During this troublesome time, a strong guard was kept in the city by day, and by night a party of horse, supported by some infantry, incessantly patrolled the streets. This guard gave a handle to a gang of thieves, who, under colour of being part of the foot patrol, gave out that they were ordered to search for strangers; under which pretence, they got into and robbed many houses. For the preventing such villanous practices for the future, a standing watch was appointed in every ward. Soon after this, the barons were admitted into the city.* The king, finding himself disappointed of the long-expected relief of the prince, his son, thought it safest to give way to the times, by agreeing to the terms insisted on by the barons, and by a treaty, once more to oblige himself to observe the Oxford statutes. Immediately after the conclusion of this peace, Henry went from the Tower of London to Westminster, whence he sent a letter to the mayor and citizens of London, acquainting them, that the differences between him and the barons were accommodated, therefore strictly enjoined them to look to the peace of the city, and that whosoever should be guilty of a breach of the same, should be arrested, and his goods seized and kept till the king's pleasure should be known how to dispose of them Henry never intending to keep the late peace longer than to serve his turn, was no sooner at liberty, than a garrison of foreigners in Windsor castle made an excursion, and plundered the neighbouring counties of their provisions. However, the king and his son Edward being soon after reduced, they were again necessitated to come to terms with the barons for a while; when finding means to divide them, and to draw several of the barons to his party, Leicester and his adherents were declared rebeis, and the king raised an army to reduce them by force; which was not doubted, provided it could be contrived to deprive Leicester of any help from the city. But that not being possible to be effected, the citizens not only opened their gates to him and his army encamped in Southwark, but joined and marched with him, to give the king and prince battle in Lambeth fields; where it was proposed and accepted by both sides to submit their grievances to the arbitration of Lewis, king of France.† In the short interval of peace, a barbarous massacre of the Jews took place in London. On the plea, real or pretended, that one of that persecuted race had endeavoured to extort more than legal interest from a Christian, upwards of five hundred Jews were cruelly put to death by the populace, and their houses and synagogues, which Henry had permitted them to build in the beginning of his reign, were destroyed: this was in Passion-week, 1264.§ • Fab. Chron. p. 7. Two-pence a week for 20 Lewis, king of France, readily accepting the office of arbitrator, after a full hearing of both sides, gave his award in favour of the king; whereby the statutes of Oxford were annulled, and Henry in all respects restored to his former power, without taking any other notice of the barons, than that the king should use them kindly, and not remember any thing to their disadvantage on account of what was past. The barons would not abide by this decision, but began to exert themselves in an extraordinary manner against the king. The first step they took was to secure the city to their interest, into which they were readily admitted by the citizens. But divers of the aldermen and chief citizens being suspected to be in the king's interest, thought that a reason sufficient to justify their usurping the government of the city, which they were no sooner possessed of, than they, at the desire of the barons, re-chose Thomas Fitz Thomas for mayor, and chose for their captains or leaders Thomas de Pywelldon and Stephen Bukerell; at whose command, by the tolling of St. Paul's great bell, they obliged themselves to appear in arms, and to march with the said officers wheresoever they were pleased to lead them.* Their first expedition was under Hugh de Spencer, constable of the Tower of London, (and by the barons lately made justiciary of England), who, having desired the said Pywelldon and Bukerell to join him with a body of their troops, they immediately caused the alarm-bell to be tolled. The citizens, as it were one man, instantly shut up their shops, armed with the greatest expedition, joined the troops from the Tower of London, and marched with the greatest cheerfulness; but whither, or on what design they knew not; till being arrived at Isleworth, they were commanded to destroy the stately manorhouse of the king of the Romans, with all its appurtenances, as they likewise did, on their return to London, the king's summerhouse, near Westminster. After which, they marched back to the city in triumph, joined the earl of Leicester, and marched out under his banner to fight the king, who had pursued him rp almost to the very gates of the city; which so provoked his rajesty, that he marched back to Kent; where he effectually prevailed upon the Cinque Ports, to engage them to send divers ships to block up the river Thames, to prevent the carrying provisions and other commodities to London.† During the democracy in this city, the most unheard of ravages were committed; for the populace, to enrich themselves, plundered the houses of many of the most eminent citizens, under pretence of their being friends to the king. But their greatest fury was levelled against the Italian usurers and the Jews. Soon afterwards a body of citizens amounting to 15,000 men. marched out with the earl of Leicester, to strengthen the army of the barons, and fight the king, who was encamped at Lewes, in Sussex. In the battle which ensued, the Londoners were defeated with dreadful slaughter, and pursued for four miles by prince Edward, whose asperity had been provoked by some unmanly insults that had been recently offered to the queen, his mother, when attempting to pass London-bridge, on her way from the Tower to Windsor. Through this very conduct, however, the battle was lost; for, during his absence from the field, the earl of Leicester had gained such a decided advantage, that, in the end, Henry, his brother Richard, and even Edward himself, were all compelled to yield. Prince Edward made his escape from the guard, and having assembled a considerable power, he attacked Leicester's army at Evesham; which he not only routed, but likewise killed the earl and one of his sons. In a parliament assembled at Westminster, about Christmas, it was enacted that the city of London, for its late rebellion, should be divested of its liberties, its posts and chains taken away, and its principal citizens imprisoned, and left to the mercy of the king.' The inhabitants, in this extremity, threw themselves on the king's clemency; yet their prayers were, for a time, but little regarded. The opportunities for extortion were too good to be lost; and, besides deposing the magistrates, and appointing four persons in their place as guardians of the city, Henry' seized on the estates of many of the citizens, and gave to his domestics their houses, moveable effects, lands, and chattels. He likewise caused the sons of other citizens to be imprisoned in the Tower, as a security for the good behaviour of their parents; and he detained four of the richest citizens, till they had purchased their liberty at an enormous expence.' Whilst in this disastrous situation, the citizens made the most humble remonstrances to the king, both in their individual and corporate capacities; and at length, after many entreaties, they obtained a charter of remission under the broad seal; for this, however, they had to pay the sum of 20,000 marks, which, in the then distressed state of the city, was raised with much difficulty; lodgers and servants being obliged to contribute to the assessment as well as householders. On the same day, the king granted the city a charter, whereby the citizens were empowered to traffic with their commodities and merchandizes, wheresoever they please, throughout his kingdom and dominions, as well by sea as by land, without interruption to him or his, as they see expedient, quit from all custom, toll, and paying; and may abide for their trading wheresoever they please, in the same his kingdom, as in times past they were accustomed, till such time as it should be more fully ordered by his council, touching the state of the said city; as by the said letters patent, amongst other things, more fully appeareth.' In 1267, the city experienced a renewal of its troubles. The Faithlessness of Henry's promises had provoked the earl of Gloucester (Gilbert de Clare) to assemble an army; and under some fictitious pretences, he obtained possession of London, which he immediately began to fortify; and being joined by numbers of the disaffected, he invested the Tower, and summoned the pope's legate, who then held it for the king, to an immediate surrender; alleging,' that it was not a post to be trusted in the hands of a foreigner, and much less of an ecclesiastic.' The legate, instead of complying, made such a stout resistance, by the assistance of the Jews who had retired thither for security, that the king had time to advance to its relief; the latter, also encamping with his troops in the neighbourhood of Stratford-le-Bow, made several assaults on the city, but was every time beaten off. In the mean time, the earl sent a detachment into Kent and Surrey, who having ravaged those two counties without opposition, returned with a great booty. Soon after, this mischievous crew repaired to Westminster, where they destroyed the church, defaced the abbey, and the doors and windows of the royal palace, and spoiled it of its rich furniture and wine. Four of this strolling gang of robbers, who were domestics to the earl of Derby, being taken, were put into sacks, and thrown into the river Thames, by then master's order, for their villany.* The earl, however, finding his affairs becoming desperate, made a timely submission, and through the intercession of the king of the Romans, was pardoned: and the Londoners were included in the general amnesty, yet not till they had agreed to pay 1000 marks to prince Edward, as a re muneration for the demolition of his palace at Isleworth, as mentioned above. In the following year, 1268, the king, by an extended charter, dated in March, from Westminster, remitted all past offences, and confirmed all the ancient privileges of the city, with the exception of the election of the magistrates. Walter Henry and William de Durham, bailiffs of London, rendered to the king the following account of the several issues or profits arising to him in the city for half a year: THE BAILIFFS ACCOUNT. 1. s. d. By the amount of tonnages (at theking's weigh-house) and petty strandages By the amount of customs of all sorts of foreign merchandize, together with the issues of divers passages 97 13 111 75 610 Fab. Chron. p. 7. By the metage of corn, and customs at Billingsgate By the customs of fish, &c. brought to Londonbridge-street 5 18 7 7 0 2 4 7 6 8 13 2 By the issue of the field and bars of Smithfield By the produce of Queenhithe By the chattels of foreigners, for trading in the city, By places and perquisites within the city towns : Sum total 364 13 2* About this time a great difference happened between the company of Goldsmiths and that of the Merchant Taylors; and other companies interesting themselves on each side, the animosity increased to such a degree, that on a certain night both parties met (it seems by consent) to the number of five hundred men, completely armed when fiercely engaging, several were killed and many wounded on both sides: and they continued fighting in an obstinate and desperate inanner, until the sheriffs, raising a great body of citizens, suppressed the riot and apprehended many of the combatants; who were soon after tried by the mayor, and Laurence de Brook, one of the king's justices; and thirteen of the ring leaders being found guilty, they were condemned and hanged. + In 1269, a great frost began in the month of November, and continued until near Candlemas; during which time, the river Thames was so hard frozen, that all foreign merchandizes were brought by land from Sandwich and other ports to London. In 1270 the government of the city was conferred on prince Edward; who in the same year re-obtained for the citizens the privilege of electing their own magistrates; on which occasion, the fee-farm paid by the city was increased to 4001. per annum. The citizens also, in testimony of their gratitude, presented the prince with 500 marks; and to the king, who in the July following confirmed all their ancient rights and immunities, they gave 100 marks. In this year there fell such prodigious rains, that the Thames |