THIS Day an Order and Report made by the Committee for Letting the Cities Lands, touching several Duties taken by several Officers and others at Billingsgate, was presented unto this Court by Sir Thomas Stamp, Knight and Alderman, and is as followeth, (viz.)
THIS Day the Report of the Sub-Committee appointed the 30th Day of March last, for Examination and Stating the respective Duties and Tolls to be Received at Billingsgate Dock by Mr. Allen, as Tenant to the City of London, and by the Yeomen of the Water-side, in Respect of their Offices brought in their Report in Writing concerning the same, which was read, and follows in these Words;
WE whose Names are hereunto Subscribed, pursuant to your Order dated the 30th of March last, referring to us amongst others, the Examination and Stating of the respective Duties and Tolls to be received at Billingsgate Dock by Mr. Allen, as Tenant of the City of London, and by the Yeomen of the Waterside, in respect of their Offices, do humbly Certify. That We have Examined Mr. Bancroft Senior, and Mr. Clare, heretofore Yeomen of the Waterside, and several Antient Market-People that Resort to Billingsgate-Market, and they are all ready to attest upon Oath, if required, That the two first following Tables, of the Tolls due to the Yeomen of the Waterside, were during all their Times constantly paid to the said Yeomen as their just Fees, and some of them attest the Usage thereof for Twenty Years, some for Thirty Years, and Mr. Bancroft for Fifty Five Years. The three first Articles of the first Table We also find Confirmed by Three Orders of the Court of Aldermen, cited in the Margin; We have also incidently enquired into the Fees due to the Cocket-Office, and for Water-Balliage received at Billingsgate, the former being received by Mr. Allen, as Tenant to the Lord Mayor, and the latter by the Yeomen of the Waterside, as Collectors to Mrs Carpenter, and find upon the aforesaid Testimony, That the Duties to be Received at Billingsgate for the Cocket-Office, and Water Balliage, are as follow,
| Cocket-Bill | Water-Balliage | To the Yeomen Cry | Waterside Meatage | |||||||
| l | s | d | ||||||||
| Every Vessel with Fruit | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 01 | 00 | |
| Every Vessel with Fresh Sea Fish | 00 | 00 | 01 | 00 | 00 | 06 | 00 | 01 | 00 | |
| Every Ship with Salt | 00 | 00 | 08 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 01 | 00 | |
| Every small Oyster Vessel or Cock | 00 | 00 | 01 | 00 | 00 | 04 | 00 | 01 | 00 | Half Penny per Bushel |
| Every Vessel of Salt Fish | 00 | 00 | 08 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 01 | 00 | |
| Every Vessel with Cherries or other Fruit | 00 | 00 | 02 | 00 | 00 | 06 | 00 | 01 | 00 | |
| Every Ship with Oranges or Lemons | 00 | 00 | 06 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 01 | 00 | |
| Every Vessel with Carrots | 00 | 00 | 06 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 01 | 00 | |
| Every Freeman's Lobster-Boat | 00 | 00 | 01 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 01 | 00 | |
| Every Foreign Lobster-Boat | 00 | 00 | 02 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 02 | 00 | |
| Every Muscle or Cockle-Boat | 00 | 00 | 01 | 00 | 00 | 08 | 00 | 01 | 00 | |
| Every Hebber-Boat or Smack | 00 | 00 | 01 | 00 | 00 | 06 | 00 | 00 | 06 | |
We are further informed, That in all other Cases whatsoever, where the Lord Mayor hath a Power to Set a Price on Victuals or other Provisions, and hath a Sample, in all such Cases the Yeomen of the Waterside have a Fee of one Shilling for the Cry thereof.
| l | s | d | |
| A Trollers Boat, Fish sold in Baskets | 00 | 00 | 04 |
| A Wh [...]ing-Boat, Fish sold in Baskets | 00 | 00 | 04 |
| Repers Fish coming by Land on Horses | 00 | 00 | 04 |
| All Fish sold on Forms | 00 | 00 | 04 |
| All Tubs with Eels | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| A Peter Boat with Flounders | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| A Peter Boat with Smelts | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| A Peter Boat with Roch and Dace | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| A Hamper or Pedd with Fish | 00 | 00 | 02 |
We have also Examined Mr. Allen, and the Yeomen of the Waterside, and the Market People above-mentioned, concerning the Tolls and Duties that belong to the City of London at Billingsgate, and upon a full Examination, Debate, and Consideration of their several Allegations, We are of Opinion, That these following Tolls and Duties belong to the City of London, and may be Received by Mr. Allen, as their Tenant of the Duties there Leased to him in General Words.
| l | s | d | |
| Every Vessel with two Round Tops, per Day | 00 | 02 | 00 |
| Every Vessel with Oranges, Lemons, or Salt, with but one Round Top, per Day | 00 | 01 | 00 |
| Every Vessel of Salt Fish, per Day | 00 | 00 | 08 |
| Every small Oyster Vessel or Cock, per Voyage | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| Every Vessel with any other sort of Fish (viz.) fresh Sea-Fish per Voyage | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| Every Vessel with Cherries or other Fruits, per Voyage | 00 | 00 | 08 |
| Every Vessel with Carrots, per Day | 00 | 00 | 08 |
| Every Custom-House Hoy or Close Lyter, per Day | 00 | 00 | 08 |
| Every Close Lyter, per Day | 00 | 00 | 08 |
| Every Open Lyter, per Day | 00 | 00 | 04 |
| Every Freeman's Lobster-Boat | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| Every Foreign Lobster-Boat | 00 | 00 | 04 |
| Every Muscle or Cockle-Boat | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| Every Hebber-Boat or Smack | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| l | s | d | |
| Every Ladder or Plank to a Salt Vessel, per Day | 00 | 01 | 00 |
| Every Ladder or Plank for Vessels for Fresh Fish, Oysters or other Shell-Fish, per Voyage for each | 00 | 00 | 06 |
| Every Ladder to a Vessel of Salt Fish, for the whole | 00 | 01 | 00 |
We are of Opinion, That to Notify to all Persons concerned their Duty, and to prevent future Disputes about these Matters, it will be Expedient to Print, and Post up at Billingsgate all the several Rates above mentioned; but submit that, and all other Matters here Reported, to the Judgment of this Committee.
Which Report being Read, was well liked, and Approved of by this Committee, and Sir Thomas Stamp, Knight and Alderman, is desired to lay the same before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen, and recommend to their Care the Matters therein contained,
Which Order and Report being here openly Read, were well Liked and Approved of by this Court, and Ordered to be Entred into the Repertory. And it is further Ordered, That for the future the said several Duties and Tolls be Received by such Respective Officers, and no others according to the Table mention'd in the said Report.
That the aforesaid Matters may be the better understood;
- 1st. Note, That Nich. Wilmot is Clerk to the Committee for Letting the City's Lands: And Goodfellow is Clerk to the Court of Lord Mayor and Aldermen.
- 2dly, Note, That Mr. Allen, as Tenant to the City for Wharfage, Groundage, and the Tolls, pays for the Farm thereof 95 l per Annum. And Mr. Allen, as Tenant to the Lord Mayor, pays to his Lordship for his Samples and Perquisites above 550 l per Annum. And 'tis believed the Four Yeomen of the Waterside, and Under Water-Bailiff, do Receive of the Fisher-men and Market-People, as their own Perquisites, near as much as Mr. Allen doth for his Farm, for which he pays the Lord Mayor 550 l per Annum.
- 3dly. Note, Mrs Carpenter, as Tenant to the City, pays not above 26 l per Annum for the City's Interest in the Water-Balliage at Billingsgate.
- 4thly. Note, That the City pays to the Four Yeomen of the Waterside, for Fees and Salaries, above 20 l per Annum each; and to the Under Water-Bailiff about the same Sum, which in the whole is above 100 l per Annum Charge to the City, and the City Receives but 12 [...] l per Annum for the Wharfage, Groundage, Toll, and Interest there: Thus consequently the City's Income there is not above 21 l per Annum, yet it must be own'd that the Lord Mayor may chance upon a Vacancy to have 5 or 600 l for each of these Places of Yeomen of the Waterside; and if the Head-Water-Bailiff chance to die, the Lord Mayor will scarcely take under 1500 l for his Place; for the City pays him above 65 l per Annum Salary, and the Perquisites are very considerable, which he takes to his own Use, tho they are due to the City only.
- 5thly. Note, That the Fishmongers in their Case to Parliament have misrepresented the Law and Custom of the City Markets, which are expresly thus, That if any Retailer or Trader in this City, who buy to sell again, do buy to sell again, &c. before the second Ringing of the Bell, such Offender shall Forfeit 40 s The Markets being most principally intended for the Benefit and Advantage of Housekeepers and others, who buy for their own use, to be spent in their Families, and may provide for themselves in the Morning at the best Hand, and pay moderate Rates for their Provisions, See the Acts of Common Council for City-Markets, made 1631. and the 17th of September, 1674. Page 8.
- 6thly. But as Sir Nicholas Bacon well observed, in a Speech to both Houses of Parliament, A Law without Execution is but a Body without Life; a Cause without an Effect; a Countenance of a thing, and indeed nothing: Besides the making of Laws without Execution, does very much harm, for that breeds and brings forth Contempt of Laws, and Law-makers, and of all Magistrates; which is the very Foundation of all Misgovernance, of all Injuries and Injustice, and of all Disorders and Unquietness in the Commonwealth. Which is the present Case as to the Laws of the City-Markets, and is the cause of most of the Complaints now before the Honourable House of Commons, touching the same.