1403, and 1404 [Letter Book I, ff. 19 b, 26 b, 36], but no later attendance is recorded. He appears to have died in the year 1407, as his will, dated March 8, 1406 (i.e. 1406–7) was enrolled November 21, 1407 [H.R. 135 (48)]. Wotton is stated in H.R. 133 (24) to have been acting as Alderman of the Ward in which property within the parish of St. Margaret, Lothbury, was situate, on December 1, 1404. This parish comprised portions of Broad Street and Coleman Street. I have not found any other reference connecting him with any particular Ward earlier than June 28, 1407 [H.R. 135 (33)] when he acted as Alderman in connexion with property situate in the parish of All Hallows, 'ad focnum' (i.e. All Hallows the Great) which is entirely in Dowgate Ward; this Ward he undoubtedly represented continuously from that date till 1446. He appears to have been present at a Court of Aldermen on October 13, 1404, and also on October 13, 1406, and July 5, 1407 [Letter Book I., ff. 36, 54, 59 b], but on the two last of these dates he is named as Sheriff only, and not as being necessarily an Alderman also. Both Wotton and Framlyngham were present, if the minutes are correctly recorded, on October 13, 1404, and they could not have been Aldermen of Broad Street simultaneously. The solution suggests itself that either Framlyngham was Alderman of Cheap or Wotton of Coleman Street in 1404, but W. Staundon was Alderman of the former and T. Fauconer of the latter both before and after that date, and there is no evidence of discontinuity in their service, except the purely negative fact that no attendance of Staundon is recorded between 1401 and 1406: Fauconer was present (with Wotton and Framlyngham) on October 13, 1404. Staundon was present on October 13, 1406, and July 5, 1407 [Letter Book I, ff. 54, 59 b] and was acting as Alderman for Cheap Ward September 1, 1407 [H.R. 135 (79)] and was therefore in all probability Alderman of that Ward in February, 1407, in which case Framlyngham must then have been Alderman of Broad Street, on the assumption that the entry in H.R. 135 (104) is correct.
On the whole it seems most probable that there is some error in one or more of the entries at the references above quoted which it is now impossible to rectify. I am inclined to suggest that Framlyngham retired from the Court of Aldermen shortly before October 13, 1404, and that his name is inserted erroneously among those present on that date; that he was succeeded in Broad Street by Wotton, who removed to Dowgate about the end of 1406 in succession to W. Askham, who was Alderman of that Ward on March 1, 1406 [H.R. 133* (66)], and until transferred to Bridge on the death of W. Brampton between November 6, 1406 and February 28, 1407 [H.R. 134 (58)]. On Wotton's removal Framlyngham may have been again elected for Broad Street and held the Aldermanry of the Ward till his death, which, as stated above, took place between March and November, 1407, or may have acted temporarily till the election of Halton, who was in possession of this Aldermanry in July, 1407.
It is also possible that Wotton was not an Alderman until 1407 and was then elected for Dowgate during his shrievalty, but it is difficult in that case to explain the appearance of his name both in the Letter Book and in the Husting Roll in 1404.

Note B.—At the poll (March 20, 1741) Ewer received 146 votes to 132 for Charles Egleton (Salter), but on the scrutiny, which closed on April 9, the numbers were reduced to 117 each. Both at the poll and at the scrutiny Sir John Barnard presided, having been appointed to hold the Wardmote in the absence, through illness, of the Lord Mayor (Alderman Parsons) who died on March 21. The new Lord Mayor (Alderman Lambert) held another Wardmote on April 13, when Ewer and Egleton were again nominated, and Ewer was declared elected; Egleton, who claimed to have a majority of legal votes at the preceding election, declined to demand a fresh poll. Both parties applied for a mandamus to the Court of King's Bench to compel the Court of Aldermen to admit them; on November 5 the case of Egleton was heard, and it was decided that he was not duly elected. This was reported to the Court of Aldermen on November 10, when Ewer claimed to be admitted, and Egleton was called upon to show cause against his admission. At the next meeting of the Court (November 17) Ewer was sworn. This was a political contest, Egleton being the Ministerial (Walpolean) candidate, and Ewer representing the Opposition party of Tories and malcontent Whigs. The Lord Mayor (Lambert) was a strong adherent of the anti-Walpole party, as were also his successor (Sir R. Godschall), who came into office before the election was decided, and Sir John Barnard, before whom the original poll and scrutiny were taken.