London Before the Conquest

e of custom men t

nd folkmote, and the king was represented by a Sheriff or Portreeve. London, however, was and remained pre-eminently a royal burh, and must have shared in all the characteristics of the burhs, drawing on certain shires for upholding its defences, having a Witan, coining money, having special privileges as to residence, gilds, and markets, and being subject to the King's Peace. As to the contributions for defence, Dr. Maitland, as we have seen on p. 105, says, "There were shires or districts which from of old owed work of this kind to Londonbury."[204] Regarding the King's Peace, it was provided by the law

to the Witans of Exeter, Barnstaple, Lidford, and Totness, i.e. the Devonshire burhs. The Witan

a book called Domysday in Saxon tongue then used, but of later days when the said laws and customs altered and changed and for consideration that the said book was of small hand and sore defaced and hard to be read or

he city banner, grants of money from city funds are made for its repair, and the mayor is a trustee of the church. This dual control seems to bear the mark of Alfred's thought. The Portreeve certainly represented the king, and was responsible for the farm of the city. In the Blickling Homilies Agrippa is called Nero's Burhgerefa. It would seem as if the bishop represented the collective citizens. Mr. Round has recently shown that the Portreeve disappeared in the Sheriff or Vicecomes of London and Middlesex. The Waltham Chronicle says that the Conqueror placed Geoffrey de Mandeville in the shoes of Esegar the Staller, and Mr. Round conjectures that this Geoffrey is the actual "Gosfregth Portirefan" to whom the Conqueror's charter was addressed. He also points out how the Sheriff had the custody of the Tower; and in this we may find a further suggestion as to the probability of a connection between the Portsoken of the Cnihten Gild, the Portreeve, and the pre-Conquest citad

uthority for the early sheriffs for which he cited a book "sometime belonging to St. Albans." Both may come from the old book called "Domysday," by Fabyan. In the list given by Hearne the names are much less corrupt than in Stow's list

Portshyreve. In the reign of William Rufus, Geoffrey de Magnaville was vicecomes and R. del Parc pr?positus. In the time of

Henry II. Petrus filius Walteri was vicecomes, then Johannes filius Nigelli, then Ernulfus Buch

vicecomites at the same time, who were usually chosen 21st September. I

e reign of King Richard." It, however, places this in 1188; then follow other pairs of names as in Stow, but all a year earlier, till 1206, when

be gathered, and Mr. Round's article on the "Early Administration of London," in his

of the Mayors and Sheriffs. In Hearne's list, under 1208, is entered Henry son of Alwin son

version as printed by Hearne, for Stow makes King John, in this year, grant the citizens a patent "to chuse to themselves a mayor." Be the explan

there is ample confirmation that his father was called Alwin. That his grandfather was Le

sheriffs. Munday contradicted Stow as to Mayor Henry's grave being at Holy Trinity, and says he was buried at St. Mary Bothaw, and not as "avowed by Mr. Stow." Stow's authority, however, must have been this same list of sheriffs, for that notes that "he was buried at the entrance to the chapter of the Church of Holy Trinity, under a marble slab." Mr. Round has done much to clear up the history of our first mayor

centuries since by Munday, that "Troy weight" is the ancient standard weight of London, and carries on the legend of Brutus to this day; but this is not borne out by the facts, although it is frequently reasserted, as in Brewer's Phrase and Fable. Munday says, "The weight used for gold and silver called Troy weight was in the time of the Saxons called 'the Hustings weight of London,' and kept there in the Hustings. So an ancient record

amsey Charter of 1114-30 speaks of a purchase of a house being completed "in the presence