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quod leges et libere consuetudines ville predicte ponantur in quodam rotulo vocabitur le Domesday. Et quod ille Rotulus semper commorabitur in custodia Ballivorum eiusdem ville, qui erunt pro tempore, ut possint scire et cognoscere modum qualiter agere debent in suo officio,whilst a second roll containing the statutes of the Merchant Gild was to be in the possession of the alderman, to guide his government of that institution.[3] And, when the loss of the original Domesday necessitated its reconstruction from memory, the task was assigned to a special committee "des plus sages e meuz avisez ... qe meux se conussent en les leys e en les usages."[4] At Lynn and Colchester, and perhaps commonly but unexpressedly elsewhere, certain ordinances of constitutional significance were read out at the annual electoral assemblies, as reminder both to the community and its officers of their duties.[5] However, the clearest expression of expectations of the quality of government are found in oaths of office. Above all we find the demand, both on the part of the community and of the king, for impartiality. When selecting officers, electors were to ignore personal friendships or enmities, and were not to be influenced by persuasion of gifts from others. Those officers, for their part, were to deal with rich and poor as if equals. This reflects not merely the belief that government should be just, but also that borough officers were representatives of the whole community, not just some special interest within it. The other central themes of oaths of office are diligent and honest fulfillment of duties, and placing the good and the profit of the town before all other interests (those of the king excepted - in form at least, but perhaps not in spirit).[6] The functions of the oath of office were various, we may posit:
Created: July 30, 1998 | © Stephen Alsford, 1998-2003 |
Encyclopedia | Library | Reference | Teaching | General | Links | Search | About ORB | HOME The contents of ORB are copyright © 2003 Kathryn M. Talarico except as otherwise indicated herein. |