Also 4–7 wardemote, (7 vordimote, wardmoot); (6 in combinations corruptly warmoll, warnmall, wardmol). [f. WARD sb.2 + mote, MOOT sb.1] A meeting of the citizens of a ward; esp. in the City of London, a meeting of the liverymen of a ward under the presidency of the alderman.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. Prol. 94. Somme seruen þe kyng and his siluer tellen, In cheker and in chancerye chalengen his dettes Of wardes and wardmotes [v.r. wardemotes] weyues and streyues.
a. 1513. Fabyan, Chron., VII. (1811), 340. That euery aldreman in his warde, shulde vpon the morowe folowynge, assemble his wardemote, and that all those wardemootys shuld assemble in one place.
1603. Stow, Surv. Lond., 268. The said crosse hauing beene presented by diuers Iuries (or quests of Wardmote) to stand in the high way to the let of cariages (as they alledged).
1682. Lond. Gaz., No. 1730/3. Sir Thomas Bludworth Alderman for the Ward of Aldersgate, being lately dead, the Wardmoot met this day in order to the supplying the Vacancy.
1758. Payne’s Universal Chron., 21–8 Oct., 237/1. Yesterday Mr. Alderman Alsop held a Wardmote at Armourer’s-hall, for the election of a Common Council-man for Coleman-street Ward.
1861. Daily Tel., 24 Oct. Yesterday a wardmote was held at the King’s Arms Hotel, Newgate St., before Mr. Alderman Phillips, for the election of a representative of the ward in Common Council.
1897. Daily News, 22 Dec., 4. The various wards into which the City is divided assembled yesterday in wardmote.
b. attrib. and Comb., as wardmote court, man; wardmote horn, a horn formerly blown before the houses of the members of a wardmote court to call them to a meeting; wardmote inquest, quest, (a) a judicial inquiry made by a wardmote; (b) the body of men composing a wardmote; also attrib., as wardmote inquest man.
1607. Cowell, Interpr., s.v., Wardmote, is a court kept in euery ward in London … ordinarily called among them, the *Wardmote Court.
1899. A. C. Benson, Life Abp. Benson, II. i. 5. He then drove to the Guildhall [at Canterbury] where he was greeted with loud blasts upon the *Wardmote horn.
1529. S. Fish, Supplic. Beggers (1871), 9. Your grace may se whate a worke there is in London, howe the bisshoppe rageth for endyting of certayn curates of extorcion and incontinency the last yere in the *warmoll quest.
1540. Act 32 Hen. VIII., c. 17 § 3. To enquire bothe in their Quarter cessions, and all wardemote enquestis to be kept within the Citie of London.
1545. Brinklow, Lament., 91. There is a custome in the Cytie, ones a yeare to haue a quest called the warnmall queste, to redresse vices.
1603. Stow, Surv. Lond., 225. Candlewicke street warde … hath now … Wardmote inquest men 12.
1606. Dekker, Sev. Sinnes, 33. In whose Ship [of Fools] whilest they all are sayling, let vs obserue what other abuses the vordimotes Inquest doe present on the lande, albeit they bee neuer reformed, till a second Chaos is to bee refined.
1632. B. Jonson, Magnetic Lady, I. ii. For of the Wardmote Quest, he better can, The mysterie, then the Levitick Law.
1603. Stow, Surv. Lond., 139. This ward [Tower street] hath … *Wardmote men thirteene. Ibid., 152. Aldgate warde … hath … Wardmote men for inquest eighteene.
