he Common
Council discharged him from service (19 Oct.) on the plea of old age and
ill-health, but fined him L600.(1039) The Court of Aldermen subsequently
discharged him from his aldermanry.(1040)

(M533)

John Fowke, who succeeded to the mayoralty in place of Edmonds,(1041)
always insisted upon his right to know for what purpose a Common Council
was required before he would accede to a request to summon one,(1042) and
upon quitting office he made a speech in Common Hall reflecting upon the
proceedings of the Common Council. His speech was referred to a committee,
with instructions to consider at the same time his grievances and to
endeavour to bring matters to a peaceful issue.(1043) The committee
presented their report to the council on the 24th October (1653). Fowke,
who still occupied the mayoralty chair, got up and left the court as soon
as the report had been read.(1044) He was found by the committee to have
been guilty of various misdemeanours, such as withholding the common seal
and refusing to allow leases to be stamped with it, appointing his own son
to various places, making an open assault upon the custom-house and
seizing the rights and profits of the city to his own use.(1045) Thereupon
the court resolved to appeal to parliament--not the Rump, for that had been
sent to the right about(1046) by Cromwell six months before (20 April,
1653), but to "Barebones parliament," the parliament composed of
Cromwell's own nominees--to take in hand Fowke's conduct and to restore to
the citizens those rights of which he had deprived them.(1047) Nothing
appears, however, to have come of the petition. On the 22nd September
(1653) the Common Council resolved that Fowke's successor should enjoy
"all the perquisites and profits which any lord mayor hath enjoyed for
twenty years last past, before the yeare of our Lord one thousand six
hundred and forty and nine."(1048)

(M534)

The difficulty of finding an alderman willing to undertake the office of
mayor under the new regulations was as nothing compared with that of
getting men to serve as sheriffs and aldermen, and the Chamber of the city
was largely benefitted by the payment of fines for discharge from
service.(1049) One concession the court of Common Council made to the
sheriffs, and that was to relieve them of the payment of certain fee-farm
rents due from sheriffs for the time being.(1050) Nevertheless the
shrievalty became so unpopular that an order had to be passe