A New History of London Including Westminster and Southwark. Originally published by R Baldwin, London, 1773.
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'Appendix: Act of Common Council licensing Foreigners to work in the City (1750)', in A New History of London Including Westminster and Southwark, (London, 1773) pp. 873. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/new-history-london/p873 [accessed 19 April 2024]
In this section
No. LVI.
Substance of the Act of Common Council passed in 1750, for licensing Foreigners to work in the City of London. [See p. 370.]
THAT, after the first day of December next, the court of lord-mayor and aldermen may grant a licence to a free master, who has used his best endeavours, and cannot procure a sufficient number of fit and able free journeymen to carry on his business, to employ such a number of foreigners, for or during such time or times, and under such restrictions, as to the said court shall seem sit and necessary.
That on any Tuesday, on which no court of lord-mayor and aldermen shall be holden, the power above-mentioned, so as the same do not exceed the space of six weeks, shall be vested in the lordmayor for the time being.
That no licence shall be granted, by virtue of this act, to any freeman to employ any foreigner, unless he has one apprentice at least, or has had one apprentice within twelve calendar months next before his application for such licence.
That no freeman shall be enabled to employ any foreigner by virtue of this licence, until he has registered the christian and surnames, and place of abode of the said foreigner, and in what business he is to be employed, with the town-clerk of this city for the time being, who is to enter the same in a book to be kept for that purpose, he being paid two shillings and six pence for every licence so to be registered; which book any freeman of this city shall have liberty to inspect gratis, every day between twelve o'clock at noon and two in the afternoon, (Sundays excepted;) and if any person registered by virtue of this licence shall leave his master's service, or be discharged the same, the town clerk is, upon application, to insert and enter in the licence and register another person's name, in the room of the person discharged, for the remaining term of the licence, without any fee.
That the court of lord-mayor and aldermen have a power to revoke, or call in any licence, though the time limited therein be not expired.