Sessions Papers
1753

To the Right Honourable Sir Crisp Gascoigne< no role > Knight Lord Mayor of
the City of London , and the Aldermen of the same City.

The humble Petition of the several Journeymen Taylor
and Staymakers within the said City.

Humbly Sheweth

That your Petitioners preferred their Petition at the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace held at
Guildhall in and for the said City of London in October 1751 Before the then Right Honourable Francis Cokayne< no role >
Esquire then Lord Mayor of the said City and the Aldermen of the same City Setting forth That by an Act of
Parliament made in the Seventh year of the Reign of King George the first for regulating the Journeymen Taylor
within the Weekly Bills of Mortality It is amongst other things Enacted that the hours of Work for all Journeyman
Taylor Servants and Apprentices to Taylors and other Person employed or to be employed or [..]
in making up Mens or Womens Cloaths or such Servant or Apprentices within the Cities of London and Westminster
or either of than or within the Weekly Bills of Mortality shall be from Six of the Clock in the Morning untill Eight
of the Clock at Night Excepting only that there shall be Allowed by the Master one penny half penny for Breakfast
and one from for Dinner in the time aforesaid And for the said time or hours aforesaid there shall be paid into
every Journeyman Taylor or other Person Employed or to be employed or retained as a Journeyman Taylor for
his Work during he Hours aforesaid the Wages and Sums following (that is to say) from the 25th. day of March
to the 24th. day of June any Sum or Sums not exceeding two Shillings a day, and for the rest of the Year One
Shilling and eight pence a day.

That the Legislature then perceiving it would be reasonable and necessary upon some Occasions
thereafter to Alter the Wages and hours of Work aforesaid It is thereby further Enacted that it shall and may be
lawfull to and for the Justices of the peace in their respective Jurisdictions within the Limits aforesaid at their
General Quarter Sessions And they are thereby authorized and required upon Application to be made to them
for that purpose to take into their Consideration the Plenty or Scarcity of the time and other Circumstances
necessary to be considered And to Alter the Wages and hours of Work aforesiad And to Order and Appoint which
Wages and allowances shall be paid or made to Journeymen Taylors and Servants retained or employed in the
Art or Mistery of Taylor aforesaid within the Limits aforesaid And what hours they shall Work, and shall
make such Allerations therein from time to time as such Justices at any such General Sessions shall think fit
upon Application to be made to them for that purpose And such Justices shall within the space of Fourteen Days next
after such General Sessions Came such Rates and Atterations from time to time to be Printed Published and made
known in such manner as to them shall seem meet at the reasonable Expence of any Person or Persons Desiring
the Same And from and after Publication thereof all Taylors and their Journeymen and Servants within the
Limits aforesaid are thereby stricktly required to observe the Same upon pain of Imprisonment by such Justices
for any time not exceeding two Months being lawfully Convicted of such Offence after knowledge and
Information of any such Rates or Alterations thereof to be made as aforesaid upon any Prosecution to be
Commenced within Six days after the Offence Committed.

That since the making the above Act the Price of Labour in all Trades and Businesses is much increased
of which the Master Taylors are so Sensible that the greatest part and most Eminent amongst them have for
several Years past paid their Journeymen 2s.6d. a day all the year.

That your Petitioners were untill the late Disputes between the Masters and their Journeymen in
Middlesex intirely Ignorant of the said Act and the Penalties incurred by paying and receiving more Wages
than by the said Act is allowed for want of having an Order and Appointment made for the payment of the
Same by your Worships in pursuance of the Power vested in you by the said Act.

That your Petitioners therefore their humbly prayed that your Worships would be pleased to alter the
Wages and the hours of working mentioned in the Said Act and to Order that the Master Taylors residing
in the said City should pay unto every Journeyman Taylor for his Work 2s.6d. a day And that the hours of
Working be appointed to be from Six of the Clock in the Morning to Six of the Clock at Night Or that your
Worships would be pleased to make such other Order in the Premisses as to your Worships should seem

to That