Leases

Leases.

I. 37. Letter from Lord Arundel (fn. 1) to the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, and Aldermen, requesting their favourable consideration to the suit of his servant, Walter Browne, for a little piece of ground, or rather a dry ditch, lying before his garden in Finsbury Fields.
1st June, 1580.

I. 73. Letter from the Lord Mayor to the Lords of the Council, in reply to their letter addressed to the Court of Aldermen, requesting that a lease in reversion of the house wherein "our Brother Backhouse" (fn. 2) lately dwelt in Cheapside, might be granted to Roger Dranffeld, and stating that, on account of the necessities of the City, they were unable to comply with their request.
(Circa 1580.)

I. 84. Letter from the Lord Mayor to the Earl of Sussex, Lord Chamberlain, in reply to his request that a lease of Botolph's Wharf might be granted to Mr. Beecher, stating that, on account of the present need of the City, they had been constrained to lease their property to the best advantage, and that this wharf had been long since granted to the Society of Merchants of Russia. (fn. 3)
11th February, 1579.

I. 307. Letter from Sir Walter Mildmay, Knight, Chancellor of the Exchequer, to the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Recorder, requesting that a little house in the Old Bailey, belonging to the City, and formerly in the tenure of Dr. Gifford, might be let to Sir John Brocket, (fn. 4) Knight, for such consideration as might be thought proper.
27th March, 1582.

I. 308. Letter from the Lord Mayor to Sir Walter Mildmay, Knight, regretting that they were unable to comply with his request, there being an Act of Common Council restricting the leasing of the City property to those who were free of the City by birth or servitude.
29th March, 1582.

I. 325. Letter from Sir Francis Walsingham to the Lord Mayor, stating that he had been informed by Thomas Mason that he had been admitted by Sir Nicholas Woodrof, Knight, formerly Lord Mayor, and the Aldermen, to hold a small tenement belonging to the Chamber of London; and that by some uncharitable means by those that were put in trust to devise the lands of the said Chamber, they desired to put him out of the said tenement, a lease thereof having been already granted to Christopher Lightfoot, and requesting that they should be restrained, and the poor man's holding confirmed.
— April, 1582.

I. 337. Letter from Sir Francis Walsingham to the Lord Mayor, to the same effect as No. 325.
14th May, 1582.

I. 338. Letter from the Lord Mayor to Sir Francis Walsingham, in reply, stating that the power of granting leases of the City property had been by the City intrusted to six Aldermen specially appointed, four who had passed the chair, and two juniors in rotation to the chair, the Chamberlain only attending upon them to give information and advice; what these six Aldermen agreed to, after it had been put into writing and openly read in Court, and there considered, and either allowed or refused, would be subsequently sealed. No such lease had been granted to Musson, but, on account of the Poverty of the applicant, the Court had determined to give him some assistance.
16th May, 1582.

I. 437. Letter from Sir Thomas Bromley, Lord Chancellor, to the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, stating that he had received the inclosed petition from Walter Garnons, Butcher, in which he alleged that he had obtained the grant of a lease of a house from the City, for which he had paid a great fine, and had also given satisfaction to the parties in possession, and expressing his opinion that the City should grant him the lease.

Dated from his house near Charing Cross, 3rd December, 1582. (And see "Bridge House," I. 440, 441, 508, and II. 286.)

I. 473. Letter from Sir Thomas Bromley, Lord Chancellor, to the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, recommending that a lease of a house in the Old Bailey, next to the one formerly occupied by himself, should be granted to the widow of Walter Westmerland, who had dwelt in it for the last forty-eight years, during which time he had caused to be built some new rooms and had done other repairs at his own charge.
4th February, 1582.

I. 576. Letter from the Lord Mayor to . . . . . . . ., acknowledging the receipt of his letter for a grant in reversion of a lease to Owin Sampier, after the decease of Henry Mathew, and stating that it had been the custom to offer the renewal of the lease to the tenant, which had been done in this case, and the tenant had agreed to the terms offered by the City. His request could not, therefore, be complied with.
(Circa 1587.)

I. 581. Letter from Robert, Earl of Leicester, to the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, stating that his servant, Richard Sutton, had bought at a great price a lease in reversion of a tenement belonging to the Chamber of London, meaning to make it his dwelling-house, in which lease the City reserved the power to charge a reasonable fine, and requesting them to deal favourably with his servant for such fine.
19th February, 1587.

I. 582. Letter from the Lord Mayor to the Earl of Leicester, acknowledging his letter on behalf of Mr. Sutton, and informing him that the Common Council, out of special regard to him, had fixed the fine of renewal at fourscore pounds, 40l. to be paid down, and the other 40l. at 20l. per annum.
(Circa 1587.)

IV. 93. Letter from Lord Douglas (fn. 5) and other Officers of the Prince's Household, requesting that one of the Garners of the Bridge House might be appointed for the Prince's use, he paying for the same such a reasonable rent as the Masters of the Bridge House might think fit. The Prince's Court at St. James's, 22nd December, 1617.