Appendix: Charter of George II

No. LIV.

Charter of George II. constituting all the Aldermen of the City of London, Justices of the Peace. (See p. 346.)

Mayor, recorder and all the aldermen made justices of the peace.

GEORGE the second, by the grace of God, of Great-Britain, France and Ireland, king, defender of the faith, and so forth. To all to whom these presents shall come greeting: Whereas our royal predecessor king Charles the first, late king of England, by his letters patent under the great seal of England, bearing date at Westminster, the eighteenth day of October, in the fourteenth year of his reign, did give and grant unto the mayor and commonalty and citizens of the city of London, and their successors, amongst other things, that the then mayor and recorder of the said city, and the mayor and recorder of the said city for the time being; and as well those aldermen who before that time had sustained and had borne, as those aldermen who thereafter should have sustained and borne, the charge and office of mayoralty of the said city, although they should cease from the mayoralty or should be dismissed therefrom, so long as they should remain aldermen there; and the three senior aldermen of the said city, for the time being, who should have been longest in the office of aldermanship, and had not before sustained and borne the charge and office of mayoralty of that city for ever, should be all and every of them a justice and justices, to preserve and keep the peace of the said king, his heirs and successors, within the said city of London and liberties of the same, and appointed the said lord mayor and recorder, for the time being, to be of the Quorum. And whereas our royal predecessors, king William and queen Mary, by certain other letters patent, under their great seal of England, bearing date, at Westminster, the eight-and-twentieth day of July, in the fourth year of their reign, reciting the said former letters patent of king Charles the first, and reciting also, that the said mayor and aldermen, by their humble petition, had represented to their majesties, that the number of justices of the peace constituted within the said city, by the said letters patent of king Charles the first, were so few, that by reason thereof, it frequently happened that justice could not be administered within the said city with so much expedition, so commodiously, and in such a manner as might be most expedient for their said late majesties service, and the utility of their subjects; their said late majesties, therefore, by their said recited letters patent, did grant to the said mayor and commonalty, and citizens of the city of London, and their successors, that six other aldermen of the said city for the time being, who then were, or for the future should be next in the office of aldermanship to the three senior aldermen mentioned and constituted justices of the peace in the said first-mentioned charter, and who then had borne, and thereafter should have borne the office of sheriff of the said city, besides and beyond the three senior aldermen, as aforesaid, should for ever, thereafter, be justices of the peace, within the said city of London, and liberties thereof; and these six aldermen, with the mayor and recorder, for the time being, as well as those aldermen who had borne the office of mayoralty, and the aforesaid three senior aldermen, or any four of them, whereof the said mayor or recorder for the time being to be one, are, by the said last-recited letters patent constituted justices of the peace for the said city and liberties, with the same powers as are granted to the justices of the peace of any county of this kingdom, as by the said several recited letters patent, (amongst divers other matters and things therein contained, relation being thereto respectively had) may more fully and at large appear : And whereas the lord-mayor and aldermen of the said city of London have, by their petition, humbly represented unto us, that, since the granting the said lastmentioned letters patent, the duties of the justices of the peace, within the said city and liberties, are, by many acts of parliament, very much increased, so that the petitioners, who are constituted justices by the said charter, have, for the more speedy and effectual execution of justice, agreed amongst themselves, to sit daily by turns, in the Guildhall of the said city, for the publick administration of justice; and that the petitioners most humbly conceive it will be for the publick utility of all our subjects, within the said city and liberties, and that justice may still be more commodiously and expeditiously administered, if the present number of justices of the peace, within the said city of London and liberties thereof, was increased: And the petitioners further represent, that the lord-mayor and recorder being the only justices of the Quorum, if by sickness, or other unavoidable accident, it should happen that neither may be able to attend the session, great inconveniencies may arise; the petitioners, therefore, have humbly besought us to grant to our good subjects, the mayor and commonalty, and citizens of the said city, that, for the future, the mayor, recorder, and all the aldermen of the said city, for the time being, may be justices of the peace for the said city of London and liberties thereof; and that all those aldermen for the time being, who shall have borne and sustained the office of mayoralty of the said city, may be of the Quorum, as well as the mayor and recorder: We, being willing to gratify the petitioners in their request; know ye, therefore, that we, of our special grace, certain knowledge and meer motion, have given, granted, and by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, do give, and grant, to the mayor and commonalty of the city of London, and their successors, that the mayor, recorder, and all the aldermen of the said city of London, for the time being, and every of them, be for ever hereafter a justice and justices of the peace, of us, our heirs and successors, within the said city of London and liberties thereof: And we do, by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, constitute, make, and ordain the mayor, recorder, and all the aldermen of the said city of London, for the time being, and every of them, or any four of them, (of whom the mayor and recorder, or any one of the aldermen who have sustained the office of mayoralty, for the time being, we will shall be always one) justices of us, our heirs and successors, within the said city of London and liberties thereof, to keep, and cause to be kept all and singular statutes and ordinances, in all their articles made, and to be made, for the preservation of the peace of us, our heirs and successors, and for the peaceable ruling and governing the people of us, our heirs and successors, as well within the said city as the liberties thereof, according to the form and effect of the same; and to correct and punish, in the manner prescribed by those statutes and ordinances all such persons who shall be found offending, within the said city and liberties thereof, against the form and effect of the same statutes and ordinances, or any, or either of them; and to demand such sufficient security for the peace, or good behaviour towards us, our heirs and successors, and all the subjects of us, our heirs and successors, of all such persons who shall send threatenings to any subject, or subjects, of us, our heirs or successors, concerning their bodies, or the burning their houses; and if they shall refuse to find such security, then to cause them to be safely kept in our gaol of Newgate, or in any other prison of us, our heirs and successors, in our said city of London, until they shall have found such security; and to do and perform all and singular other matters and things, which any justices or keepers of the peace, of us, our heirs and successors, within any county of that part of our kingdom of Great-Britain, called England, may, can, or ought to do, and perform, by virtue of any statutes and ordinances of this part of our kingdom of Great-Britain, called England, or by virtue of any commission of us, our heirs and successors, to preserve the peace in any such county. In witness whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patent.

Witnesses. John, archbishop of Canterbury, and other guardians and justices of the kingdom, at Westminster, the twenty-fifth day of August, in the fifteenth year of our reign.