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carried away by a land flood; but a few
years after another wooden bridge was
built in its room. In 1099 a high flood
caused the Thames to overflow its banks,
by which a great number of villages were
laid under water, and many of their in-
habitants drowned: at this time part of
the lands belonging to Godwin Earl of
Kent, were swallowed up by the sea, and
are now denominated Goodwin's Sands;
and this being a reign of prodigies, there
happened fifteen years after such a defect
of water in the river Thames, that num-
bers of people crossed not only above and
below London bridge, but even through
some of the arches, without wetting their
feet.
We have already mentioned the first
charter granted by William the Conque-
ror to the city; he afterwards granted
them another; but London obtained one
much more extensive from Henry I. by
which the citizens not only had their an-
cient customs and immunities confirmed,
but the county of Middlesex added to
their jurisdiction, on paying the quit rent
of 300l. a year; with a power of appoint-
ing not only a Sheriff but a Justiciary
from among themselves. This was grant-
ed to prevent that country's being any
longer an asylum for bankrupts, and frau-
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| | dulent |
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| L O N | 11 |
dulent persons, who having deserted Lon-
don with the goods and effects of their
creditors, lived there in open defiance of
those they had injured.
By this charter the citizens were al-
lowed the privilege of not being compell-
ed to plead without the walls of the city,
and excused from paying scot, lot, and
danegelt, duties payable to the King by
all his other subjects. The city was not
to be amerced for the escape of a mur-
derer; nor any citizen, when accused of
a crime, be obliged to vindicate his inno-
cence by a duel. They were exempted
from paying toll in fairs or markets in
any part of the kingdom; and if any was
exacted, they might make reprisals in
London, upon the inhabitants of the
town where it was exacted, &c.
Before the grant of this charter, Lon-
don seems to have been entirely subject
to the arbitrary will of the King. But
the liberties of the citizens being now
guarded by so strong a fence, they en-
deavoured to secure their customs by con-
verting them into written laws; and the
several bodies professing the arts and my-
steries of trade and manufacture, which
had hitherto been kept up by prescription
only, were now strengthened by being
formed into established companies. The
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| | King |
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