name of the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough of Huntingdon may and shall be in all times to come persons able and in law capable to have and purchase, receive and possess, Lands, Tenements, Liberties, Privileges, Jurisdictions, Franchises, and Hereditaments, of whatsoever kind, nature or species, they shall be, to them and their successors in fee and perpetuity, &c. And that by the same name of Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough aforesaid, shall and may be able to plead and be impleaded, &c. And that the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough aforesaid, and their successors, shall have for ever a common seal, to serve for transacting the causes and businesses of them and their successors, &c. And whereas heretofore, from time, to the contrary whereof the memory of man is not, there hath been used and accustomed within the Borough aforesaid, that twenty-four men, inhabitants of the said Borough, should be Burgesses and of the Common Council of the said Borough, and every of them had voice and sufferage in all matters and public business of the said Borough to be treated and done, We, at the humble petition of the Bailiffs and Burgesses of the Borough aforesaid, being willing, for the better governance of the said Borough, to prevent and remove all occasions of popular tumult,* and to reduce the elections and other things, and public business of the said Borough into certainty and constant order, do will, and by these presents for us, our heirs, and successors, grant, constitute, and ordain, that hereafter there may and shall be within the Borough aforesaid, and the liberties and precincts thereof, twelve of the better Burgesses of the said Borough, in form hereinafter mentioned, be elected and constituted, who for the time being shall be and be named Aldermen of the Borough aforesaid; and that there may and shall be one of the Aldermen aforesaid, in form hereinafter in these presents mentioned, to be elected or constituted, who shall be and be named Mayor of the Borough of Huntingdon aforesaid, &c. And that the Mayor, Recorder, and Aldermen of the said Borough for the time being shall be and be called the Common Council of the Borough of Huntingdon aforesaid, and that the residuet of the Burgesses

How does this apply unless the burgesses of the place were the general inhabitants?

To prevent the ill-consequences of a popular meeting of all the burgesses, for judicial purposes, a select portion of them is appointed to do all judicial acts. If the burgesses had themselves been, as now, a selected few, this provision would have been needless.

of the said Borough for the time being, and every of them, shall be from time to time assisting and attendant to the Mayor and Aldermen of the Borough aforesaid, in all things, causes, and business of the said Borough, whensoever they or any of them shall be summoned and called by mandate of the Mayor of the said Borough, and in the vacancy of his office, by mandate of the Aldermen of the said Borough, or of the major part of them for the time being.

[The Charter then provides that the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses may elect a Recorder.]

And that the Mayor, Recorder, and Aldermen of the said Borough for the time being shall be and be called the Common Council of the Borough of Huntingdon aforesaid. And that the Mayor of the said Borough for the time being, as often as it shall seem convenient and necessary to him to convene all and singular persons of the Common Council of the said Borough for the time being, by public summons to be thereupon made, and within the same house or within another convenient house within the Borough aforesaid, or the liberties or precincts thereof, may and shall be able to hold a Court of Common Council, or convocation of the same Mayor and of the Common Council, who shall be there upon the summons aforesaid, &c. And that the Mayor, Recorder, and Aldermen, or the major part of them, who shall be present and assembled upon the summons aforesaid, and where t sufferages of those who shall be so present shall be equal, viz. as many being affirmative as negative, then that part and the moiety of them (of whom the Mayor of the Borough aforesaid for the time being shall be one) may and shall have full power, faculty, and authority of framing, constituting, ordaining, making, and establishing reasonable laws, ordinances, constitutions, and statutes whatsoever, which shall ich shall appear to them to be good, wholesome, useful, honest, and necessary, according to their sound discretions, for the good rule and governance of the Burgesses, Artificers, and Inhabitants of the Borough aforesaid, and the liberties and cincts thereof, &c., and to make bye-laws, &c.bobl [The charter then proceeds to name the first Mayora and first Aldermen, and to regulate the election and swearing in of the like officers afterwards, and other matters connected therewith.]

* That is, the rateable householders, the mechanical servants, or operatives as they are now called, and all other dwellers within the place.

Also we will, and of our more abundant special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, for us, our heirs, and successors, do grant to the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough aforesaid, and the successors do grant by these presents, that the Mayor of the Borough aforesaid for the time being, may and shall be Coroner of us, and Clerk of the Market of the Household of us, our heirs, and successors, within the Borough of Huntingdon aforesaid, and the liberties and precincts thereof, and shall make, exercise, and execute all and singular matters which to the office of Coroner and Clerk of the Market of the Household of us, our heirs, and successors, within the Borough aforesaid, and within the limits, liberties, and precincts thereof, shall henceforth be to be executed or performed, in as ample manner and form as the Bailiffs and Burgesses of the Borough aforesaid have used or ought to have used and enjoyed the offices aforesaid, and not otherwise. And whereas by the letters patent of our ancestor Edward the Third, late King of England, made in the 37th year of his reign, it was granted, that the Burgesses of the Borough of Huntingdon, and their successors Burgesses of the said Town, for ever shall have cognizance of all pleas, as well of assize, of novel disseisin, and mort d'ancestor, and of other pleas whatsoever, touching free tenement in the same town, and the liberties thereof, as of all manner of trespasses, covenants, and plaints, arising or made, or to be made or arise within the same Town al liberties, as well concerning tenants and resiants within the same Town and liberty, as others whomsoever, from which time the Burgesses of the Town aforesaid, by the Bailiffs of the said Town for the time being have had and held cognizance of the pleas aforesaid, before the said Bailiffs in the Court of the Town aforesaid from time to time. We being willing to extend and establish the aforesaid privileges and jurisdictions of the Bailiffs aforesaid within the Town aforesaid, and the liberties and precincts thereof, to the person of the Mayor of the Borough aforesaid, do will, and by these presents for us, our heirs, and successors, grant to the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough aforesaid, and their successors, that the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough aforesaid, and their successors, shall have a Court to be holden within the Borough aforesaid, before the Mayor of the said Borough for the time being, on the days which the same Mayor shall from time to time thereupon constitute and appoint. And that the Mayor of the Borough aforesaid

for the time being from time to time for ever shall have and hold, and may and shall be able to have and hold in the said Court all and all manner the aforesaid pleas, suits, and plaints, concerning all things, causes, and businesses, arising or to arise within the aforesaid Borough, the liberties and precincts thereof, before the Mayor of the said Borough for the time being, within the Borough aforesaid from time to time to be holden. And that the Mayor of the Borough aforesaid for the time being shall have cognizance of all the same pleas, assizes, suits, and plaints, in anywise arising or to arise within the Borough aforesaid, the liberties, and precincts thereof. And that the Mayor of the Borough aforesaid, in all and singular the pleas, actions, suits, and plaints aforesaid, moved or to be moved, levied or to be levied, prosecuted or to be prosecuted in the said Court, shall proceed and expedite the same by such and the like writs, summonses, and other processes, judgments, and executions, according to the exigence of law, and the customs hitherto used in the Court aforesaid, in as ample manner and form as in times past the Bailiffs of the Town of Huntingdon, or any others deputed by the said Bailiffs or by the Burgesses of the said Town have been accustomed, or one of them hath been accustomed, to proceed in the said Court. And that in the said Courts, and every of them, the Recorder of the Borough aforesaid for the time being, as often as he shall be thereto required, shall be present and assisting to the Mayor aforesaid in all causes and matters, doubts and ambiguities, to be there treated or discussed.

[A Town Clerk and Serjeant at Mace are then provided.] And further, of our more ample special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, we have given and granted, and by these presents for us, our heirs, and successors, do give and grant to the aforesaid Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough aforesaid, and their successors, special license, and free and lawful power, authority, and faculty of having, holding, and possessing, to them and their successors for ever, all and singular Manors, Messuages, Lands, Tenements, and Hereditaments whereof they are at present seised*, or whereof they or any others or other are or is seised, to the use or advantage of the Burgesses of the Borough aforesaid

*The Charter, therefore, contemplates that the Burgesses whether theretofore corporated or not, could hold lands Dr. Brady absurdly attempts to contravene; but

or under the trust and confidence that the same Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough aforesaid, or the Burgesses thereof, shall have or receive any issues or profits therefrom, or which shall be given or granted to the repair, sustentation, or maintenance of the churches, walls, bridges, causeways, or other common charges, of whatsoever yearly value they shall be, or howsoever they shall be holden of us in capite, by military service, or otherwise, or of any other or others. And whereas the Burgesses of the Borough or Town of Huntingdon of old time have held of our ancestors, Kings of England, and now do hold of us, our heirs, and successors, the Borough of Huntingdon aforesaid, with divers free rents and services in fee-farm by certain rents, we will, and by these presents for us, our heirs, and successors, of our more ample special grace, and of our certain knowledge, and mere motion, do give, grant, and confirm to the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough aforesaid, and their successors, all the aforesaid Borough of Huntingdon, with the aforesaid free rents and services, with all and every their rights, members, and appurtenances, under the ancient fee-farm heretofore yearly paid in the time of our most dear Father, of blessed memory, deceased, to us, our heirs, and successors, hereafter to be paid in as ample manner and form as all the same premises were granted to the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough aforesaid, or their predecessors, by whatsoever name or names of incorporation, by any prior Charters or Letters Patent of any of our ancestors or progenitors were granted, and as the same Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough aforesaid, or their successors, may or ought to have and hold the same. And further, of our more abundant special grace, and of our certain knowledge, and mere motion, for us, our heirs, and successors, we grant, approve, ratify, and confirm to the aforesaid Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough aforesaid, and their successors, all singular so many, so great, such, such sorts of, and the like Courts Leets, views of frank pledge, Courts of Record, and other Courts whatsoever, Fairs, Marts, Markets, custom called Gernerage, and other Custom or Customs, Liberties, Exemptions, Franchises, Immunities, Quittances, Fines, Amerciaments, Jurisdictions, and Hereditaments whatsoever, within the Borough aforesaid, and the liberties and precincts thereof, or elsewhere, within our kingdom of England, as, and which, and in as ample manner and form as the Bailiffs and Burgesses of the