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.