[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "]
SIR,—Whatever charter may have been granted to the burgesses of Ripon in 886 (if any), it would not be a charter of municipal incorporation. No charter of municipal incorporation existed in England until a comparatively recent period,—namely„ the eighteenth year of Henry VI., in which year the first charter of that kind was granted to Kingston-upon-Hull. There seems to be, in many minds, a confusion of a borough and a municipal corporation. Boroughs existed from the earliest period of our authentic history, and " all were essentially alike in their object, constitution, and general character, as well in England, as in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. The same class of persons originally formed the body of burgesses in all boroughs. The burgesses were the permanent free in- habitants of the boroughs, performing their duties and enjoying their privileges as the free inhabitant householders, paying scot and bearing lot; presented, sworn, and enrolled at the Court Seat. They had no other character till the 18th Henry VI , when the first charter of municipal incorporation was granted,. which superinduced upon the original character of burgesses that of corporators also."
Throughout the whole of the Saxon period, neither in the laws, chronicles, nor charters is there any trace of a municipal corporation ; nor is there any in Domesday ; nor, in fact, till long after the reign of Richard I.,—so that any claims founded upon prescription would be negatived.
It is to be remembered that the principal characteristic of a borough was not its corporate capacity, but its separate juris- diction and its exemption from the jurisdiction of the Sheriff.
These statements are supported by the authority of Mere- wether and Stephens's "History of Boroughs and Municipal Corporations, 1835." The principal thing which the authors of the three volumes of this work seem to have in view is to prove that municipal corporations did not exist before the 18th, Henry VI. Much valuable information bearing upon the ques- tion is to be found there, and I think that any one, after a careful reference to this work, would come to the conclusion that the authority of Gent and of Mr. Theakston in favour of the existence of a charter of municipal incorporation granted to Ripon by Alfred cannot be depended upon. I have referred to Gent's book, and also to other local histories in my possession.
I am, Sir, Sze , JOHN JACKSON. Chancery Place, Manchester, September 28th.
P.S.—The horn of the wakeman probably was one of tenure, and had reference to the duty of keeping watch and ward enforced in the borough.
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