William Hone and the Spectacle-Makers, 24 June, 1813 An Electronic Edition William Hone Kyle Grimes

For publication in the Hone Correspondence section of the William Hone BioText, http://honearchive.org. The letter is published under a Creative Commons license, details of which are accessible from the BioText homepage.

Transcribed from the original in City of London Record Office, CF1/1441.

 Produced XML version; updated and edited.
William Hone joins the Spectacle-Makers, 24 June, 1813.City of London Record Office, CF1/1441. This rather unexpected document from the City of London Record Office makes official Hone's membership in the Company of Spectacle Makers, one of the Livery Companies of the City. Membership in a Livery Company enabled persons to do business within the City of London—it does not suggest that Hone was actually engaged in making spectacles. Hone's later correspondence—from 1839 through 1842—shows that he maintained this Company membership (and that "J. Sewell," the person who endorsed the present document, was still serving as the Company secretary). [return] — -TEI-

Smith Mayor An especial Court held on the Feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (that is to say) Wednesday the 24th day of June 1818 in the 58th year of the reign of George the third of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King V.

Upon the humble request of William Hone who obtained an order of this Court of the 24 day of June 1813—to be admitted into the freedom of this City by redemption in the Company of Spectacle-Makers—paying unto Mr Chamberlain for this City’s use the sum of forty six shillings and eight pence. It is now Ordered that he be admitted accordingly altho it is more than three Months since he obtained the said Order notwithstanding the Order made by this Court the 21st day of February 1726 to the Contrary—

Woodthorpe

[in a different hand:] Admitted to the Freedom of the Company. J. Sewell.