A HISTORY—DERIVED MAINLY FROM THE ARCHIVES AT GUILDHALL IN THE CUSTODY OF THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF LONDON.PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE CORPORATION UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE LIBRARY COMMITTEE.
London
LONGMANS, GREEN & Co.
AND NEW YORK: 15 EAST 16TH STREET.
1894
London:
Printed by Blades, East & Blades,
23, Abchurch Lane, E.C.
PREFACE.
Of the numerous works that have been writtenon London, by which I mean more especiallythe City of London, few have been devoted to anadequate, if indeed any, consideration of its politicalimportance in the history of the Kingdom. Thehistory of the City is so many-sided that writershave to be content with the study of some particularphase or some special epoch. Thus we have thosewho have concentrated their efforts to evolvingout of the remote past the municipal organizationof the City. Their task has been to unfold theorigin and institution of the Mayoralty and Shrievaltyof London, the div