991) In the face of this resolution (M510) the City could
proceed no further. A petition to parliament was drafted, but failed to
get the approval of the Common Council, and the City posts were summarily
suppressed.(992)

(M511)

In the meantime steps had been taken towards raising a fund from the
inhabitants of the wards to enable the municipal authorities to find work
for the poor.(993) On the 2nd April the President and Governors for the
Poor of the city reported to the Common Council that they stood in need of
L12,000 at the least, in order to start the poor on work. The court
thought best to begin by raising only L4,000, and there was some talk of
applying to parliament to increase (if need be) the powers of the
Corporation for the Poor, so as to charge both real and personal estate in
assessments.(994) A year ago (6 June, 1649) parliament had assisted the
City with the sum of L1,000 towards the relief of the poor, and had
consented to convey to the municipal authorities a certain storehouse in
the Minories, as well as the wardrobe near the Blackfriars, the latter to
be used as a work-house.(995) The City now took the opportunity of
thanking the Commons for these gifts as well as for the gift of Richmond
Park, and promised to stand by them "against all wicked practices and
opposite pretended powers whatsoever."(996)

(M512)

There was another matter of municipal interest which claimed the attention
of the civic authorities about this time. Ever since 1550, when, as we
have seen, the borough of Southwark first became completely subject to the
jurisdiction of the city, the inhabitants of the borough had suffered from
the anomalous position of being ruled by an alderman not of their
choosing, and by a Common Council to which they sent no representatives.
Nevertheless, it was not until the close of 1649 that they began to raise
any serious objection to the existing state of things. On the 4th
December of that year they petitioned parliament that they might be
incorporated or enfranchised either with or without the City, on the
ground that, as matters stood, their poor were neglected and they suffered
from "diversity of jurisdictions," under which they were subjected to
"double service and charges," such as no other body suffered throughout
the kingdom.(997)

(M513)

Early in the following year (28 Jan., 1650) the City presented a counter
petition in defence of its rights and privileges in Southwark, and the
wh