| Description | The Warden's Accounts were maintained by the junior wardens - the Quarter and Renter Wardens. They were maintained as loose records on varying sizes of paper and at an unknown later date bound into volumes.
It seems that the accounts were written up as a fair copy from the bills (CL/D/7) and other loose records. This is suggested by the accounts themselves - for example, the expenditure on gardeners and labourers in 1584-5 is annotated 'as per bills appeareth'. Similar wording is used regarding the expenditure on floral and foliage decorations for the Hall and Parlour when James I was admitted to the Freedom in June 1607.
The Quarter Warden took receipt and authorised payment of monies relating to membership and other non-estate matters. These included payments under the following headings (earlier accounts are less itemised):
- Quarterage (until 1678/9), which was paid by the Livery and thus the names of those who paid Quarterage amounts to a Livery List. In the later 17th century, the accounts cease to open with Quarterage payments but in the early eighteenth century the names of Master, Wardens, Assistants and Livery are reinstated at the start of the accounts (but without any note of Quarterage payments).
- Apprenticeship binding payments (from 1664/5). Before this, apprenticeships are not noted.
- Payments by Freemen being sworn (usually notes the details of the Freedom, including the date and is therefore the most accurate record of the date of Freedom before the Freedom registers note this information).
- Fines and receipts
- Casual payments
- Allowances at Courts (Assistants were entitled to payments for attending Court meetings and the meetings also had associated expences).
- Gratuities to Officers
- Payments for Dinners
- Payments for Gifts (i.e. Trusts which made payments but which did not depend directly on the income from particular estates)
- Standing salaries
- Almsmen
- Pensioners
- Livery fines returned (i.e. those retiring from the Livery)
The Renter Warden dealt with income and expenditure associated with estates, including charitable payments associated directly with particular estates. The accounts are arranged according to the individual estates, including charitable as well as Company-owned properties.
Despite the title of the first volume, the earliest Account is for 1528-29 and for the Renter Warden only; the Court Orders for 6th October 1937, page 317, refer to a transcript of the '1520' Wardens' Book; the transcript does not appear to survive and was presumably destroyed in 1941. There is also a reference to the transcript of the '1536' Court Orders (1537-1558), which does survive. |