f 56 (11 December)
Audict=Howse friday the xith of December 1607
Wee William greene and William Tompson musicions,
seruantes vnto the Towne of Southampton Doe hereby acknowledge to haue receued
of the Maior Bayliffes and Burgesss of the same Towne five liuerye
Cotes of black broad Cloth, whereof two for ourselves, and theother three to be for
such our Companie as wee shall thinke fitting to ioyne in Consortshipp
with vs; And doe hereby iointlye & seuerallye promise
to see the sayd three liueryes att all times foreth coming, to be worne
by such others our Companie as in place and name of our now
fellowes happening to depart from vs, shall ioyne with vs in the said
Consortshipp:
Wee doe alsoe hereby farther acknowledge & confesse to haue this day receued of the sayd Maior, Bayliffes and Burgesss two Scutchins or cognizaunces of siluer impressed with the Townes Armes; Namelye, three Ross the lettre H; and the forme of a Tonne, waighing together in the whole iiijer ounces and a quarter of an ounce, which wee haue so receued to weare for our badges; And doe hereby likewise iointlye and seuerally promise and bind ourselves our Executors and Administrators vnto the sayd Maior Bayliffes & Burgesss and there Successors in the somme of fortye shillinges sterling to deliuer vpp the sayd two Scutchins or cognizaunces of siluer vnto them or their Successors at all times requiered. Witnes our handes the day and yeare abouesayd/ (signed) William Greene
...
Mr
MaiorConnor writes of the 'scutchins' on f 56: 'The three roses are of course part of the blazon of the town arms; the H and tun are a reference to Hamtun, a form of the name by which the town was still known at this time' (Southampton Mayor's Book, p 110, n 392). The scutcheons still exist among the corporation plate and a photograph of one appears on the cover of Burch, Minstrels and Players.
The hand here uses the standard 's' when the mark for 'es' seems called for, as in 'Burgesss' and 'Ross,' where the final 's' is the standard final short 's' and the preceding 's' is the long 's.' The 'es' abbreviation mark is used when not strictly necessary, as in 'Bayliffes.'
Record title: Assembly Book
Repository: Southampton City Archives
Shelfmark: SC2/1/6
Repository location: Southampton
The assembly book is a minute or act book of the town council, recording its decisions on a variety of matters, including taxes and customs duties, poor relief, enrolling of freemen and burgesses, the election and duties of town officials (including the musicians), and offences such as selling goods or keeping an alehouse without a proper licence. The council met roughly once a week, normally on Friday. The date of the meeting heads each group of minutes or memoranda and the names of the mayor and aldermen present appear in the left margin. Frequently rubrics identifying each action occur just above or to the left of the main entries.
12 March 1603/4–7 October 1642; English; paper; 331 leaves; 418mm x 281mm; modern pencil foliation followed here (original ink foliation begins on f 7 and leaves out f 9, then begins again with f 2 at the pencil f 18); good condition, first 16 folios damaged and repaired; heavy parchment cover with leather straps, no original title, '1602 to 1642' inked in same hand that has titled so many of the Southampton muniments.