Order agreed July 1553 for election of Wardens

[p. 192 transcript] An order agreed upon the xvj ^th of Julye A° RR. Marie Primo for the eleccion of the Wardens (fn. 1)

Albeit the anncyent Ordre and custome of the elecc'on of the wardeyns of this Company hath byn' alweyes heretofore at ev'y two yeres ende to no'iate choyse and appoynte two wardeyns (that is to sey) for thupper warden one that had byn' warden before, and thother of the yonger men whiche before that tyme had not byn' wardeyn And Forasmoche as by the obs'vac'on of this ordre and by reason of deathe thelder sorte of the seide company are worne awey so faste that at this present there are but three of them lyvyng besydes the wardeyns nowe standyng in office and that they are lyke so to weare awey more and more, so as w^tin shorte space fewe or none of thelder sorte whiche have borne office sholde be lyvyng, (but onely suche as had very shortly before ex'cysed the seid office, whome eft sones to burden therw^t it were not meete) yf that olde ordre shulde any longer contynue/It is nowe therfore decreed condescended and fully agreed aswell by thassentes and consentes of John' Melsh'm and John' Hulson nowe wardeyns of the seid company As also by the consentes and agreament of all the seid hoole company gen'ally assembled at a dyn' holden and made at wexchaundelers (fn. 2) halle the xvj^ne day of July in the Fyrste yere of the Reigne of our Sov'aigne lady Mary by the grace of god Quene of Englande Frannce and Irelande defendo' of the feith and of the Churche of Englande and also of Irelande in erthe the Sup'me hed/ that from that tyme forthwarde at ev'y two yeres ende shalbe elected and chosen two of the yonger sorte of the seid company that have not byn wardeyns before, to be wardeyns of the seid company/And that the same elecc'on shall alwayes be made in fourme folowyng (that is to sey) the elder wardeyn onely by suche of the company as before that tyme have byn' wardeyns and then for the tyme beyng are wardeyns, and thother by a gen'all elecc'on of the seid company accordyng to tholde ordre and custome therm before tyme used And that this p'sent ordre and decree shall contynue and be obs'ved duryng so longe tyme and untill the fulle nombre of eight p'sones that have byn' wardeyns be lyvyng besydes the wardeyns then beyng/And it was further ordred and agreed by the seid hoole company that when assone and as often as the seid nombre of viij anncyentes that have byn' wardeyns of the seid company besydes the olde wardens that shall stande in office at the tyme of ev'y suche newe elecc'on shalbe fully compleete Then and so often . this newe ordre of elecc'on shall utterly cease/And then onely tholde ordre heretofore used for the same shalbe obs'ved and folowed (that is to sey) to chose to be the upper wardeyn one that hath byn' wardeyn before and to be the yonger wardeyn one that hath not before byn' wardeyn/[p. 193 blank]

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