Borough Government in Restoration Grantham: The Hall Book of Grantham, 1662-1704

The key theme of
the Hall Book remains Borough Governance.

The town’s charters and rights were confirmed and extended in 1664 by
the Charter of Charles II. James II’s
Charter of 1685 led to the Alderman becoming Mayor, the First Twelve becoming
Aldermen and the Second Twelve becoming Councillors. James also sought to extend his powers with
more rights to interfere, as with other cities and boroughs across the
country. The Quo Warranto issued in
April 1688 and the removal of six Aldermen resulted in an un-sought for
Charter later in 1688 but this may not have even been physically received in
Grantham as the events of the Glorious Revolution intervened and governance
was restored under the terms of the 1631 Charter of Charles I. The borough of
Grantham was then governed in these terms until the Municipal Corporations
Act of 1835. Subsidiary themes include
the precautions against plague in 1665; the issue and recall of the town’s
half-pennies in 1667-1674; references to non-conformity in 1668-69 and the
lives of some of the Corporation members.