The coat of arms for the Worshipful Company of Butchers in the City of London
John Muse, Butcher
The coat of arms for the Worshipful Company of Butchers in the City of London
He then appears to get into some trouble. He was trading as a Butcher in St Johns Street, London when he was accused in 1518 that he
daily useth to blowe the kydneyes to make them swell and seem much greater than they would be
He was bound over with two sureties, Edward Langhorn and Robert Dunne, two other butchers of St Johns Street, to appear and answer before the Mayor and Aldermen
The result of the action is not known.
Each member of the Company, a trades guild, had to make an annual subscription, and in 1522 John was being looked for to pay, but apparently he had left London, to disappear for ever!
It seems likely, but not certain, that he went back home and practiced his skills in Lowestoft, and was probably (not proved, however) the father or grandfather of Wyllyam Mewse, who was a butcher with two houses and was buried in 1582.
This is a picture of a butchers shop in the 14th century - not much would have changed for several centuries.
